LOCAL BUS COMPANIES AWARDED ENCHANTED FOREST CONTRACT

The Enchanted Forest Community Trust, organisers behind Scotland’s favourite sound and light show, The Enchanted Forest, has appointed three local bus operators for the 2023 show, From the Deep, reinforcing one of the Trust’s core values of using local suppliers as much as is possible.

The three companies including Auchterarder based Docherty’s Midland Coaches, Pitlochry based Elizabeth Yule Transport, and Bathgate based Harry Ferguson Traveline will be collectively responsible for transporting more than 83,000 visitors to and from The Enchanted Forest event from 5 October to 5 November this year. The buses will depart from the Fisher’s Hotel in the centre of Pitlochry.

Harry Ferguson Traveline will be supplying the event’s accessibility buses this year, which will leave from Blair Athol Distillery on the outskirts of Pitlochry. This service caters for customers who have specific needs, but do not require disabled parking on site which is limited. The buses will not require people to climb stairs to board.

Monique McArdle, event producer of The Enchanted Forest Community Trust, said: “Much like the event itself, the bus companies who help the event run so smoothly every year by transporting visitors to the forest were badly impacted by the pandemic. So, we’re delighted to be able to offer this contract to three local businesses, one of whom is based in Pitlochry itself, and as a result help to provide sustained employment to local people.”

Ricky Morton, Director, and Transport Manager at Elizabeth Yule Transport said: “As a local business based in Pitlochry, we’re pleased to be working with The Enchanted Forest this year and look forward to taking their visitors to and from the forest in October. It’s one of the country’s major events and we’re proud to have been selected as one of their transport partners, proof that collaborating with local businesses is great for the local economy.”

This appointment follows the publication of an independent economic assessment report commissioned by the Enchanted Forest Community Trust that found the 2022 Enchanted Forest event was responsible for delivering an impressive economic impact of nearly £10 million to Highland Perthshire last Autumn.

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THE ENCHANTED FOREST DELIVERS STAGGERING £10 MILLION SHOT IN THE ARM TO PERTHSHIRE ECONOMY

An independent economic impact assessment report commissioned by the Enchanted Forest Community Trust, the organisers behind Scotland’s favourite sound and light show, has found that the 2022 Enchanted Forest event was responsible for delivering an impressive economic impact of nearly £10 million to Highland Perthshire last Autumn.

The report, undertaken by the Tourism Resources Company, affirmed the event’s significant role in delivering an impressive shot in the arm to the local tourism economy in and around Pitlochry every autumn. The 2022 show, which took place between 29 September and 30 October, welcomed over 83,000 visitors from all over the UK and beyond.

As part of the economic impact assessment report, designed to assess the fiscal impact of the event on the Perth and Kinross economy, a visitor survey was conducted online with 5,463 respondents. The visitor survey found the vast majority of visitors (92%) only visited Pitlochry because of The Enchanted Forest event, the majority of visitors (91%) were from outside Perth and Kinross, and 51% had stayed overnight, benefitting local businesses such as Fishers Hotel, Scotland’s Spa Hotel and McKays Hotel and local eateries Victorias, Old Mill Inn and McKays Chip Shop, as well as the numerous independent shops in Pitlochry. In addition, the event uses local suppliers as much as possible.

The overall event was rated highly with over 90% of visitors enjoying their visit, with 83% rated the overall value for money as excellent/very good. The visitor survey also highlighted the continuing popularity of the event, with the number of repeat visits continuing to rise year on year, with 57% of visitors at the 2022 show having visited before, an increase of 41% on the 2018 event.

Monique McArdle, event producer of The Enchanted Forest, said: “This report really underlines the incredible impact that this event has on the economy of Pitlochry and Highland Perthshire every autumn, bringing in £9.9 million last year, and supporting businesses after a period of true economic turmoil and change. It also continues to have a major role to play in showcasing Pitlochry as a tourism destination. As the report shows the majority of visitors would not have considered visiting the area at all if it weren’t for the event.”

Calum MacLellan, owner of Taste Perthshire, said: “The Enchanted Forest has helped Taste Perthshire to propel the month of October to one of the busiest of the year. Being 19 miles south of Pitlochry, we have found the event has increased our afternoon and early evening dining trade. We are massive supporters of what The Enchanted Forest brings, not only to us, but to Highland Perthshire, and we hope that this encourages visitors back to this beautiful area of Scotland throughout the rest of the year.”

