The Enchanted Forest, a Perthshire Big Tree Country event and Scotland’s premier sound and light show, launched last night in an array of dazzling colours to a select audience of press and VIPs at Forestry Commission Scotland’s Faskally Wood near Pitlochry.

The twelfth event in the series is on course to smash all previous box office records, with organisers reporting that advance ticket sales are up over 50% on the previous year.

The 2013 show “absorb” has been designed by a creative team led by Derek Allan including Scottish lighting designers Kate Bonney and Simon Hayes, music by RJ McConnell, and a specially commissioned orchestral piece in collaboration with composer Jon Beales. Together they have created a dazzling and engaging show which celebrates the stunning woodland setting of the event and appropriately marks the Year of Natural Scotland.

Derek Allan, producer of The Enchanted Forest 2013, commented:

“We have worked especially hard this year to ensure we deliver a show that is both creative and visually stunning. Every year the remarkable natural woodland of Faskally Wood provides our canvas and inspiration and we really hope our audience members enjoy their visit.

“Thanks to funding from Event Scotland we have been able to extend the reach of the show this year into new markets and I am certain that new visitors to the event from the North East of England, as well as from closer to home, will find the experience both breath-taking and unique.”

Pete Wishart, Member of Parliament for Perth and North Perthshire, formally opened the show on Wednesday night, commenting:

“This is undoubtedly one of Scotland’s finest cultural events which just continues to go from strength to strength. Last year it attracted over 30,000 visitors to Highland Perthshire, an essential boost for the local economy, but it also showcases the natural beauty of Scotland right across the globe. The Enchanted Forest is a must see event for any visitor to Scotland in the Autumn.”

Budding photographers visiting The Enchanted Forest this year will also have the chance to submit their own digital artwork to an esteemed panel of judges for the event’s first ever photographic competition. The winner will receive vouchers for photography kit as well as see their winning image displayed as a special guest exhibit in Perth Museum and Art Gallery’ Big Roots Exhibition, which features images of big trees from the local area.

Derek Allan commented:

“Every year our visitors send in literally hundreds of photos on social media and we thought it would be fantastic if we could reward them for their photographic efforts. We are very lucky to have secured Anna Henly, an award winner at the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition, to act as our guest judge and we very much look forward to seeing everyone’s interpretations of The Enchanted Forest this year.”

The event runs from Friday 4th October – Sunday 27th October. Tickets are in very high demand this year with many shows already sold out.

For further information about the Enchanted Forest, the photographic competition and to book tickets, visit the Enchanted Forest website at www.enchantedforest.org.uk
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The multi-award winning sound and light show The Enchanted Forest opens this week and, thanks to Fife outdoor clothing company Keela International, a party of enthusiasts from the region will be getting the first opportunity to set foot in the forest as part of the national Britain on Foot campaign.

The Britain on Foot campaign is specifically aimed at encouraging more people to explore the great outdoors through walking, cycling, or climbing, and to create a healthier nation.

Keela International have been producing garments designed for the outdoor sector for the last 30 years and, as partner to the national campaign, identified The Enchanted Forest as a potential event that would both achieve the aim of getting people into the great outdoors, as well as creating an enjoyable night out for people.

Alan Knox, retail manager with Keela International commented:

“The outdoors can sometimes be a little bit daunting, but The Enchanted Forest is a unique event that gets people interacting with the outdoors without any of the preconceptions they might have about how they have to dress, or what they need to take with them. It seemed like the perfect match to encourage people to get outdoors and we’re delighted that they have been able to assist us in making this happen.”

The group will attend an exclusive preview night on Wednesday October 2nd, prior to the show opening to the general public on Friday 4th October, and will be among a small number of competition winners to see this year’s show before anyone else. Over 32,000 visitors are expected to attend during the show’s 23 night run throughout October, many of them travelling a significant distance to attend.

The annual Perthshire Big Tree Country event celebrated its 10th anniversary last year and was recently named Best Cultural Event at the VisitScotland Thistle Awards ceremony held earlier this month, adding to a raft of awards won over the last few years.

