Our landmark centenary crowdfunder campaign is live! This summer, we celebrate one hundred years of Winnie-the-Pooh by looking ahead to the future of his home – Ashdown Forest.
With your help, we are creating a 100 year legacy fund established to help protect the Forest’s vulnerable species and habitats for the next 100 years. Our ambitious aim is to raise £50,000 over 12 weeks this summer, which will go towards long term sustainable projects on the Forest, supporting some of its most iconic inhabitants and restoring the landscape for the future, for everyone.
Even more exciting is that all donations up to £250 will be matched by The Aviva Foundation for the first 6 weeks of the campaign.
Why support Ashdown Forest?
Ashdown Forest is well-known for being the magical place that inspired the birth of Winnie-the-Pooh but it’s story is even bigger than Pooh. Its lowland heathland a habitat that is globally rarer than tropical rainforest making it ecologically important for many species.
Over the last century, many heathland habitats in the UK have been lost through encroachment, over-exploitation and climate change. Facing exactly the same challenges, Ashdown Forest is an important habitat oasis in a very busy South East corner of the UK.
Across 10 square miles, the Forest’s small team of conservators work hard to manage habitats and run projects to support vulnerable species such as the Nightjar, Dartford Warbler, Silver Studded Blue butterfly, the Green Tiger Beetle, the Hazel Dormouse and, as recently covered by BBC’s Springwatch (to much excitement from Chris Packham), the Honey-buzzard.
All of these projects demand money and resources and public funding cannot be guaranteed which is why The Ashdown Forest Foundation provides funding to help deliver these important habitat management and species projects.
