Ashdown Forest Foundation launches 100 4 100, the hunt for 100 corporate guardians to protect Winnie-the-Pooh’s beloved home for the next century
Inspired by Winnie-the-Pooh’s 100th birthday, The Ashdown Forest Foundation has launched ‘100 4 100’, an ambitious campaign to partner with 100 businesses to help secure the Forest’s future.
The ‘Corporate Guardians’ will help to build a 100 Year Legacy Fund with the aim of ensuring that this extraordinary landscape, 10 square miles of lowland heathland, ancient woodland and fragile ecological habitats, is protected and thrives for generations to come.
“Ashdown Forest is not just Pooh’s birthplace;” explains Robin St. Clair Jones, Chair of the Ashdown Forest Foundation. “It’s a place of extraordinary natural beauty and ecological importance. As a living, breathing landscape it’s an ecosystem that supports not just nature but also local businesses and communities. 100 4 100 will build a 100 Year Legacy Fund to protect and maintain it, but the project is also about strengthening the Forest’s relationship with the communities and businesses that both love and rely on it because the Forest is for everyone, and protecting it is something we can all get involved with.”
More Than a Storybook Setting
Ashdown Forest is the largest open access area in the South East, supporting rare wildlife while providing clean air and a vital green corridor across Sussex. With thousands of visitors exploring the area each year, the Forest brings brings significant economic benefit to the local community.
“The businesses and people who live and work in the area are an integral part of what makes this landscape thrive, and we’re excited about the opportunity that 100 4 100 presents,” adds Ted Brown, Vice Chair for the Foundation. “Public funding is limited and at times, uncertain. With support from Corporate Guardians , we’ll be able to provide long-term support for the Forest, helping them expand habitat and rare species programmes, improve accessibility and education and support and provide additional resources for the Forest team to help them do their vital jobs even better.”
How 100 4 100 Works
The Foundation is looking for 100 Corporate Guardians who can make a sponsorship contribution directly into the 100 Year Legacy Fund. There are various levels of support to enable businesses of any size to get involved, including £25 per month supporter packages for small businesses, hosting or sponsoring donation points, or annual sponsorship options.
For businesses who may not be in a position to offer financial support, the Foundation is equally keen to explore practical partnerships, whether through professional expertise, equipment, or other in-kind donations.
“Every form of support makes a tangible difference to the Forest’s long-term future,” adds Robin. “What will unite all our Corporate Guardians, large and small, is the belief that some things are just worth protecting, for their own sake and for the sake of future generations.”
To find out more about becoming a Corporate Guardian and explore the available partnership options, visit: ashdownforestfdn.org/how-to-support-us/corporate-partnerships/