Tickets for the 2023 show ‘From the Deep’ are currently on sale, with this year’s oceanic theme set to transform Faskally Wood into an underwater adventure for visitors, taking them from the metaphoric depths of the ocean to the shorelines of Loch Dunmore as they make their way around the forest trail this Autumn. The Enchanted Forest runs from 5 October and to book tickets, or to find out more information, please visit: www.enchantedforest.org.uk.

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ENCHANTED FOREST COMMUNITY TRUST SUPPORTS PITLOCHRY FESTIVAL THEATRE GARDEN TO REOPEN

The summer season in Pitlochry Festival Theatre’s Amphitheatre kicks off on Friday 7 July with its first summer show to take place in 2023, “The Secret Garden”, which also marks the reopening of the Explorers Garden, thanks to financial contributors including The Enchanted Forest Community Trust and underpinned by a significant anonymous philanthropic donation.

The Enchanted Forest Community Trust grant received by Pitlochry Festival Theatre has been specifically allocated towards the theatre’s health and safety programme, enabling vital ongoing maintenance work to take place in The Explorers Garden. The work, which includes the restoration of the paths within the Explorers Garden to keep visitors safe, has accelerated the re-opening of the garden ready for the theatre’s summer season.

Elizabeth Newman, Artistic Director at Pitlochry Festival Theatre, said: “Pitlochry Festival Theatre is grateful to the Enchanted Forest Community Trust for the grant dedicated to support the Theatre to re-open the Explorers Garden for the forthcoming summer season. This grant has been dedicated to making the pathways through the Explorers Garden safe for public access, so that we can welcome in our audience to the Amphitheatre for the two outdoor productions and into the sanctuary of the rest of the Garden too.”

Nela Popovic, Executive Director of The Enchanted Forest Community Trust, said: “We’re delighted the grant funding provided by the Enchanted Forest Community Trust has been able to make a difference to the Garden’s pathways. The Theatre’s Explorers Garden is such a valued community asset, just in time for the summer season at the amphitheatre.

“Our desire is that the Enchanted Forest Community Fund makes a positive impact in the community in which the Enchanted Forest calls its home and it’s great to see this vision come to life.”

There are two shows being performed over the summer in Pitlochry Festival Theatre’s Amphitheatre – ‘The Secret Garden’, running from 7 July to 19 August, based on the children’s classic written by Frances Hodgson Burnett, and ‘Sherlock Holmes’, running from 1 – 22 September 2023.

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ENCHANTED FOREST COMMUNITY TRUST AWARDS NEARLY £4K IN DISCRETIONARY DONATIONS

The Enchanted Forest Community Trust, the charitable organisation behind Scotland’s favourite sound and light show, The Enchanted Forest, established for the economic benefit of the community, has awarded several discretionary donations to worthy organisations and groups within Highland Perthshire, amounting to £3,950, so far.

In addition to the £49,750 the Trust has awarded to 17 registered charities operating in Perthshire, the discretionary donations are for local organisations that are not registered charities or community interest groups and are made at the sole discretion of the trustees, considered at board meetings throughout the calendar year.

Organisations to have received the discretionary donations include the Dunkeld and Birnam Traditional Youth Music Group, Pitlochry in Bloom, Pitlochry Path Group, Perth Minorities Association, Pitlochry Music Festival, Pitlochry Winter Lights, Shopmobility, Perth and Kinross Scottish Women’s Institutes Young Dippers Group and 17th Perthshire Aberfeldy Scouts.

Dunkeld and Birnam Traditional Youth Group provides free weekly tuition and instrument provision in traditional Scottish music at Birnam Arts during term time for budding young musicians, providing the opportunity to play in traditional bands and perform live music. The group is not for profit and runs entirely on funding and donations.

