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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ENCHANTED FOREST ACCESSIBILITY ENHANCED BY BLAIR ATHOL DISTILLERY PARTNERSHIP

Scotland’s favourite sound and light show, The Enchanted Forest, has partnered with Blair Athol Distillery to make the award-winning event as accessible as possible for visitors.

An accessibility bus service will be available for this year’s 20th anniversary show, Together, which marks the event’s return to Faskally Woods after a two-year hiatus, caused by the global pandemic.

Accessibility bus customers will be able to park at Blair Athol Distillery on the outskirts of Pitlochry where the transfer service will run regularly into the Forest throughout the event’s five week-run. This service caters for customers who have specific access needs, but do not require disabled parking on site which is limited.

The bus will not require people to climb stairs to board the coach and can accommodate a small number of wheelchair and specialist buggy users, subject to availability. Older patrons and families traveling with autistic children who find large crowds difficult will also find the new service a welcomed addition.

This year’s Enchanted Forest will run from 29 September – 30 October 2022 at Faskally Woods near Pitlochry. With 80,000 visitors expected to attend this year’s event, organisers are keen to make the event as accessible as possible.

Monique McArdle, event producer of The Enchanted Forest Community Trust, said: “We’re really pleased to be working in partnership with local business, Blair Athol Distillery, to provide an Accessibility Bus service for visitors. Our desire is that as many people as possible are able to access our award-winning sound and light show up close. This new service allows that to happen for customers who may have thought an adventure into Faskally Woods was too much of a challenge, and otherwise would have given it a miss.

“We have launched autism friendly performances for the first time this year, which will take place at the start of designated show nights. Anyone attending these sessions will also be able to book spaces on the accessibility bus, as these hold less people than the large coaches leaving from Fisher’s Hotel.”

Laura Murray, Brand Home Manager at Blair Athol Distillery, said: “We’re delighted to be in a position to support this year’s Enchanted Forest event, by providing a place where those with accessibility issues can park and catch the accessibility bus, enabling them to enjoy the magic of the show. The Enchanted Forest is a major draw for tourists in the autumn and a supporter of local initiatives, and we are proud to be lending our support.”

Tickets are now on sale and can be purchased via the website. For more information visit www.enchantedforest.org.uk

 

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THE ENCHANTED FOREST LAUNCHES AUTISM FRIENDLY PERFORMANCES

Scotland’s favourite sound and light show, The Enchanted Forest, will be running autism friendly performances for the first time ever at its 2022 event, entitled Together, which marks its return to Faskally Wood.

Big, noisy queues, lots of people on site and crowds can be overwhelming for people with autism and can spoil the magical Enchanted Forest experience. With more than one in one hundred autistic people in Scotland, The Enchanted Forest Community Trust has introduced autism friendly performances. These will take place at the start of designated show nights, so visitors with autism will be first on site, with almost exclusive access to the event while they are there.

The autism friendly performances also allow visitors to be right at the start of the bus queues before any crowds have started to build up. These sessions will have a smaller capacity than other show times so that less people are going out to the site, meaning they can avoid the hustle and bustle of a normal busy night at the Enchanted Forest.

The Enchanted Forest has long been a supporter of autism charities, with Scottish Autism being one of the official event charities in 2015, receiving a donation of £2,500.

The Autism friendly departure times are:

  • Wednesday 5 October at 6pm and 6.15pm
  • Wednesday 12 October at 5.45pm and 6pm
  • Wednesday 19 October at 5.30pm and 5.45pm

The move comes just a couple of years after the organisers introduced a special accessibility bus service for the event, designed to be used by visitors who have mobility difficulties, particular access needs, as well as disabled visitors. The Accessibility Bus has demonstrably improved access to the event for visitors of all abilities and ages.

Monique McArdle, event producer of The Enchanted Forest Community Trust and a mother of a child with autism, said:

“We are absolutely over the moon to be returning to Faskally Wood this autumn and our team are working very hard to create a truly original experience where people, young and old, can set their imaginations alight. After such as tough couple of years, we wanted to be as inclusive as possible and enable as many people as possible to enjoy the event to the fullest. As a supporter of Scottish Autism in the past and with many customers who bring children who have autism, we felt that it was time to create a space for those who find the hustle and bustle of a normal Enchanted Forest night a challenge. As a mother of an autistic child, I truly understand what it is like, and I am delighted we’re incorporating autism friendly performances in this year’s event, which truly reflects the Together theme.”

Charlene Tait, Deputy CEO at Scottish Autism, added:

“It is really welcome to see the team behind Scotland’s Enchanted Forest – a much-loved family event – taking these steps to make a number of their performances throughout October more inclusive of autistic people and their families.

“We work closely with a number of venues to ensure autistic people aren’t excluded from attending and enjoying performances and we call on more production companies to follow the lead of the Enchanted Forest so that more autistic people can lead happy, healthy and fulfilling lives.”

