Visitors to The Enchanted Forest will be given a unique opportunity to participate in one of the world’s most traditional and ancient arts this year: Storytelling.

Taking up residence in The Enchanted Forest local storyteller, Claire Hewitt, will be entertaining visitors to the show at Faskally Wood every night from the warmth of her cosy storytelling yurt. With song, celtic harp and bhodran she will bewitch children and adults alike with her traditional Celtic stories and tales of the forest.

She will be joined on Tuesday 23rd October by two storytellers from France, Brigitte Kloareg and the Perthshire born Fiona MacLeod, who are participating in the Scottish International Storytelling Festival which runs from 19th – 28th October.

This annual celebration of traditional and contemporary storytelling brings together artists and audiences from across the world to entertain and inspire with live storytelling performances and fun family activities.

Derek Allan, creative director of The Enchanted Forest commented “The Enchanted Forest is a unique opportunity for visitors to really see the forest brought to life and the added element of ancient storytelling this year just brings a new dimension to the show.”

“We are delighted that as part of the Scottish International Storytelling Festival that we are able to welcome such world renowned storytellers, Brigitte and Fiona, to join with Claire in making this a very special evening indeed.”

Brigitte is a traditional singer heavily involved in promoting the oral heritage of Brittany and Fiona, originally from Perthshire, also lives in France and has been instrumental in the revival of France’s storytelling traditions.

Story sessions will take place every night between 7pm and 9pm and access to the storytelling yurt will be on a first come, first served basis. Admission is exclusive to The Enchanted Forest visitors and costs £1 per person.

Over £1.2 million has been invested in thirty-two innovative collaborations between the tourism and culture sectors to promote Scotland’s creativity on a global platform and raise the country’s profile as a tourist destination.

On a visit to the Enchanted Forest near Pitlochry in Perthshire, Iain Munro, Director of Creative Development for Creative Scotland, announced a range of projects, including plans for the renowned visual artists Dalziel + Scullion to introduce a new dimension to the spectacular sound and light show.

Speaking from the Enchanted Forest, Iain Munro, Director of Creative Development for Creative Scotland, said:

‘The Year of Creative Scotland is a chance for us to celebrate and promote Scotland’s cultural and creative strengths at home and on a world stage. These awards will enhance Scotland’s position as a tourist destination to national and international visitors alike and one of the world’s leading creative nations.

‘We are thrilled to make this announcement in the company of renowned visual artists Dalziel + Scullion. The Enchanted Forest already draws in great audiences, attracting over 26,000 visitors in 2011, their work will see even more visitors to this already magical event during 2012 the Year of Creative Scotland.’

Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs, said:

“Through the Year of Creative Scotland, visitors and native Scots are being encouraged to see, experience and contribute to Scotland’s rich culture and heritage.

“The funding streams set up to support the Year ‘s diverse range of cultural activity, are having a remarkable impact on our communities. Supported projects like the introduction of visual art to the Enchanted Forest, are helping to showcase, celebrate and promote Scotland’s cultural strengths on the world stage, to both international and local visitors.

“That is why I announced earlier this month that a further £2.2m would be available for the expansion of this important work – taking the total support for the Year of Creative Scotland to almost £8 million.”

Mike Cantlay, Chairman of VisitScotland said:

“One of the main strands behind the Year of Creative Scotland is to introduce new opportunities for visitors to see and experience Scotland’s vibrant culture across all regions. It’s fantastic to see so many great initiatives and festivals across the country benefitting from this funding boost, which we hope will attract even more visitors over the coming months.”

Derek Allan, Creative Director at the Enchanted Forest, said:

“The Highland Perthshire Community Interest Company is very excited at the prospect of working with renowned visual artists Dalzeil and Scullion and to combining their creativity with our award winning designers Simon Wilkinson Lighting Designer and Ronnie Mcconnell Sound Designer and thank Creative Scotland for providing the support to make it happen in our 10th Anniversary Year”’.

Offering up hospitality packages, accommodation deals and promoting other local attractions, creative collaborations reach from the Borders to the Orkney isles. Programme highlights include, Wild at Art, a range of creative holidays around Scotland, with workshops run by local artists and visits to cultural attractions, targeted at overseas visitors. On receiving investment, Ute Johnston, Director of Wild at Art, stated: ‘Creative Scotland’s support will be crucial for getting our project off the ground. It will help us to develop a sustainable business model and contribute to putting Scotland on the map of creative destinations.’