Karys Watt, founder of the Dunkeld and Birnam Traditional Youth Group, alongside Gill Hunter, said: “Dunkeld & Birnam Traditional Youth Music Group is newly established with the aim of providing free tuition and instrument provision in trad music for those aged P5 – S6. Since our project started in April 2023, there have been 28 young people join the group so far, participating in either our group fiddle and accordion classes, or one of our traditional bands. We are a not-for-profit organisation operating on funding and donations, so we were thrilled to receive a discretionary donation from The Enchanted Forest Community Trust. Donations like these ensure we can continue running long term and provide opportunities for young persons in the area to experience all the benefits of playing music in groups and to continue our strong local and national heritage of playing traditional Scottish music.”

Nela Popovic, Executive Director of The Enchanted Forest Community Trust, said: “Thanks to the incredible success of the 2022 Enchanted Forest event we’ve been able to give back nearly £50,000 to registered charities operating in the Highland Perthshire region. But not only that, we’ve also been able to provide discretionary donations to several worthy organisations and groups in Highland Perthshire totalling £3,950.

“It’s been a great to hear how our donation to Dunkeld and Birnam Traditional Youth Music Group has been instrumental in helping these young people develop their skills in traditional Scottish music, enabling them to perform in front of an audience at Birnam Arts at their end of term show. It’s fantastic to see our vision of the Enchanted Forest Community Trust being an agent of lasting positive impact within the community in which the event is based come to life.”

The discretionary donations are separate to the Enchanted Forest Community Fund grants and any organisation wishing to be considered for a discretionary donation should complete an application form available on the website.

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ENCHANTED FOREST UNVEILS 2023 SHOW THEME ‘FROM THE DEEP’ ON WORLD OCEAN DAY

Organisers behind Scotland’s favourite sound and light show, The Enchanted Forest, unveiled the 2023 show theme ‘From the Deep’ at Deep Sea World in Edinburgh on World Ocean Day today (8 June).

On a day designed to unite and rally the world to protect and restore our blue planet, a diver in the Underwater Tunnel at Scotland’s national aquarium Deep Sea World unveiled the new theme by revealing signage with ‘From the Deep’ emblazed on the front in fluorescent ink.

As the name suggests, this year’s show, which will run from 5 October until 5 November 2023, will have an aquatic theme and has been designed to create a bigger splash than ever before.  The event will showcase Scotland’s natural landscape as its Autumnal best. Using captivating visuals and an original music score, this year’s show will see visitors transported into the depths of an underwater world. Blending light, video, and sound to create a truly unique visitor experience, Faskally Wood will transform into an underwater forest with a deep watery glow of aqua blue and green. As with previous years, this year’s show will include several impressive installations, including a spectacular light show over Loch Dunmore which will use music, animation, projection, beams, lights, and lasers to tell the story of bioluminescent creatures that are found throughout marine habitats, from the ocean surface to the deep seafloor.

Nela Popovic, executive director of The Enchanted Forest Community Trust, said: “We’re thrilled to be announcing our new show theme ‘From the Deep’. Our aim is to raise the creative bar year on year by introducing new themes and this year we promise our visitors will be captivated. Our team have been working extremely hard behind the scenes to create an event which will be a big splash, encouraging our visitors to soak up the incredible atmosphere. We can’t wait to welcome visitors back to the beautiful Faskally Wood in October for an extraordinary aquatic themed show.”

Tickets will go on sale for the 2023 event from 10am on Friday 16 June.

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Enchanted Forest Community Trust awards over £49K to 17 Perthshire charities

The Enchanted Forest Community Trust, the charitable organisation behind Scotland’s favourite sound and light show, The Enchanted Forest, established for the economic benefit of the community, has awarded the highest ever figure of £49,750 to 17 registered charities operating in Perthshire.

 

The Enchanted Forest Community Fund was set up in 2015 to redistribute the proceeds from the annual event to the local community in Highland Perthshire. This year the fund was open to registered charities operating within Highland Perthshire who could apply for up to £10,000 from the fund to finance projects. The charity specifically sought applications that helped tackle poverty in the region and addressed cost of living crisis challenges.

 

Grant funding has also been awarded to CheckIN Works and Giraffe Trading, a charity which exist to improve accessibility to job opportunities for adults experiencing a diverse range of disabilities, mental ill-health, homelessness, and other barriers to sustaining meaningful employment. The funding will be put towards food, packaging, and prep costs of the community kitchen the charity also runs to support the trainees and wider community.

