Background of Forest Tour

 

The history

The Forest Tour was begun in 2000 to bring new audiences into forests, and encourage people to see their woodlands in new and exciting ways. They are a vital part of our work to attract more and new people into Britain's woodlands, and to bring trees and woodlands into people's lives.

Woodlands make unique and inspiring venues for concerts, and the events are loved by audiences and artists alike. They have become well known in the music industry as a unique opportunity for artists to experience a forest arena in some of the country's most stunning locations, and to help raise awareness of the value of woodlands as part of our natural environment. Audiences have praised the relaxed and friendly atmospheres, and the great outdoor environment.

So far the Tour has included the Levellers, Pulp, Courtney Pine, Motorhead, Status Quo, The Wonder Stuff, Level 42, Jools Holland, Beach Boys, Paul Weller, Bryan Ferry, Fun Lovin' Criminals, Sugababes, Madness, The Beautiful South, Daniel Bedingfield, UB40, Embrace, Pet Shop Boys, Van Morrison, Massive Attack and Jamie Cullum and Ian Brown. Previous concert tours have had strong support acts now established in their own right: such as The Ordinary Boys, Keisha White, Lucie Silvas and Morning Runner.

In 2006 the Tour played over 7 sites, and attracted over 100,000 people

The benefits

The Forest Tour is self-sustaining, and provides valuable revenue to plough back into our management of woodlands in a variety of social and environmental projects. In recent years, revenue has enabled work on habitat creation for endangered butterfly species; health projects to encourage young and old alike to get out and about in the natural environment - from mountain biking to T'ai Chi; installing woodfuel heating systems to help us contribute towards (and demonstrate how everyone can get involved in) the fight against climate change; the regeneration of industrial sites and renewal of disused areas into community woodlands; and many more schemes.

You can find out more about the Forest Tour in our frequently asked questions section.