This year’s Enchanted Forest will run from 29 September – 30 October 2022 at Faskally Wood near Pitlochry. Over 80,000 visitors are expected to attend this year’s event and, with over 50,000 tickets already sold, it’s looking like it will be a sold-out event once again. Tickets for the autism friendly performances are now on sale. For more information visit www.enchantedforest.org.uk

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Tickets for The Enchanted Forest 2022 go on sale Friday

Long awaited tickets for Scotland’s favourite sound and light show, The Enchanted Forest, will go on sale to the general public this Friday, 22 July. The 2022 event, entitled Together, is the first to return to Faskally Wood after a two-year hiatus caused by the global pandemic.

This year’s show theme 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 a desire to mark the 20th anniversary of Scotland’s favourite sound and light show, which was founded in 2002.

Organisers are expected to deliver a show that transports visitors to a unique and inspirational place in time, where people of all ages can really come together, to interact, and experience the forest as their awe-inspiring playground.

Set against the stunning natural backdrop of Faskally Wood, the 20th anniversary event will be a creative collaboration of some of the UK’s leading event production companies and creative talents.

Over 80,000 visitors are expected to attend this year’s event and, with over 46,000 tickets already pre-sold, demand is expected to be higher than it has ever been. Fans of the event have waited patiently for the hotly anticipated tickets to go on sale and organisers are urging people to book quickly before the event sells-out.

Bringing an estimated £7.6 million to the local economy annually, the return of the event will be welcomed by the hundreds of tourism and hospitality businesses in Highland Perthshire too. With hotel rooms and restaurants in high demand during the event, the event drives the Autumnal extension of Pitlochry’s highly successful Summer tourist season and has been greatly missed by local businesses over the last two years.

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

“We have been dreaming of this return to Faskally Wood for almost three years now and we’re so delighted to be getting ready to switch the lights back on again. The pandemic has really tested everyone and we are so grateful for the support we’ve had from our wonderful audience as we’ve navigated the ups and downs of the pandemic.

“We are very proud to be returning this Autumn and our team are working very hard to create a truly original experience where people, young and old, can set their imaginations alight. This year’s event will have all the innovation and showstopping moments we have come to expect from our creative partners, and we are confident it will create light, hope and inspiration for everyone who attends.

“As the tickets for this year’s event go on sale, I cannot emphasise strongly enough that people should buy their tickets in advance to ensure they secure their chance to enjoy the show Together this October.”

This year’s Enchanted Forest will run from 29 September – 30 October, 2022 at Faskally Wood near Pitlochry. Tickets will go on sale to the public from Friday, July 22 at 10am.

For more information visit www.enchantedforest.org.uk/tickets

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Enchanted Forest pup, Cosmos, graduates from puppy training ahead of International Guide Dog Day

The guide dog puppy, Cosmos, named by The Enchanted Forest Community Trust, has now successfully completed their puppy socialisation training with Guide Dogs just in time to join in the world-wide celebrations for International Guide Dog Day on Wednesday 27th April.

Cosmos, a female golden retriever, was born on 21 January 2020, alongside her four other canine siblings named Flossie, Wendy, Harley and Hazel. Placed with a puppy raiser in Perthshire during the pandemic, she learned the socialisation skills she’d need to train as a future guide dog, before leaving her puppy raiser to begin early training at Forfar.

Guide Dogs received a donation of £5,000 from funds raised by The Enchanted Forest’s 2019 show, Cosmos, and the pup was formally named after that year’s event. She is the first puppy in the history of Guide Dogs to be called Cosmos.

Every hour of every day, someone in the UK goes blind. When someone loses their sight, Guide Dogs is there to make sure they don’t lose their freedom as well and their guide dog training programme is one of the best in the world. The organisation was founded in 1931 by two amazing British pioneers, Muriel Crooke and Rosamund Bond. Guide Dogs grew from the humble beginnings of training the first four British guide dogs, to become the world’s largest breeder and trainer of working dogs, transforming 36,000 lives along the way.

International Guide Dog Day started in 1992 and is now held annually on the final Wednesday in April. It aims to raise awareness of the need for guide dogs, to honour the work of these faithful companions in changing people’s lives, and to encourage the public to support Guide Dog training charities.

Lesley Williamson, Chair of The Enchanted Forest Community Trust, said:

“We’re absolutely thrilled that Cosmos has moved into early training. Last year I had the pleasure of a very well-behaved walk with her at Faskally Wood, home of The Enchanted Forest, before she went off to the “big school”. She has a lovely character, and we hope her training continues to go well so that she can make a difference to someone living with sight loss. It’s been extraordinary to support a puppy through puppy raising, and we’ve very much enjoyed the updates we’ve had from the charity throughout the process. It’s truly humbling to know that Cosmos will make such a difference.”

Kyla McVicar, Business Development Manager at Guide Dogs Scotland, commented:

“We are extremely grateful to the Enchanted Forest Community Trust for their generous support. Every puppy named through Name a Puppy helps us reach the needs of more people living with sight loss in our community. We can’t thank the Enchanted Forest Community Trust enough for their kind support and are delighted that they have enjoyed following puppy Cosmos’ journey with us.”