 

Gareth Ruddock, Chief Executive at CheckIN Works and Giraffe Trading said: “The funding from the Enchanted Forest Community Trust will allow us to continue to support people in Highland Perthshire through making and distributing healthy, home-made style meals for free to households in need.  These meals are made by our dedicated team of staff and volunteers, supporting autistic people and people with learning disabilities to learn essential life skills and socialisation.”

 

Other local charities awarded grant funding, include the Vale of Atholl Pipers Association to fund tuition and uniform to allow members to perform at events; Breadalbane and Strathtay Youth FC to help provide subsidised football sessions to children during the school holidays, and Pitlochry Festival Theatre to finance a new amphitheatre and bandstand for the community.

 

Nela Popovic, Executive Director of The Enchanted Forest Community Trust, said: “Thanks to the incredible success of the 2022 Enchanted Forest event we’ve been able to give back nearly £50,000 to registered charities operating in the Highland Perthshire region. Essentially, it’s our way of saying thank you to those who have very graciously supported the event from the very beginning; we know that the show would not be the success that it is without the support of the local Highland Perthshire community.

 

“Our desire is that the Enchanted Forest Community Fund is a force for good, creating a lasting positive impact and legacy within the community. Given the current cost of living crisis, we were particularly keen to support projects which were focused on helping people affected.”

 

The Enchanted Forest Community Trust requires that all charities who have received the grant funding report back on how they have used their money in relation to their request, demonstrating how it has helped people in need with the cost of living crisis in the Highland Perthshire area; increased inclusion, enablement, independence, mental health and wellbeing; increased access to employment, volunteering, learning, culture, sport and leisure opportunities and improved infrastructure that benefits the community.

 

To access the full list of the successful charities, please visit: The Community – The Enchanted Forest

 

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The Enchanted Forest’s governance team boosted with appointment of new Chair

The Enchanted Forest Community Trust, the charity behind Scotland’s pioneering sound and light show, The Enchanted Forest, has strengthened its governance team with the appointment of a new Chair.

Karen Bothwell, a former lawyer, takes up the reigns this month as the Trust’s Chairperson. A senior executive with lengthy experience leading teams, large and small, Karen spent over thirty years in Financial Services. Over the years she has held a number of board positions across a range of sectors including growth capital investment, hospitality, housing building and property, providing insight, guidance, and challenge, particularly for governance, risk, and strategic change.

Recently retired, Karen is treasurer of her local church and chairs a new charity set up by the Churches in and around Aberfeldy to coordinate anti-poverty initiatives in the local area.

Karen’s appointment will further strengthen The Enchanted Forest Community Trust’s strategic board to develop The Enchanted Forest and its charitable community initiatives, bringing additional expertise to the organisation and the event, which draws over 80,000 visitors to Highland Perthshire annually.

Karen said: “I believe my time in financial services and working with a number of businesses in the hospitality sector gives me strong understanding and insight to the opportunities and requirements not only of the Trust but also for the event itself. I look forward to my time with the Enchanted Forest Community Trust, helping to evolve this much-loved event for the benefit of the local community and to a further twenty years of enchanting entertainment.”

Nela Popovic, Executive Director of The Enchanted Forest Community Trust, added: “We’re delighted to welcome Karen as the new Chair of The Enchanted Forest Community Trust. Her wealth of experience means she is well placed to offer her insight, business acumen and governance skills to us as a charity. She will be a great addition to our Board and will make an invaluable contribution to the future success of the charity, its community initiatives and, of course, Scotland’s favourite sound and light show which is the economic powerhouse behind all the work of the charity.”

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THE ENCHANTED FOREST LAUNCHES ITS 2023 COMMUNITY FUND

The Enchanted Forest Community Trust, the charitable organisation behind Scotland’s favourite sound and light show, The Enchanted Forest, has launched its 2023 Community Fund and is now accepting applications from registered charities in the Highland Perthshire area.

The Fund was set up by The Enchanted Forest Community Trust in 2015 to redistribute the proceeds from the annual event to the local community in Pitlochry and the wider Highland Perthshire area. Since that time The Enchanted Forest Community Trust has reinvested over £270,000 back into the region, making a lasting positive impact by benefitting more than 120 local community groups, projects, and charities.

