Welcome to the unique world of Ashdown Forest,
the jewel at the centre of the High Weald.

Who are the Friends of Ashdown Forest?

Anyone interested in the conservation of this beautiful place should become a Friend.

Many also become volunteers and help in a practical way with the conservation work.

The Society of the Friends of Ashdown Forest was founded in 1961 and is an independent charity. Support from the Friends has in the past enabled the Conservators to buy back parcels of land to add back into the Forest sometimes after centuries of private ownership, and also contributed to the on-going programme of capital expenditure such as the purchase of vehicles, radio systems and other equipment which help maintain this unique and marvellous place. The Friends have also supported the finance of such diverse things as maps and leaflets, films on the Fauna and Flora of the Forest and conservation work, picnic seats and tables, tree planting, notice and interpretation boards, to name but a few.

We continue to support other projects such as the funding of the Forest Centre Educational Programme which has seen a large number of local schools visiting the Forest, some on a regular basis. We have also paid for a travel bursary, which enables those schools that would not be able to afford transport to access the Forest.

The Friends run a programme of talks, meetings and walks to encourage conservation and the peaceful enjoyment of the Forest and, through ‘Ashdown Forest News’, which is free to Friends, cover issues of current and future importance acting as a strong influence against threats to the environment such as planning proposals which could affect the Forest.

So PLEASE become a Friend of Ashdown Forest TODAY and help us in the on-going work to protect this very special place. A monthly donation of as little as £3 is all it takes to help us continue this unique and valuable work and you will know that you are making a direct contribution towards the conservation of this priceless inheritance.

Connections with Pooh

A.A.Milne Winnie the PoohA.A.Milne lived in London but at weekends he and the family would come down to a farmhouse in Hartfield. Accompanying them in the car would be his son Christopher’s teddy bear Winnie, named after a real bear in London Zoo. When Milne was pressed to write another children’s book he used Winnie-the-Pooh and other toys from the nursery as the characters in the now world famous adventures.

The setting for the stories was the area of Ashdown Forest close to the farmhouse. Pooh Sticks Bridge, the ‘100 Aker Wood’ and all the other landmarks are still here with Hartfield still at the centre of what is now a global phenomenon.

Pooh Sticks Bridge in Ashdown Forest
Friends of Ashdown Forest