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

For this year’s event, entitled Cosmos, a brand-new Accessibility Bus service has been introduced which may better suit customers who have specific access needs but do not require disabled parking on site.

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.

As disabled parking is very limited in the forest, the Accessibility Bus offers an alternative option for guests who require a little extra help. 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 travelling with autistic children who find large crowds more difficult may also look to use the new service.

The event has also teamed up with Mobiloo, a mobile accessible toilet with adult-sized changing bench and hoist, for the second year in a row to further enhance the event’s accessibility credentials.

With over 80,000 people visiting Highland Perthshire annually to experience The Enchanted Forest, organisers are keen to make the event as accessible as possible.

Ian Sim, Chairman of The Enchanted Forest Community Trust, said:

“The Enchanted Forest is delighted to be working with local business, Blair Athol Distillery, to introduce our first ever Accessibility Bus service for visitors. We want as many people as possible to be able to experience our sound and light show up close and this new service will enable even more people, who perhaps thought an adventure into Faskally Wood may be a challenge too far, to have a wonderful time in the Forest.”

Laura Murray, Brand Home Manager at Blair Athol Distillery: “We are delighted to be working in partnership with the Enchanted Forest. The show drives tourism within the area and also supports local initiatives and we are proud to be associated with their new accessibility bus service to allow even more people to enjoy the spectacular event.

“We are aware that parking can be difficult in the town during The Enchanted Forest and we are happy to be able to support the community by alleviating some of the parking shortage.

“We are also excited to announce that the distillery’s Mash Tun Bar will be opening later during The Enchanted Forest, offering an array of refreshments while people wait for their departure to the show.”

This year’s Enchanted Forest will run from October 3 – November 3, 2019 and tickets are now on sale. Coaches with a low floor and flat, step-free entrance will be running every 30 minutes from the local distillery during the event’s evening performances.

To find out more about the Accessibility Bus service visit https://www.enchantedforest.org.uk/tickets/

The Enchanted Forest, Scotland’s premier sound and light and show, has joined forces with Pitlochry High School to donate special backpacks to children receiving Mary’s Meals.

When members of The Enchanted Forest Community Trust heard that a group of pupils were collecting items to fill school bags to be sent to children in Malawi, they were quick to offer special Enchanted Forest t-shirts to be included in the donations.

The team of Primary 5 pupils from Mrs Cardew’s class at the Highland Perthshire school have, with help from Den @ Heartland Kids’ Club Breakfast Supervisor Judith Dingwall, sent a total of 55 complete backpacks to Mary’s Meals Backpack Project.

Each backpack includes notepads, pencils and other stationery, cutlery, a toothbrush and clothing as well as various other essentials to help children get the most out of their lessons at school.

The Enchanted Forest Community Trust has been delighted to have been able to contribute to the project and support the efforts of local children to help children less fortunate get the most out of their schooling.

Ian Sim, Chairman of The Enchanted Forest Community Trust, said:

“It is difficult to imagine not having access to basic school items like such as pencils and paper, so we are proud to have been able to help Mrs Cardew’s Primary 5 class at Pitlochry High School support Mary’s Meals Backpack Project. We hope the backpacks will help the children they reach enjoy their school experiences to the full.”

Frank Nelson, Head of Fundraising at Mary’s Meals, said:

“We’re so grateful to the children of Pitlochry High School and the Enchanted Forest for supporting The Backpack Project. So many of the children who receive Mary’s Meals in Malawi come to school without the basic tools for learning. Giving the children a backpack full of educational items enables them to get the most out of their education.”

This year’s Enchanted Forest will run from October 3 – November, 2019 and tickets are now on sale.

The Enchanted Forest Community Trust, organisers of Scotland’s premier sound and light show, has announced the three charities to benefit from this year’s event.
Bumblebee Conservation Trust, PKAVs and Guide Dogs Scotland (Perth & Kinross) have been chosen as the official charity partners for 2019. These organisations will not only benefit financially but will be promoted throughout the award-winning event’s month-long run.