This year the fund is open to registered charities only, who can apply for up to £10,000 from the fund to finance projects located within Highland Perthshire, via an application form available on The Enchanted Forest website. The Enchanted Forest Community Trust will especially welcome applications for projects that are focused on helping people affected by the cost-of-living crisis.
Pitlochry Festival Theatre received £5,000 from the fund during the pandemic. Elizabeth Newman, Artistic Director at Pitlochry Festival Theatre, commented: “The Enchanted Forest Community Fund enabled Pitlochry Festival Theatre to reach even more people at the height of the pandemic, through the delivery of online and outdoor participation activities. It also provided us with the opportunity to offer even more work to freelance writers to pen new forest themed stories for families to entertain them at home.”

The Birks Cinema Trust in Aberfeldy was also given £5,000 from the fund during the early stages of the pandemic. Fiona MacEwan, Programme and Community Development Manager at The Birks Cinema Trust, said: “The financial help received from The Enchanted Forest Community Fund, along with other funders, helped us to move many of our community activities online. We were also able to research, develop and deliver three very successful Drive-In cinema events and research, develop and stream three musical events. These activities were vital for our community at a time when we were locked down and the usual community gatherings were unable to happen.”

Kate Howie, Chair of Pitlochry in Bloom, benefitted from £500 from the fund in 2022 to continue the group’s valuable work in keeping Pitlochry looking its best all year round through its summer floral displays, hanging baskets, feature beds and spring and summer bulb planting. She said: “Without the funding received from The Enchanted Forest Community Fund, simply put, Pitlochry would be in a much sorrier state. In Pitlochry we pride ourselves on being able to offer a fabulous welcome to visitors through our colourful and vibrant floral displays. Last year, thanks to the fund we were able to erect over 120 hanging baskets around the town. The fund has also helped to facilitate litter picking and path clearing, which all contributes to Pitlochry looking its best all year round. The fund has directly contributed towards our work being recognised nationally. Pitlochry in Bloom received a certificate of recognition for best small town in the Beautiful Scotland awards 2022. Naturally, we were thrilled and incredibly grateful.”

Nela Popovic, Executive Director of The Enchanted Forest Community Trust, said: “The Enchanted Forest would not continue to be the success that is it year on year without the support of the local Highland Perthshire community, who continue to believe in the event and the recognise the importance of it to the region. The Enchanted Forest Community Fund aims to be a force for good, creating a lasting positive impact within the community in which the event has called its home for the last twenty years. Essentially, it’s our way of saying a big thank you to those who have so graciously supported the event from day one.”

Successful applicants will be asked to provide a report to The Enchanted Forest Community Trust on how they have used the money in relation to their request.

To download an application form, please visit: www.enchantedforest.org.uk. Completed application forms should be returned no later than 31 March 2023.

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ENCHANTED FOREST SETS ITS SPOTLIGHTS ON 2023

Scotland’s favourite sound and light show, The Enchanted Forest, has closed its 20th anniversary event this weekend, Together, with the announcement that tickets will be available to purchase for the 2023 event on Monday morning (31 October) from 10am.

This year’s show, which ran from 29 September until 30 October 2022, was inspired by the hopeful mood of togetherness that so many have been able to enjoy after such a long time apart due to Covid-19 and was the first to return to the region since 2019.

The successful 20th anniversary event was delivered by a newly established creative team, a collaboration of some of the UK’s leading event production companies and creative talents. Led by event management agency Wavemakers Live, the creative design was a collaborative process between Ian Greenhill and Rux Dragan at Studio Something and composers and sound designers Jon Beales and Rachel Cullen, with technical production for the show provided by Catalyst Event Production Services. The creative team succeeded in delivering a show which transported visitors to a unique and inspirational place, delighting visitors of all ages.

This year’s show also saw the introduction of autism friendly performances for the first time, which were very well received by visitors. As a result, the number of autism friendly performances will be increased for the 2023 event and will take place at the start of designated show nights. The accessibility bus service was also well received by those with disabilities and organisers of the show will be working to further improve the service for 2023. Tickets will be available for this service from April 2023.

