We are asking entrants to design a three bedroom farm cottage for Farmer Brown's son. The cottage is to be constructed from locally sourced and, where possible, sustainable and renewable materials. Entrants have been asked to take into consideration:

• The site
• Water
• Heating
• Drainage
• Electricity
• Insulation.

The competition is open to pupils in years 7, 8 & 9 with one project being accepted from each participating school. The deadline for submission of the initial entries is Friday 30 March 2012. The five best projects will be selected to enter the final stage of the competition producing a visual display or presentation to be judged at the South of England Show on Friday 8 June 2012.

The winning team will receive a cheque for £1,000 for their school from Batcheller Monkhouse.  To find out more, please contact Lucy Carnaghan on 01892 509280 email l.carnaghan@batchellermonkhouse.com

 Schools competition - 2012 (2.96 MB)

The Company have staged their fifth, and final, site-specific theatre trail within the Weald Forest Ridge Landscape Partnership Scheme. "Up In Smoke" was performed eight times over the Christmas / New Year period to an audience totalling over 300 people.

Unlike their previous plays in the Scheme - where the audiences walked around local countryside sites, such as Broadwater Warren and Buchan County Park, watching the play unfold - Up In Smoke took place on a moving steam train on the Spa Valley Railway. As the audience travelled through the High Weald between Tunbridge Wells and Groombridge, the play unfolded around them.

Set at the end of 1918, the play explored social issues around soldiers returning, from the battle fronts of the First World War, into a changing society of limited employment, inherent class structures and the emerging votes for women movement. Two of the play's 8 characters were based on real people: Tunbridge Wells resident Amelia Scott, who campaigned for women's suffrage; and Thomas Coster, the larger than life owner of the High Rocks Hotel, who is thought to have woven some of the Rocks' legends to entice visitors to the Rocks and his hostelry!

As with The Company's previous plays, tickets sold out before the performances and glowing feedback was given by audience members.

The overall aim of the project is to help tourism businesses offer activities and accommodation which not only celebrate the iconic landscapes in which they are based but also benefit the environment, culture and heritage of the area. The project believes this offer will: increase visitors' enjoyment and understanding of the landscape's special character, quality and biodiversity; benefit the local rural economy; and contribute to the growth in sustainable tourism by developing and promoting more sustainable tourism opportunities.

Contact: Gerry Sherwin, High Weald Business Manager
Partners: The South East's nine Protected Landscapes, responsibletravel.co.uk, visitor accommodation and activity providers
Timescale: April 2011 to March 2014
Further information
www.our-land.co.uk
Information on the businesses signed up in the High Weald can also be found on our Places to Stay pages

Ashdown Forest Centre, Wych Cross, Forest Row, East Sussex, RH18 5JP
from 28th January 2012 to 28th March 2012
weekends only from 11.00-14.00 and 14.00-dusk.

This is a free event showcasing this exciting and talented local artist.

What James says about himself.....

'I am a freelance photographer based in Mid Sussex within easy reach of Ashdown Forest and the Sussex coast. I specialise in landscape and nature photography and have a particular interest in this beautiful region of the UK. I became a fulltime freelance photographer in late 2009, which was a dream for me. Two years on and I am still enjoying it immensely.

My passion for photography started in 2003 simply as a means of documenting what I was seeing around me whilst travelling in Australia and New Zealand. I have always loved walking and the outdoors so it was a very natural step for me to incorporate taking photographs into my existing hobby. I started with a very basic 35mm film camera but it was the move to a Canon digital camera that really helped my photographic progression. The images in this exhibition were taken over an 18 month period. I've tried to capture the essence of the forest in varied and interesting conditions. Whilst sunrise and sunset are my usual "working hours", not all the pictures were taken at these times. It was such a pleasure to take these photographs and I really hope you enjoy this exhibition of my work.'