Returning to Highland Perthshire this October, the Enchanted Forest is embarking on its 18th year lighting up the trees and creating magic in Faskally Wood, Pitlochry. Re-inventing itself year-on-year, the theme for this year’s event is still under wraps, but visitors can expect the winning combination of original music and captivating visuals which the Enchanted Forest is renowned for.

Over 80,000 visitors entered the Enchanted Forest for last year’s sold-out show Of The Wild. Bringing an estimated £7 million to the local economy annually, tickets have already been available on pre-sale to previous customers and with tickets due to go on general sale very soon, customers are advised to book early to avoid disappointment.

Ian Sim, Chairman of The Enchanted Forest Community Trust, said:

“The Enchanted Forest Community Trust is delighted to be working with these three key charities who each do remarkable work in their respective fields. We hope that the Trust’s support will provide each of the charities with an additional platform to promote their work to a large audience in The Enchanted Forest.”
Gill Perkins, CEO of the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, said:

“We rely on the generosity and support of others in order to deliver our science, conservation and outreach activities, so we are absolutely thrilled to be one of the chosen charities for this years’ Enchanted Forest event. Your support will have a huge impact on the Trust, allowing us to make a positive difference to bumblebees and our society that depends on them for our food, health and wellbeing.”

Paul Graham, Chief Executive of PKAVs, said:

“We in PKAVS are delighted to be chosen as one of the official charities to benefit from this year’s Enchanted Forest. The Forest is a highlight of the events calendar in Perthshire and for PKAVS to be recognised by the organisers of such a successful event is an honour. We in PKAVS work across Perth & Kinross enhancing lives and connecting communities, from unpaid carers, young and old, to people recovering from mental ill health, from ethnic minority communities to the broader third sector, we work with people to give them that little bit of help in their lives when they need it most. We are extremely grateful to be recognised by The Enchanted Forest knowing that being associated with such a high-profile event will help us raise awareness of PKAVS and the work we do.”
Kyla McVicar, business development manager at Guide Dogs, said:

“We are absolutely delighted to be chosen as one of The Enchanted Forest’s charities this year. We offer a range of mobility services for both adults and children with sight loss, and we currently support around 500 guide dog partnerships in Scotland. Each guide dog costs around £55,000 throughout the course of its lifetime, and the generous support of The Enchanted Forest will help us ensure more people living with sight loss, and their families, can live life to the full.”
This year’s Enchanted Forest will run from October 3 – November, 2019 and tickets will go on sale to the public later this month.

The Enchanted Forest, Perthshire’s multi award-winning sound and light show, has confirmed today that an independent report demonstrates that the event delivers a £7.66million shot in the arm to Perthshire’s economy.

An independent report conducted by Tourism Resources Company in Glasgow, specialist economic impact consultants, was commissioned in 2018 by The Enchanted Forest Community Trust which operates the event.

The report looks at visitor behaviour and spend activity, as well as the event’s own purchasing power. It concluded that with over 80,000 visitors attending the Autumn spectacle, 52% of whom stay overnight, and a policy to use local suppliers where possible, The Enchanted Forest boosts the local economy by an incredible £7.66 million every year.  

The news has been welcomed by the organisers. Ian Sim, Trustee of The Enchanted Forest commented:

“This has surpassed even our wildest expectations of what the event brings to Highland Perthshire. We had older economic impact studies which were carried out when the event was much smaller as a baseline and, of course, we have always had anecdotal evidence that hotels, B&Bs, restaurants and cafes are busy – but we are simply amazed to learn just how much value the event brings to the local area.”

“This is really pleasing. The Enchanted Forest was originally set up to help build value for tourism businesses, providing visitor footfall during what was known as the “shoulder season” in Highland Perthshire. It used to be very quiet in Pitlochry in October – now we hear from local hotel operators that it’s their busiest month of the year.”

Just over 80,000 visitors attended the 2018 sold-out show, a 9% increase on the previous record-breaking year. International visitor numbers have jumped from around 0.97% of audience share in 2014 to 2.97% of audience share in 2018, and with more than 85% citing the event as a reason for travelling to Scotland, from a selection of 28 different countries.

