TV presenter Katie Derham supports Ashdown Forest

More than 150 guests enjoyed the evening at the Ashdown Park Hotel and Country Club in Forest Row.

It was organised by The Ashdown Forest Foundation (TAFF), whose mission is to raise awareness and funds to conserve and enhance the Forest for the enjoyment, education, health and recreation of current and future generations. 

All proceeds from the evening directly support TAFF in its mission.

Katie Derham said: "I'm an enormous supporter of the Ashdown Forest Foundation, largely due to the fact that I love the Ashdown Forest. 

"I'm local, I walk in it, I run in it and drive through it and I constantly am amazed and in awe of what a wonderful oasis of beauty we have on our doorstep.

"I was delighted to host the fundraiser to raise the Forest's profile and just to make people aware of what they can do to support it.

"I think for all of us during the pandemic, we really learned to cherish and appreciate how important it is to be able to get out in nature. 

"We are very blessed in this area that the Ashdown Forest is so extensive and so beautiful and has such amazing biodiversity and so many different facets to it to be able to stimulate and inspire us. 

"I think it was an enormous boon for everybody in this area. And great actually, because I think it made us appreciate what we need to look after.

"Looking after, protecting, conserving this natural beauty that we've got on our doorsteps.

"We're so blessed in Sussex, and in this area, the High Weald is a place of just outstanding natural beauty, in all its senses.

"Anything that we can do to make sure that's not nibbled away at, ignored and in any way harmed – we should do everything we can."

The Icon Strings quartet, with violin soloist Martyn Jackson, performed Vivaldi’s Four Seasons concertos. 

The evening also featured the launch of a beautiful new book created by local photographer Craig Payne. The book features over 100 photographs of Ashdown Forest through the seasons, with words by Ashdown Forest CEO James Adler.

Season by season, against the backdrop of a selection of photos of the Forest displayed on a large screen on stage, Katie spoke with Craig and James about the images included in the book – when and where they were taken, the ‘story’ behind them, and from James in particular, detail about the Forest, its history, its conservation, and most importantly, what is needed to ensure its future.

At the end of each seasonal interview, Icon Strings performed the corresponding concerto from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons.

A series of mounted prints were also on display for the audience to view before the performance and during the interval.

Craig and James signed copies of the book which was available to purchase on the night. It is also available to buy online now at https://ashdownforest.org/shop/, with 50% of the profits going to Ashdown Forest.

There was also a raffle with prizes kindly donated by a range of local organisations including Ashdown Park Hotel & Country Club, Bluebell Vineyard Estates, Glyndebourne, High Weald Dairy, Kingscote Estate and Pooh Corner Hartfield.

The evening was also made possible thanks to the generous support of AVT Connect, Savills, and Ashdown Park Hotel and Country Club, which recently selected The Ashdown Forest Foundation as their chosen charity for the next few years.

James Adler said: "We are here this evening, because Ashdown Forest is a wonderful place. What it needs is lots of funding to look after it so that we can really make it available for everyone.

"At the moment, if you walk on the Forest at this time of year, if you have any disability or mobility issues, it's really difficult to get onto the Forest.

"The car parks aren't in a great state, but then even when you're walking out, you're struggling. What the wonderful thing the [Ashdown Forest] Foundation can bring is extra funding to improve the facilities on the Forest."