News from the New Forest Trust

Animal Accidents

The reduction of animal accidents on the roads across the Forest is something in which the New Forest Trust is heavily invested.

Each year we work with the National Park and support the animal safety campaign, and with a generous donation from The Pig Hotel this summer we were able to fund the re-printing of the brilliant ‘Sally the Pony’ storybooks which we help distribute across the Forest. 


It therefore gave us a huge amount of pleasure to award the New Forest Trust Diamond Jubilee Award for 2023 to Gilly Jones at the New Forest and Hampshire County Show in July – Gilly has worked tirelessly for many years to reduce animal deaths and injuries across the Forest, and her work has made a real difference to the speed of traffic in the Forest which means that all of us, including the livestock, are safer – thank you Gilly and congratulations!

Credit: Top Shots Photography

IT’S THE NEW FOREST MONOPOLY ‘BIG REVEAL’

PRESS RELEASE 

27th April 2023

.. as pony replaces dog in this unique edition

Today sees the ‘Big Reveal’ of a brand new MONOPOLY: New Forest Edition board.

And – drum roll – we get to feature in the game!

We are one of 30+ New Forest organisations to ‘Pass GO’ in the MONOPOLY: New Forest Edition game.

This New Forest version of the world’s most popular board game features “the great and good” of the region – from the National Park, to Rufus Stone, to Bolton’s Bench .. and many more, including us.

We get to star on a Love The Forest ‘chance’ space.

New Forest Trust Chairman, William Ziegler at the official launch of MONOPOLY: New Forest Edition at Balmer Lawn Hotel

In this edition, the multi-coloured MONOPOLY property sites become exclusively New Forest. And the cards and tokens change too. The boot playing token gets the boot – literally – along with all the traditional tokens, such as the top hat, Scottie dog and ship. And amongst those in their place? A pony, tent and pig.

The board has been produced by London-based games company Winning Moves UK, under licensing from global branded entertainment leader Hasbro, and is in shops now.

The sets are themed in genres. From heritage to tourism, hotels to shopping, business to travel – and more. There’s a ‘Show’ set which includes The Ellingham Show and the New Forest and Hampshire County Show. And the quartet of trains stations from the London original classic are handed over to local stations, including Brockenhurst. Several New Forest charities get to feature in the game too.

Ella Gibbs, Customs Games Executive at Winning Moves UK, says:  

“It’s a board for the ages – the past and the present – and features the great and the good of the New Forest.”

The game was being formally launched this morning at the Balmer Lawn Hotel, at exactly the same time as it hit the shops.

Last year it was announced that the New Forest is getting its very own official version of MONOPOLY. At the time the public was invited to send in suggestions. 

“We have been wonderfully spoiled for choice putting this edition,” adds Ms Gibbs from Winning Moves UK. “Thank you to everyone who contributed during the public consultation process.”

The game is available now. WHSmith, Waterstones and Amazon are amongst the leading stores stocking the board.

About MONOPOLY:

MONOPOLY first hit shelves in 1935 with the Racecar, Thimble, Boot, Top Hat, and Battleship among the original set of MONOPOLY tokens, while the Scottie Dog and Wheelbarrow were added in the early 1950s. Although the brand has evolved over the 87 years, the gameplay and iconography of the classic MONOPOLY game has remained unchanged, making it a timeless classic sure to be enjoyed by future generations. Today, MONOPOLY is the world’s favourite family game brand and is enjoyed by more than one billion players in 114 countries across the globe. 

About Winning Moves:

Winning Moves is a leading world games company, which since 1992 has owned and produced TOP TRUMPS, producing and selling the ‘Cool, Card, Cult’ game in more than 30 countries across the world. Winning Moves also produces, with Hasbro, official versions of MONOPOLY based on cities and towns across the world, including in the UK, across Europe, the US, the Middle-East, Africa, the Far East, Australasia and many more places. Winning Moves as well owns and produces PASS THE PIGS, WADDINGTONS NUMBER 1 PLAYING CARDS and a host of other leading games, toy and card Brands. 