The 2013 show, absorb, has been designed by Scottish lighting designers Kate Bonney and Simon Hayes and with music by RJ McConnell, which includes a specially commissioned orchestral piece in collaboration with composer Jon Beales.

Derek Allan, creative director of The Enchanted Forest commented,

“We are very happy to support the Britain on Foot campaign in this way – the event is all about encouraging people to enjoy the beauty of the Autumnal forest at a time of day that people wouldn’t normally be in forests, and at a time of year where people are more likely to stay indoors. We’re grateful to Keela International for organising this trip and look forward to welcoming their visitors to The Enchanted Forest.”

The Enchanted Forest will take place from Friday 4th – Sunday 27th October 2011 at Faskally Wood near Pitlochry.

To purchase tickets please visit www.EnchantedForest.org.uk

Organisers of the multi-award winning sound and light show The Enchanted Forest have reported that tickets are flying out the door four times faster than in previous years.

Over 30,000 tickets went on sale on the 14th June and demand has been so high this year that ticket sales are now over four times higher than they would normally be at this point in time.

Tricia Fox, marketing manager for The Enchanted Forest commented:

“This truly is unprecedented levels of demand and bodes well for a sold-out show this Autumn. The message clearly needs to get out to people that advance booking of tickets is a must if they want to secure the date and time of their choice and, in particular, if they are intending to travel any distance to the event.”

Responding to an already burgeoning demand for the event organisers had already decided to extend the event’s usual 23 night run to include an additional night, specifically catering for tourists holidaying in the area during the English mid-term holidays.

The 2013 show, absorb, has been designed by Scottish lighting designer Kate Bonney and sound designer RJ McConnell, and will include a new orchestral piece which has been specially commissioned, by composer John Beales.

Derek Allan, creative director of The Enchanted Forest commented:

“The level of demand for tickets for this year’s event is very exciting – the creative team are really looking forward to presenting absorb this Autumn – it’s reassuring to know that our audience are looking forward to it too.”

The annual Perthshire Big Tree Country event celebrated its 10th anniversary last year and was recently named Best Cultural Event at the VisitScotland Thistle Awards ceremony held earlier this month, adding to a raft of awards won over the last few years.

The Enchanted Forest will take place from Friday 4th – Sunday 27th October 2011 at Faskally Wood near Pitlochry.

Tickets are now on sale and advance booking is advised. For further information please visit www.EnchantedForest.org.uk

The Enchanted Forest, Scotland’s premier sound and light event, has been named Best Cultural Event at this year’s Regional Final of the North East of Scotland’s Scottish Thistle Awards. The event will now go forward for the region to compete in the national final later this year.

Picking up three nominations, including The Year of Natural Scotland’s Best Nature Based Experience Award and Best Marketing Campaign categories, it was for Best Cultural Event that the judges felt it excelled most, beating off stiff competition from Perthshire Amber.

Record breaking visitor numbers in 2012 sealed the deal, recognising the ongoing success of the event as a major driver of tourism at a national level, as well as the event’s intermnational reach which saw TV crews attend the event from Russia, France and press coverage across the globe including Die Welt, National Geographic Traveller and other international publications.

The Scottish Thistle Awards recognise excellence in the Scottish tourism industry and aim to reward the exceptional efforts made by even more tourism businesses throughout Scotland.

VisitScotland works closely with winners to tailor make a package of benefits to best suit the winners’ needs. This could include, amongst many other options: entry into the Quality Assurance scheme, advertising, promotion in a VisitScotland Information Centre, promotion in VisitScotland PR activity.

Tickets for The Enchanted Forest 2013 are set to go on sale to the public mid June. For more information visit www.enchantedforest.org.uk

Following high anticipation from prospective participants, entries opened today (29th January) for the sister event to the highly successful Etape Caledonia, the new Marie Curie Cancer Care Etape Mercia which will take place on 18th August 2013 in Cheshire.

Organisers IMG also revealed the full beautiful and inspiring entry level route, which winds through the West Cheshire countryside taking in highlights such as Beeston Castle, Delamere Forest and Little Switzerland.

Two weeks ago, Dame Sarah Storey launched the new closed road sportive and since then excited riders have been able to register their interest in the new 69 mile event. The event website www.etapemercia.co.uk has seen high levels of traffic so places are expected to be snapped up quickly. Pitlochry based Etape Caledonia cold out in just 72 hours when it went on sale in 2012.