Nela Popovic, executive director of The Enchanted Forest Community Trust, said: “It has been brilliant to be back at Faskally Wood this year, celebrating a milestone achievement of twenty years of The Enchanted Forest. The pandemic and its aftermath presented us with many challenges as a charity and as an event, but we have overcome these extremely challenging times. I wanted to thank each and every one of our supporters for continuing to believe in us and the event, including the local community of Pitlochry, who have been extremely gracious.”

“Thank you also to the many visitors who came to the show this year – it was wonderful to see the delight on people’s faces as they walked round the forest. The Enchanted Forest truly is magical, and we look forward to welcoming everyone back in 2023.”

An economic survey conducted by Tourism Resources Company in 2018 estimated that The Enchanted Forest delivers a whopping £7.6 million economic benefit to Perthshire’s economy every year. After a two-year break, this year’s show delivered a much needed boost to tourism operators in the region.

Tickets are on sale for the 2023 event from Monday 31 October at 10am. To book tickets, or to find out more information, please visit: www.enchantedforest.org.uk

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ORGANISERS OF THE ENCHANTED FOREST ASK PUBLIC TO BE VIGILENT

Organisers of Scotland’s favourite sound and light show, The Enchanted Forest, have appealed to the public to go through the official ticket sales route when buying or re-selling tickets for the award winning show, to avoid being scammed.

The Enchanted Forest, which launched on 29 September at the magnificent Faskally Woods, Pitlochry, and runs until 30 October, has an official “Fan to Fan Marketplace” service which allows the re-sell of tickets through an official channel. Organisers are encouraging fans to use this official route, which is operated by the event’s official ticketing agent, SEE Tickets, rather than buy tickets privately online, to avoid being scammed.

In the past, a handful of customers have unwittingly lost out to clever online fraudsters who have promised to sell on e-tickets in exchange for money to be sent via PayPal Gifts, who have then not fulfilled their promise or have provided tickets which had already been scanned and were no longer valid.

A spokesperson for The Enchanted Forest Community Trust, said:

“If you can no longer make the event, and need to resell your ticket, please do not try to sell tickets privately on Facebook or Gumtree as this encourages scammers to target the event selling fake tickets. We will respond to any such post with official fan to fan marketplace details in order to protect our audience from falling victim to such fraud. Instead, please visit our Fan-to-Fan Marketplace service which will allow you to re-sell your tickets safely and securely and avoid being targeted by scammers.

“Sadly, this kind of fraud has happened in the past, and continues to be an issue for events up and down the country, and we are trying to clamp down on this issue to protect our visitors. We want to avoid any Enchanted Forest fans not being able to access and enjoy the event because they’ve been so desperate to purchase tickets that they’ve fallen foul of some very sophisticated scams.”

If you are no longer able to make the event and wish to resell your tickets, please do this through the official “Fan to Fan Marketplace” service, which can be accessed here: https://enchantedforest.seetickets.com/content/fan-to-fan.

If you wish to attend the show, which this year is celebrating its 20th anniversary, and have not yet bought your tickets, tickets can still be purchased via the Enchanted Forest website: https://www.enchantedforest.org.uk/

 

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SCOTLAND’S FAVOURITE SOUND AND LIGHT SHOW ENCHANTS ONCE AGAIN

Scotland’s favourite sound and light show, The Enchanted Forest, welcomed hundreds of visitors back to the familiar, majestic surroundings of Faskally Wood, Pitlochry, last night (28 September). The much-anticipated launch of the 20th anniversary show, Together, comes after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic.

This year’s show, which runs from 29 September to 30 October 2022, has been inspired by the hopeful public mood of togetherness that so many are now enjoying after such a long time apart, as well as the desire to mark the 20th anniversary of the trailblazing event, which was founded in 2002.

Set against the stunning backdrop of Faskally Wood, the 20th anniversary event has been delivered by a newly established creative team, a collaboration of some of the UK’s leading event production companies and creative talents. Led by event management agency Wavemakers Live, creative design has been a collaborative process between Ian Greenhill and Rux Dragan at Studio Something and composers and sound designers Jon Beales and Rachel Cullen, with technical production for the show provided by Catalyst Event Production Services.

The creative team have succeeded in delivering a show which transports visitors to a unique and inspirational place, which will delight people of all ages.

A journey around the forest that starts together, visitors will get to play on an oversized 303 machine (an interactive multimedia installation) and will be reminded through lights, colours, music and spoken word of how lucky we are to spend our lives together.