Visitors to Aberdeenshire will experience a new annual crime writing weekend in Haddo House, with talks by national and international crime writers, children’s events, and crime themed tours of Scotland’s castles. The Borders will delight in a community-wide celebration and exploration of the recently discovered Hawick Missal, a rare fragment from a medieval manuscript. The programme will include commissioned choral performances at both Melrose and Jedburgh Abbeys by Scottish and European composers.

In Dundee, Artist Jaygo Bloomn will create an augmented gallery across the city where audiences will be able to navigate the artworks in real time using their smartphones. Glasgow will enjoy a celebration of Charles Rennie Mackintosh. While in Orkney, International contemporary art festival Papay Gyro Nights will develop its successful artist exchange programme and John O’Groats will see the creation of a major permanent artwork.

The Enchanted Forest, the multi-award winning Perthshire Big Tree Country event, which this year attracted over 26,000 visitors to the Highland Perthshire area, is calling on the local business community to get behind it with a bold and unprecedented move to raise £40,000 of private funding from the businesses that the event directly benefits.

In recent years The Enchanted Forest, which is set to return to nearby Faskally Wood for its 10th anniversary show in 2012, has successfully transitioned from being run by public sector agencies, to being run by a not for profit Community Interest Company.

However with public funding hard to come by, and ever increasing costs of running the event, the Community Interest Company Directors are asking the hundreds of local businesses who directly benefit from the event to help provide the financial backing needed to ensure The Enchanted Forest’s ongoing economic input to the area.

Eddie Thomson, chair of the Highland Perthshire Area Community Interest Company commented
“This has been a tremendous year for the event, winning four major awards and attracting over 26,000 visitors to the area and we’re really very keen for that success to continue into 2012. Over half of The Enchanted Forest customers stay overnight in the area and with increased numbers attending, the overall economic impact of the event is now estimated to be in the region of £1.5million benefit to the local economy.”

“In our most recent feedback survey we asked our customers to tell us which businesses they spent money with while in the area and well over 250 businesses were mentioned by name, ranging from restaurants to take aways, from hotels to retail shops. If each of those businesses were to pledge just £160 then we would have the necessary capital we need to continue to run the event. It’s not much to ask when you consider the sheer extent of the economic impact of the event is almost 10,000 times that much per business – that’s an exceptional return on investment.”

Businesses are being invited to attend an open meeting at Fishers Hotel, Pitlochry at 7pm on Tuesday 20th December, 2011 where there will be an open and public discussion around the future of The Enchanted Forest and how they can play an active role in ensuring its success continues.

To register attendance at this meeting, contact Eddie Thomson, Chairman of the Highland Perthshire Area Community Interest Company by email on info@enchantedforest.org.uk

The Enchanted Forest was founded in 2003 and this year has acquired a string of accolades including the Event Management Grand Prix at the Scottish Event Awards, Best Cultural Event, Event of the Year at the Perthshire Chamber of Commerce Business Star Awards and the Community Award at the Perthshire Big Tree Country Awards.

Ticket sales for The Enchanted Forest, a Perthshire Big Tree Country event, have broken all previous box office records, welcoming over 24,000 visitors during its 23 night run.

The news comes as the event enters its final week and celebrates the announcements that is has been shortlisted for two further awards.

The Highland Perthshire Area Community Interest Company which has successfully run the show since 2010, has been shortlisted for the Community Award in this year’s Perthshire Big Tree Country Awards, the results of which are due to be announced this Sunday.

The Enchanted Forest has also been shortlisted for Event of the Year at this year’s Perthshire Chamber of Commerce Business Star Awards, however the team will need to wait until Friday 25th November to learn their fate.

Eddie Thomson, chairman of the Highland Perthshire Area Community Interest Company commented “This year has seen unprecedented demand for the event and the box office has been working around the clock to ensure everyone gets their tickets. This is fantastic news for the local area – with a 25% increase in visitors coming to the show this year, over half of which stay in the area overnight, it represents an enormous boost to the income of businesses in the area, from shops to restaurants to hotels.”

The latest figures put the event well ahead of the record breaking 20,000 tickets sold in 2010. The year’s theme, Transitions, was designed by Simon Wilkinson and RJ McConnell, the design team behind the multi-award winning 2010 show. This year’s show has proven to be exceptionally popular with visitors, with many claiming it is the best show yet.

Tricia Fox, marketing manager for The Enchanted Forest said “We are extremely pleased with the performance of this year’s show – there’s a lot of hard work and planning goes into a show of this scale and it’s rewarding that demand is increasing year on year. There are some tickets left for this week however folks had better be quick if they are still thinking about coming to the event this year.”

