Hundreds celebrate Ashdown heritage

ashfest_families_413px With spectacular, open views across Ashdown Forest nearly 400 people, children and their parents from neighbouring towns and villages, gathered on Saturday 21st May to take part in a colourful, creative and educational festival celebrating The Forest.

The occasion was AshFest, The Ashdown Forest Festival, a community arts event organised as part of the Weald Forest Ridge Landscape Partnership Scheme, a £3 million, 3 year programme, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, to encourage local people to connect with their landscape and understand its unique natural and cultural importance.

Children learned how man lived off the Forest, past and present, through fun, hands on craft workshops, demonstrations of woodland skills and even a competition for the best home-made shepherd’s crook!

The sheep themed celebration has a serious side; the open heathland of Ashdown has been created by centuries of sustainable grazing by local people exercising their ‘common rights’, so sheep and cattle are as much a part of the Forest as the heather and the views. Ashdown Forest is subject to national and international protection for its biodiversity and is the largest open access space in the South East.

AshFest is a partnership event delivered by the Conservators of Ashdown Forest, the High Weald AONB Unit, Same Sky, East Sussex Archaeology and Museums Partnership (ESAMP), Sussex Wildlife Trust and Esus Forestry, as part of the Weald Forest Ridge Landscape Partnership Scheme, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Tell us what you thought about AshFest

How many adults were there in your party? (*)	12345678910 Please check one of the boxes. Please rate how important the following aspects of the event were to you. 1 = not at all important and 5 = crucial.
How many children were there in your party? (*)	12345678910 Please check one of the boxes. Please rate how important the following aspects of the event were to you. 1 = not at all important and 5 = crucial.
	Please rate how important the following aspects of the event were to you BEFORE you attended. 1 = not at all important and 5 = crucial.
It was important to me to find out more about the High Weald and Weald Forest Ridge. (*)	12345 Please check one of the boxes. Please rate how important the following aspects of the event were to you. 1 = not at all important and 5 = crucial.
It was important for me to find out more about Ashdown Forest. (*)	12345 Invalid Input
Enjoying some time at a local countryside site was important to me. (*)	12345 Invalid Input
It was important to be able to enjoy a range of hands on activities for children and families. (*)	12345 Please check one of the boxes. Please rate how important the following aspects of the event were to you. 1 = not at all important and 5 = crucial.
It was important to be able to enjoy a musical procession for children and families. (*)	12345 Please check one of the boxes. Please rate how important the following aspects of the event were to you. 1 = not at all important and 5 = crucial.
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	Now, please rate how SATISFIED you were with the following aspects of the event AFTERWARDS. 1 = not at all satisfied and 5 = extremely satisfactory.
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Thank you for completing this form. If you have completed the necessary sections of this form, please press 'submit' and you will be redirected to the Weald Forest Ridge section of highweald.org. We hope to see you at another event soon.