About Hasbro: 

Hasbro is a global branded entertainment leader whose mission is to entertain and connect generations of fans through the wonder of storytelling and exhilaration of play. Hasbro delivers engaging brand experiences for global audiences through gaming, consumer products and entertainment, with a portfolio of iconic brands including MAGIC: THE GATHERING, DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, Hasbro Gaming, NERF, TRANSFORMERS, PLAY-DOH and PEPPA PIG, as well as premier partner brands. Hasbro is guided by our Purpose to create joy and community for all people around the world, one game, one toy, one story at a time. For more than a decade, Hasbro has been consistently recognized for its corporate citizenship, including being named one of the 100 Best Corporate Citizens by 3BL Media, one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies by Ethisphere Institute and one of the 50 Most Community-Minded Companies in the U.S. by the Civic 50. For more information, visit www.corporate.hasbro.com. © 2023 Hasbro, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

-ends-

New collaboration to welcome visitors and help them care for the New Forest

A new visitor film has been launched by Forest organisations and marks the start of a new collaboration between tourism body Go New Forest and the Love the Forest scheme.

The visitor welcome film, led by the New Forest National Park Authority with Forestry England and Go New Forest, the official Destination Management Organisation for the New Forest, encourages visitors and locals to help look after the landscape, buy local and get around car-free.

The film was part-funded by a £2,000 grant from Love the Forest, a visitor giving scheme run by registered charity The New Forest Trust, which works with businesses to encourage guests to add a donation to a stay, restaurant bill or product and then gives grants to fund conservation, education and commoning projects.

Alison Wilson, Go New Forest Board member and Love the Forest trustee, said the tourism body is encouraging more of its members to collect donations and is promoting the scheme to visitors online on the destination website – www.thenewforest.co.uk.

She said: ‘Go New Forest is proud to have chosen Love the Forest as its charity of the year and members are keen to step up their support of visitor giving. It’s great that our first project together is helping to protect the very thing our visitors come to see – the spectacular landscape and the traditional way of life here.’

Jaqui Oldfield, owner of Red Shoot Camping Park in Linwood, said she would be playing the film on a screen in reception and will embed it onto her website. She said: ‘My family have lived in the New Forest for generations and understand the environmental sensitivity of this unique area. We’re a Go New Forest member and would 100% encourage other businesses to get involved with Love the Forest. Collecting donations is not difficult to do and there are plenty of resources available to help get the messages out there about caring for the Forest.’

Hilary Harper, Love the Forest trustee, said: ‘We fund vital conservation projects such as removing invasive plants from choking our rivers and helping to protect New Forest ponies. Our education projects are equally important so it’s vital to work closely with the tourism industry to share the film and gain more business supporters.’

Aynsley Clinton, of the New Forest National Park Authority, said: ‘Over half the National Park is internationally important for nature conservation. Our role is to ensure tourism is sustainable, giving back to the landscape and local communities and ensuring people respect the National Park. The film is an accessible way to find out the best ways to enjoy the New Forest while protecting the environment.’

Richard Burke, District Recreation Manager, Forestry England, said: ‘The New Forest is one of the UK’s most important landscapes for conservation and wildlife. It’s also a special place for people to connect to nature. We want people to enjoy their time in the Forest, deepening their understanding of why it’s so special and providing practical ways they can help to care for it.’

The visitor welcome film can be viewed at: https://youtu.be/fRxXTNymF9w.

Businesses are encouraged to embed the video into their own websites, show in their shops and reception areas or send the link when visitors book their accommodation or activities.

New collaboration to welcome visitors and help them care for the New Forest


(Left to right): Launching the New Forest visitor welcome film are Aynsley Clinton, NFNPA; Richard Burke, Forestry England; Alison Wilson, Go New Forest; Jaqui and Eloise Oldfield, Red Shoot Camping Park, Linwood; Hilary Harper, Love the Forest treasurer.

