Hilary Benn, Secretary of State for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, visited Haldon Forest Park near Exeter on Wednesday 12 August as part of a two-day visit to the South West.
He was given a tour of Haldon Forest Park, which has been significantly developed over the last three years and now attracts around 300,000 visits each year.
Mr Benn witnessed at first hand what the park has to offer, including a range of walking and cycling trails, Forest Cycle Hire, the Centre for Contemporary Art & The Natural World and Go Ape. The minister also enjoyed lunch at The Ridge Café, which only opened in March this year.
Commenting on his visit, he said:
“I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to this fantastic resource for local people and tourists alike. There is a lot to enjoy here with the various walking and cycling trails and I thoroughly recommend a visit to The Ridge Café, where the food is locally sourced and absolutely delicious.”
Haldon Forest Park was originally developed by the Forestry Commission five years ago thanks to a capital grant from Sport England under their Active England programme. This initial grant was used to develop the car park, visitor hub, toilets and a range of walking and cycling trails. In 2008, further funding was secured from Devon County Council and Devon Renaissance, to help build the café and further develop the cycling trails, which is ongoing.
An established group of volunteers carry out a range of work at the park, including conservation projects and trail maintenance. Many community groups stage events there, and an outreach ranger has worked to encourage harder to reach groups to enjoy the area. Furthermore, it is extremely popular with horse riders and orienteers.
Chris Marrow, Forest Management Director says:
“The idea behind the development at Haldon Forest Park was to create an environment where people could get out and about have fun and be active outdoors. Other than a small charge for parking, the site is free, offering excellent value for money for visitors.
“In addition to our walking and cycling trails, we have excellent site partners who further enhance the park’s offering. Go Ape, the high wire adventure course are on site as well as Forest Cycle Hire. The Centre for Contemporary Art & The Natural World is also based at the site and runs a range of exhibitions and events.
“All of this development has been successfully integrated into a working forest, which produces 17,500 tonnes of timber annually. Haldon is also the first man- made forest to have been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) which plays host to an impressive range of birds of prey, ground nesting birds and butterflies. We were pleased to have the opportunity to show Mr Benn around the park as we believe it is a first-class example of sustainable, multi-use land management.”
NOTES TO EDITORS
1. There is something for everyone at Haldon Forest Park. It is 3.500 acres of woodland, owned by the Forestry Commission, just fifteen minutes from Exeter. It is open every day and there is a range of walks and all ability trails, cycling trails as well as a wide range of events. Rangers are on hand daily to give advice and ensure people get the most out of their visit. In addition Forest Cycle Hire is based at Haldon, hiring out mountain bikes to visitors and facilitating groups of cyclists in the forest. Haldon Forest Park also hosts Go Ape, an award-winning high wire forest adventure course of rope bridges, tarzan swings and zip slides in the tree tops. The site is also home to the Centre for Contemporary Art and the Natural World, an innovative organisation, which uses the arts to explore new understandings of our place within nature. They hold regular exhibitions and run educational events.
2. The Forestry Commission is the government department responsible in England for protecting, expanding and promoting the sustainable management of woods and forests and increasing their value to society and the environment. Forestry makes a real contribution to sustainable development, providing social and environmental benefits arising from planting and managing attractive, as well as productive, woodlands. Further information can be found at www.forestry.gov.uk/england
3. For further information please contact Kirstie Smith, Communications Manager, Forestry Commission on 01392 834249.