Visitors will walk together around the event, leaving their own subtle imprint on the forest with motion tracking projections. The aim is that visitors will come out of the forest a tiny bit closer, to each other, and to everything around. The show blends light, video, and sound to create a truly unique visitor experience, making the forest come to life.

The Together soundtrack celebrates the human voice, featuring pieces with a single narrator to huge choirs. Show composers and sound designers Jon Beales and Rachel Cullen have worked together with long-time collaborator RJ McConnell to present a wide range of original pieces which utilise a range of instruments, from dreamy synths to epic Hollywood orchestras. This year’s sound design is bigger than ever with pieces mixed in cinematic surround sound by leading sound engineers Marcin Buczek and Allan ‘Hef’ Forsyth.

This year’s event production has been steered by a freshly appointed board of trustees at The Enchanted Forest Community Trust including marketing director Debbie Hutchinson, chartered accountant Karen Smith, charity governance and fundraising consultant Mhairi Cameron and investment services director at Aegon UK, Gill Baker.

Nela Popovic, executive director of The Enchanted Forest Community Trust, said:

“We’re over the moon that The Enchanted Forest is back after such a long break. I’m sure all our visitors will really enjoy the sense of togetherness it brings that we are so keen to celebrate in 2022, and from which we’ve developed this year’s theme. We have been determined to create a show that is the best yet. A real celebration of two decades of delivering a magical experience for everyone who comes back to visit us time and time again. We very much hope they can enjoy the spectacle of light and sounds in the magnificent surroundings of Faskally Wood at The Enchanted Forest.

“The team have worked hard to create a truly original experience where people, young and old, can set their imaginations alight. This year’s event includes all the innovation and showstopping moments that we have come to expect from our creative partners, and it has been fantastic to see the joy in the faces this evening of our first visitors as they have walked around the woods and immersed themselves in The Enchanted Forest experience.”

An economic survey conducted by Tourism Resources Company in 2018 estimated that The Enchanted Forest delivers a whopping £7.6 million economic benefit to Perthshire’s economy every year. It is expected that this year’s show, with more than 80,000 visitors expected, will deliver a much-needed higher impact and a genuine boost to tourism operators in the region.

While selling very quickly indeed, some tickets are still available for this year’s event. To book, or to find out more information, please visit: www.enchantedforest.org.uk

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GREGGS SQUIRREL SWAPS LOCK-IN FOR LIGHT SHOW

A red squirrel which shot to fame earlier this week when it became trapped inside the Pitlochry branch of Greggs bakery, has swapped its lock-in lifestyle to trip the light fantastic when it was successfully released into The Enchanted Forest late last night.

The cheeky wee scamp brought the Atholl Road bakery to a close on Sunday, prompting staff to call experts to mount a rescue mission for the cookie crunching rascal.

After successfully capturing the animal, which ran rampant in the shop for two days, it was successfully released back into the wilds of Faskally Wood on the banks of Loch Dunmore late on Tuesday evening, where final preparations were being made for the return of Scotland’s favourite sound and light show, The Enchanted Forest, which will open to the public this Thursday.

The red-haired rodent will now be scurrying about one of the country’s most spectacular sound and light shows as it makes its long-awaited return following the pandemic. This year’s show marks the 20th anniversary of the trailblazing event, which was founded in 2002.

Earlier in the day, helpful locals had updated a poster on Forestry and Land Scotland’s official noticeboards at Faskally Wood, from the charity Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels, asking customers to report sightings of the protected species. The poster asks visitors “Have you seen these squirrels?” to which someone has helpfully added the answer “Greggs?”.

Tricia Fox, marketing manager of The Enchanted Forest, said:

“We’re delighted that the Greggs Squirrel has been able to join us for the launch of this year’s event and that his new home will be The Enchanted Forest. We’ve had celebrities attend the show in the past but none quite so famous as this little chap. Faskally Wood offers him 365 hectares of woodlands to explore, 25 recorded species of trees and, of course, the magnificent Loch Dunmore on which our main light show takes place. You could say they couldn’t have dun-more for the little guy!”

Tickets are still available for this year’s event. To book, or to find out more information, please visit: www.enchantedforest.org.uk

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