Media contacts: jbarrett201@yahoo.com
Website: www.jamesbarrettphotography.co.uk
Ashdown Forest website: www.ashdownforest.org/news/exhibitions.php

For any other information: tracy@ashdownforest.org

"Working in the Woods" Information leaflet (317.71 kB)

The Small Woods Association supports the sustainable management of woodlands in the UK through a number of woodland projects. Having successfully run a Coppice Apprenticeship Scheme nationally for a number of years, the Association, in partnership with Plumpton College, are now able to offer a new apprenticeship scheme to encourage young people in Kent, East and West Sussex into the coppice and green wood trades sector.

The Work-based Level 2 Apprenticeship Programme is designed for those who are interested in a career working in woodland management and traditional woodland crafts. It has a mix of theory and practical sessions where apprentices will learn the necessary skills to start a career in woodland management whilst earning a wage at the same time.

New Coppice and Green Wood Trades Apprenticeships Booking Form (63.1 kB) need to be submitted by 20 February 2012. To find out more details about this apprenticeship scheme (including costs) please contact Fran Fowkes via the Small Woods Association website www.smallwoods.org.uk or email her at franfowkes@smallwoods.org.uk

 This event is being organised by Small Woods Association and Plumpton College, with funding from the Sustainable Development Fund through the High Weald Joint Advisory Committee.

All their cobnuts are naturally grown without the use of pesticides, fertilizers or chemical sprays. The workforce is made up of ladybirds and pheasants which keep the pests under control.

More information including an online shop of other products can be found at www.farnellfarm.co.uk

Dr Peter Brandon, an "inspiration to generations" has died, aged 84 following a long battle with kidney disease. Dr Brandon, a landscape historian and geographer was well known for his many books and scholarly papers on the landscapes of south-east England and greatly admired as a passionate speaker and advocate for these landscapes, Sussex in particular.

Dr Brandon was born in 1927 at Shoreham-by-Sea but moved in his youth to Twickenham only to return to Sussex in the 1950s. A teacher, university lecturer and academic author, Dr Brandon was a former Head of the Department of Geography at the University of North London and following his retirement in the late 1980s he concentrated much of his time writing books and giving talks on the landscapes of Sussex and Kent becoming widely known and deeply cherished. Dr Brandon inspired numerous generations of landscape geographers and historians, residents and visitors with his natural and infectious enthusiasm and deep passion for his beloved Sussex countryside. He was Vice-President of the Sussex branch of the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) and of the Sussex Archaeological Society, and President of the South Downs Society.

Join the Woodland Trust at this free celebration to show off all the improvements they have made to this wonderful wood, including the newly restored carriageway that the Abergavenny family used to go to church. New waymarked trails will also help you enjoy the best of this varied woodland.

Sunday 4th December, 10am to 3pm.

Hargate Forest is on the southern edge of Tunbridge Wells, the entrance is on Broadwater Down Rd, just off the A26.

On street parking is limited as this wood has no dedicated car park, so if you are local, please walk if you can.  There is a bus stop on Broadwater Down Rd (Broadwater West) close to the entrance.  (e.g. Sunday service from Brighton and towns to the south approximately hourly) Contact Traveline on 0871 200 2233 for journey planning details.

Hot food and drink will be available (to buy) all day.

For further information and booking info for the activities go to woodlandtrust.org.uk/hargate

or email jamesluxton@woodlandtrust.org.uk tel: 0845 2935734

This project is being funded by the Weald Forest Ridge Landscape Partnership Scheme with support from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Many people tend to think of archaeological features as rare or something only unearthed by digging many feet into the ground. But in woodland archaeological features are preserved on the surface as the ground is relatively undisturbed. The woodlands of the High Weald are full of features, some very small, some large and range from the remains of ancient field boundaries to first world war training trenches, with a fascinating record of historical land use in between.

The cards have been produced by the Historic Environment Awareness project, led by East Sussex County Council. The South East Woodlands Archaeology Forum (SEWAF) has led the cards’ drafting and trialing.

 HEA Cab cards (1.15 MB)

This project is being run as part of the Weald Forest Ridge Landscape Partnership Scheme with support from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Download:  Leigh - Welly Walk (959.55 kB)