For further information about the Enchanted Forest and to purchase tickets, visit the Enchanted Forest website at www.enchantedforest.org.uk. The show closes to the public on Saturday 29th October.

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 The Explorers Garden in Pitlochry.

The Enchanted Forest, now in its ninth successful year, has been managed by the social enterprise the Highland Perthshire Area Community Interest Company, and is on target to attract up to 25,000 visitors, building on its multi-award winning success at the recent Scottish Event Awards.

The 2011 theme “Transitions” has been designed by Scottish designers Simon Wilkinson (lighting) and Ronnie McConnell (sound) who have created a dazzling and engaging show against the event’s new backdrop at The Explorer’s Garden. The original music score and an artistic lighting design delivers a traditional son et lumiere show that entranced audience members at the launch last night.

Local MP and musician, Pete Wishart, attended the opening ceremony and remarked “This is an absolutely stunning show, with an engaging original music score. It is undoubtedly one of Scotland’s finest events. Not only does it provide an essential boost for the local economy, it opens up nature and woodlands to literally thousands of people in a brand new light, getting them into the outdoors and cheering up our October evenings. Well worth a visit.”

Derek Allan, chair of The Enchanted Forest 2011, commented “The Highland Perthshire Community Interest Company have worked tirelessly this year to build on the success of last year’s award winning production. We’ve continued to work with two of Scotland’s most exciting designers to deliver an experience that our visitors will find breath-taking and unique.”

“The change of venue will be welcomed by visitors both new and returning and have given us enormous challenges as well as exciting opportunities to incorporate architecture and visitors into the show design, giving it a multi-dimensional feel – you will feel like you have been surrounded by sound and light” he said.

This year is also the International Year of the Forests, a series of celebrations around the globe. James McDougall from Forestry Commission Scotland is leading those celebrations in Scotland and knows more than most about the Enchanted Forest being the originator of it, back in 2002 and having run it for the first 6 years. James commented, “The Enchanted Forest is a tremendous example of how woodlands can help generate income for local businesses and it is really great to see that the show is now in its ninth successful year. The International Year of the Forests is about celebrating forests and The Enchanted Forest is a fantastic showcase for Scotland’s natural beauty, attracting visitors from all over Scotland and the world.”

Visitors to the area can also enjoy the Highland Perthshire Autumn Festival events taking place in Pitlochry and surrounding area making it a truly family event.

The Enchanted Forest, Scotland’s premier sound and light show, swept the floor at last night’s prestigious Scottish Event Awards, beating off stiff competition from some of Scotland’s finest events to scoop the Event Management Grand Prix, alongside the awards for Best Cultural Event and a commendation for Best Large Event.

The ceremony was held at Edinburgh’s Corn Exchange and saw the event, which was run last year by the not for profit Highland Perthshire Community Interest Company, claim Scotland’s top event title against some of the country’s most well known events and festivals including Bauer Radio Scotland’s “Live on Location”, Edinburgh’s Hogmanay, Glasgow Film Festival, the Hebridean Celtic Festival, Celtic Connections and Piping Live.

The Enchanted Forest was founded in 2002 with just 3000 visitors attending in its first year. In 2010 the event attracted over 20,000 visitors to the area and now contributes over £1million to the local economy. The Enchanted Forest will celebrate its 10th anniversary in 2012.

Derek Allan, chairman of The Enchanted Forest, who was invited to address the audience at the awards ceremony, commented “This is real recognition of what a community can do when they put their minds to it. It is testimony to the hard work and dedication of the many people in Highland Perthshire who have grasped, with both hands, the organisation of such a major event and have added their own touch of excellence to The Enchanted Forest. I am extremely proud of both the event and our team.”

This year the event moves to a new location at The Explorers Garden in Pitlochry and, true to its Big Tree Country roots, will transform this specimen woodland garden into a son et lumiere journey of discovery for visitors that showcases some of the area’s most celebrated trees.

The show “Transitions” has been designed by Scottish designers Simon Wilkinson (lighting) and R J McConnell (sound) whose combined expertise put on the multi-award winning 2010 event.

Organisers have also taken the decision to extend the event’s run from its traditional 17 nights to 23 nights this year, which opens up the event to a potential 25,000 visitors.

For further information about The Enchanted Forest and to purchase tickets, visit The Enchanted Forest website at www.enchantedforest.org.uk