-ends-

Love the Forest and apply for funding

The Love the Forest scheme is inviting people to apply for grants of up to £5,000 for projects which help secure the future of the New Forest.

The scheme, run by registered charity the New Forest Trust, has recently funded a wide range of conservation, education and commoning projects.

animal accidents

Initiatives include printing the New Forest Code to show how to care for the Forest; supporting the campaign to reduce animal accidents; research into rare pine martens; a film for visitors about how to the keep the Forest special and providing litter picking kits for National Park ambassadors.

Businesses across the National Park generously help raise the funds from their customers by adding a small donation to restaurant bills, accommodation, products and services.

New Forest Trust Chairman William Ziegler said: ‘The New Forest landscape is globally important for nature and it’s only through everyone working together that we can make sure it’s around for future generations.

‘We know there are some great projects which could get under way with a bit of funding so we’re calling on businesses, communities, schools and organisations to submit their ideas. Applying is easy and you’ll get a quick response.

‘We would also like to thank our partner businesses and their customers who have raised hundreds of thousands of pounds over the years to ensure the spectacular New Forest is not just protected but improved.’

Grants of £50 to £5,000 are available and projects must meet one or more of the New Forest Trust charitable objectives:

  • Promoting the conservation, protection and improvement of the New Forest
  • Promoting the conservation and protection of the commoning livestock, the deer and other flora and fauna of the New Forest
  • Promoting the education and understanding of the public in the commoning of livestock, of fauna and flora and the environment of the New Forest.

Find out more about projects the scheme has supported and how to apply for your own grant on the website: www.lovetheforest.org.uk.

New wildlife corridor hedgerow planted to honour the late Queen

The New Forest National Park Authority, its volunteers and the New Forest Trust worked together to plant a hedgerow in honour of the Queen’s Jubilee.

The new hedgerow is on land adjacent to Rockford Common in the north west of the New Forest , which is part of The New Forest Site of Special Scientific Interest. (Special Protection Area and Special Area of Conservation if you want to lay it on!)

The Rockford Farm site, managed by the New Forest Trust, qualified for a Woodland Trust scheme as part of the Queen’s Green Canopy – a nationwide project set to plant one million trees and hedgerows across the country as a living legacy of the late Queen Elizabeth II.

National Park volunteers spent a day planting hawthorn, hazel, rowan, birch and oak along the hedge line with stakes and protectors to help them grow and protect them from rabbits. 

The ground was then covered in chippings to stop aggressive weeds competing with the new planting

Paul Walton, the National Park Authority’s Head of Environment and Rural Economy, said: ‘Hedges are a vital part of the countryside’s ecosystem, offering berries and nuts for wildlife whilst also providing a protective corridor for animals to move between habitats.

‘A healthy hedgerow will be rich in species, including native shrubs and can provide bird nesting sites as well as a home for some of our rarer animals including hedgehogs and newts.’

Trees and hedges are best planted in the winter months, with the final plants and seeds of the Queen’s Green Canopy being sown by March.

Elsewhere on the site the Trust has already planted a new hedge on the northern boundary linking an existing hedge with adjacent woodland.  The roadside hedge had declined in recent years.  Much of it was elm which has declined throughout England because of Dutch Elm disease.  Where it survives the Trust have started layering the plants in an effort to keep this species alive. Trustee of the New Forest Trust Diana Westerhoff said: ‘Once grown, the new hedgerow will fill a gap previously overtaken by bracken along the boundary of the site and will help our wildlife for generations to come.

‘This project demonstrates a perfect example of collaborative partnership work across the New Forest. We would like to thank the volunteers for their hard work, alongside The Woodland Trust which provided the plants as part of the Queen’s Green Canopy project and The Tree Management Company for contributing the chippings.’

For volunteering opportunities, visit the New Forest Volunteer Fair at Brockenhurst Village Hall on Sunday 29 January. See www.newforestnpa.gov.uk for details.

-ends-