Interactive performances are being prepared to mark 100 years since the publication of A. A. Milne’s first collection of Winnie-the-Pooh stories.Trigger, known for large scale outdoor puppets, will present The Big One Hundred in Ashdown Forest, a series of free cultural events in the forest and throughout East Sussex.Supported by Wealden District Council, Trigger will also tour a new puppet to other local cultural and heritage sites this summer, with dates and locations to be announced.Councillor Rachel Millward said: “We’re proud to support a programme that honours our cultural heritage, brings communities together, and builds a lasting legacy for Ashdown Forest.”She added: “This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to celebrate a story cherished across the globe, while protecting the extraordinary landscape that inspired it.”Ashdown Forest, A.A. Milne’s inspiration for the magical Hundred Acre Wood, is a rare heathland landscape – a habitat rarer than a tropical rainforest – and a Site of Special Scientific Interest that is home to some of Europe’s most threatened species.From this summer, visitors will be invited to explore the forest and discover its newest inhabitant, a large-scale, mythical puppet creature inspired by the landscape and its unique species through a series of interactive performances.Primary schools across Wealden will be offered free workshops, giving children the chance to draw their own version of the creature or write a story inspired by ‘The Curious Adventurer’.Members of the public can also get involved by suggesting a name for the creature and submit their own drawings and stories to Trigger’s Instagram or using the hashtag #TheBigOneHundred.The project is also supported by The Ashdown Forest Foundation, whose investment will help protect the valuable landscape of Ashdown Forest.Mark Pearson, chief executive officer at Ashdown Forest, said: “We look forward to welcoming them as visitors who can follow in the footsteps of A. A Milne, while witnessing the charm of the landscape and the need to look after it for the next 100 years to come.”
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Puppeteers to celebrate Winnie-the-Pooh’s 100 year anniversary