The Enchanted Forest Community Trust has operated since 2010 as a charity, creating economic wealth and redistributing event surpluses to local community groups and charities to directly benefit the community. Over the last three years the Trust has donated around £129,000 to local community groups and projects, including Guide Dogs.

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ENCHANTED FOREST HELPS PITLOCHRY BRING IN THE SPRING

The Enchanted Forest Community Trust has helped to ensure that Pitlochry can look forward to a spectacular display of colour this Spring, by making a donation to local group, Pitlochry In Bloom.

Pitlochry in Bloom is a dedicated committee and small group of volunteers, whose summer floral displays, hanging baskets, feature beds and spring and autumn bulb planting provide a colourful welcome for visitors and keep Pitlochry looking its best all year round.

The organisation has faced a challenging two years, with the pandemic curtailing almost all of their regular fundraising events. Despite this, volunteers have continued to give their time to plan and plant throughout the seasons, knowing how much pleasure the flowers bring to the community.

Kate Howie, Chair of Pitlochry in Bloom, said:
“We’re very grateful for the generous donation of £500 from The Enchanted Forest Community Trust. Financial support from local businesses and organisations has been crucial for us this year, as many of our fundraising activities were unable to go ahead.

Thanks to generous donations from organisations like The Enchanted Forest Community Trust, we have been able to plant over 5,500 bulbs in the Autumn, which will soon be bursting into life in our feature displays all around the town this Spring. Everybody looks forward to the first signs of new growth and cheery colour in the Spring, and perhaps this year it’s needed more than ever.”

Lesley Williamson, Chair of The Enchanted Forest Community Trust, added:
“We are delighted to help bring in the Spring to Pitlochry and support the fantastic work that Pitlochry in Bloom do for the community. Spring is about looking forward after the bleakness of Winter. After two years of darkness in our beloved Enchanted Forest, as a result of the pandemic, we are all very much looking forward to a blooming good show in October this year. Until then, we can enjoy the magnificent floral displays created by the Pitlochry in Bloom team.”

Scotland’s trailblazing sound and light show, The Enchanted Forest, will return to Faskally Wood this year from Thursday 29th September – Sunday 30th October 2022. For more information visit www.enchantedforest.org.uk. Tickets will be on sale from June 2022.

To find out more about the latest work of Pitlochry in Bloom visit www.pitlochryinbloom.co.uk

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TAYSIDE MOUNTAIN RESCUE BOOSTS ITS LIFE SAVING SERVICE WITH £10K DONATION

The Tayside Mountain Rescue team has further strengthened its rapid response service this winter after receiving a generous donation of £10,000 from The Enchanted Forest Community Trust last year.

A custom-built Ford Ranger has since been purchased by the charity just in time for the winter months thanks to the significant cash boost. The new all-terrain emergency vehicle, which replaces a nine-year-old Land Rover, will be stationed at the Aberfeldy base and used by the team for emergency call outs.

A portion of the money has also be put towards a major Tayside Mountain Rescue project which seeks to extend and develop a training base in Aberfeldy. With around 68% of all annual call outs across Perth and Kinross coming from North Perthshire alone, the idea is to create a training hub for additional emergency responder volunteers, specifically from this area.

Tayside Mountain Rescue is a group of around 50 volunteers with a plethora of specialist outdoor skills including remote medical expertise, technical rigging, swift water rescue and search management.
The team, which is the fourth busiest out of the 28 located across Scotland, operates in all weather, all terrain and at all hours.

Kevin Linklater, President of Tayside Mountain Rescue, said: “This state of the art vehicle is great news for our team and the local residents. It’s been kitted out to provide everything we need to help people who get into difficulty while they’re out enjoying the Tayside countryside. It’s a vast improvement on the old vehicle – more economical to run, greener and with the very latest technology.”

Offering space onboard for five of the volunteers, the Ford Ranger comes fully equipped with blankets, first aid kits, a defibrillator, a fridge with refreshments, lighting for night-time, power packs for charging phones and various ropes and related climbing equipment to aid rescues.

Kevin continued: “Developing an outpost for training in Aberfeldy is one of our key objectives as it will offer training opportunities to other emergency responder volunteers and essentially build a bigger and stronger team. Donations like the one from The Enchanted Forest Community Trust and other support from our community take us a step closer to our goals. As a charity which relies 100% on volunteers, funding is imperative to allow us to maintain our life saving service – and protect its future for years to come.”

The Enchanted Forest Community Trust made its donation after the rescue team provided safety support to the show’s technicians as they beamed a stunning laser light into the night sky above Pitlochry over the first weekend in October last year – allowing hundreds of residents to watch from the safety of their own gardens.

Lesley Williamson, Chair of The Enchanted Forest, added: “We’re very proud to hear that our donation has assisted the rescue team to purchase a much-needed new vehicle, as well as edge a little closer to their ambition of opening a training base in Aberfeldy. With so many of their fundraising events cancelled due to Covid 19 over the last 18 months, it’s certainly been a challenging time. It is even more important that the community gets behind them so they can continue to do their fantastic work.”

For more information about the latest work of the Tayside Mountain Rescue visit www.taysidemrt.org

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