Participants can now enter the event at www.etapemercia.co.uk. In addition to general entries, 400 free charity pledge places will be available to those willing to raise money for Marie Curie Cancer Care. With strong links to charity partners, the Etape Series has also been instrumental in encouraging participants to raise well in excess of £1.5million over its seven year history for its title charity partners.

The Etape Mercia route starts and finishes with a lap of the famous Oulton Park racing circuit, which is home to the British Superbikes Series. The route loops around the stunning Beeston Castle – a Medieval Castle on a rocky outcrop from the time of the English Civil War- before winding north through the countryside. From this point, riders then hit their first hill before passing through the amazing Delamere Forest giving some incredible views on the way. The route then winds its way back to Oulton Park for a final victory lap before finishing on the circuit’s finish line and your well deserved medal.

Full details of the route can be found here: http://etapemercia.co.uk/coursemaps.html

Marie Curie Cancer Care Etape Series ambassador Dame Sarah Storey said: “I’m so excited to see the interest building for this fantastic cycling event in my local area. I was up on the route recently and it really is spectacular.

“It is a mass participation event, it’s non-competitive, and people will have their own little personal goals that they will want to achieve and that’s perfect and it is what sport is about. It is about doing the best you can and enjoying yourself in the process.”

The Marie Curie Cancer Care Etape Mercia has set the standard for sportives in the UK. All of the events, which include Etape Caledonia and Etape Pennines, enjoy closed roads, excellent support and awe inspiring routes. The organisers are challenging riders to try and claim a hat trick by riding all three events in the series, Etape Mercia for entry level, Etape Caledonia for seasoned riders and the toughest sportive in the UK, Etape Pennines.

Marie Curie Cancer Care, the event’s charity partner, is encouraging all participants to raise funds for the charity. Marie Curie provides free hands-on nursing care to people with a terminal illness, enabling them to spend their final weeks, days or hours at home, in familiar surroundings with the people and things they love close by.

Top tips and updates can also be followed on Facebook at EtapeSeries or on Twitter, using @etapeseries and the hashtag #Bethefirst.

The Enchanted Forest, a Perthshire Big Tree Country event, has been shortlisted as a finalist for the 2012 Year of Creative Scotland Event at this year’s Creative Scotland Awards which will be held in Glasgow on Thursday 13th December.

The shortlist, due to be released by the awards organisers next week, is currently shrouded in an air of creative mystery but is expected to be a glittering array of all that is best in Scotland’s creative sector covering not just events, but film, literature, theatre, dance, music and education.

The 2012 show “FLOW” was designed by a creative team led by Derek Allan which includes Scottish designers Simon Wilkinson (lighting) and RJ McConnell (sound), as well as Dundee based visual artists Dalziel + Scullion.

Derek Allan, creative director of The Enchanted Forest commented:

“This year’s show was a truly collaborative approach involving a creative team that spanned lighting design, musical composition, and the visual arts and as a team we are very grateful to Creative Scotland for their support in helping us to continue to develop the artistic integrity of the event which has been recognised in this award nomination.”

The Enchanted Forest is no stranger to awards success, topping the charts at the Scottish Event Awards in 2011 with the Event Management Grand Prix not to mention the accolades for Best Cultural Event, Perthshire’s Best Event and clocking up numerous other awards along the way.

In 2012, in its 10th Anniversary Year, this Big Tree Country event smashed through the 30,000 visitors barrier for the first time since the event began, contributing an estimated £1.5million to the local Highland Perthshire economy over its 24 night run.

This latest news comes just 4 days before the event goes head to head with some of Scotland’s biggest tourism operators at this year’s Thistle Awards for the coveted title of VisitBritain Marketing Campaign of the Year.

A social enterprise, The Highland Perthshire Area Community Interest Company, has successfully run the multi-award winning show since 2010, growing the event substantially in just 3 years by almost 50% taking the event from around 20,000 visitors in 2010 to over 30,000 visitors in 2012.

For further information about the Enchanted Forest visit www.enchantedforest.org.uk.