The report suggests that the most popular hotels for visitors are the Fisher’s Hotel, Scotland’s Hotel and the Atholl Palace, while those eating locally are favouring Mackay’s Pub, Victoria’s and The Old Mill Inn. Not surprisingly for a family event, the most popular retailers were sweetie shops!

The growth in the profile of the event has netted it a finalist’s place in the national final of the Visit Scotland Thistle Awards for Best Cultural Event or Festival. The winners will be announced this Thursday night at a glittering black-tie ceremony in Edinburgh’s International Conference Centre.

The Enchanted Forest returns in October 2019 and tickets will go on sale to the public in June. For more information on the event, visit www.enchantedforest.org.uk

The Enchanted Forest, Perthshire’s multi award-winning sound and light show, has confirmed today that just over 80,000 visitors attended this year’s sold-out show, which closed on Sunday night (November 4), a 9% increase on the previous record-breaking year.

Event organisers have also announced that its three official charity partners – Birks Cinema Trust, Outdoor Access Trust for Scotland and Blairgowrie Riding for the Disabled – have each received a donation of £5000.

This year’s show Of the Wild captured the public’s imagination around the globe with international visitors one of the fastest growing audience segments. International visitor numbers have jumped from around 0.97% of audience share in 2014 to 2.97% of audience share in 2018, and with more than 85% citing the event as a reason for travelling to Scotland, they represented more than 28 different countries.

The growth in the profile of the event in recent years saw it take the title for the Best Outdoor Festival at the Scottish Outdoor and Leisure Awards 2017, and it is also up for a coveted Visit Scotland Thistle Award later this year.

It is estimated that The Enchanted Forest’s impact on the local tourism economy is around £3 million per annum with around 55.6% of visitors to the event this year choosing to stay overnight in the area on their visit and over 93.7% citing the event as their main reason for visiting the area this Autumn.

Of The Wild was inspired by the hidden beauty of Highland Perthshire’s wild woods and the multi-award-winning creative team of Zoë Squair (creative producer), Kate Bonney and Simon Hayes (lighting designers), and RJ McConnell and Jon Beales (sound design and composition) delivered a show that was firmly rooted in nature and full of breathtaking visuals, state-of the-art technologies, interactive special effects and a dazzling music score.

The sound and light spectacular released a record 80,000 tickets for its extended five-week run from October 4 until November 4 and, as has almost become the norm, again broke all previous box office records and sold out midway through the show’s run.

Ian Sim, chairman of The Enchanted Forest Community Trust, which operates the event, said:

“Once again The Enchanted Forest Community Trust, the charity that runs The Enchanted Forest, is completely blown away by the response to the event. We’re delighted it has smashed yet another of its own box office records. This is very much an event run by the community of Highland Perthshire and the team behind it are really exceptional, from the creative team who devise the concept, our show producer Zoe Squair and brilliant operations team to the stewards who stand out in the woods night after night for five weeks. The Enchanted Forest’s success is testimony to their hard work and commitment to providing a top quality family-friendly experience for our thousands of customers.

“We’re also extremely pleased that the event has also been able to contribute to three very worthwhile charity partners and support them in their work in the community. Birks Cinema Trust, Outdoor Access Trust for Scotland and Blairgowrie Riding for the Disabled have all received donations of £5000 each.”

The Enchanted Forest returns in 2019 and tickets are available for sale from Monday, November 5, at www.enchantedforest.org.uk

Lucky competition ticket winners and some local community group members who regularly get together at The Birks Cinema – one of Enchanted Forest 2018’s official charities – were treated to a visit to remember at Perthshire’s light show spectacular.

Making the most of their tickets kindly donated by Enchanted Forest organisers, the group of all ages spent a fun-filled evening marvelling at this year’s Of the Wild… Nature by Night stunning displays and also gave a big thumbs up for the marshmallow toasting and storytelling.

The Birks Cinema group included members of the Lego Animation and Yoga clubs for youngsters with special needs plus the Craic & Craft and Highland Perthshire Photography Groups which all meet in the cinema’s activity space.

Fiona MacEwan, Community Development Co-ordinator for The Birks Cinema said: “We are delighted to receive support for Aberfeldy’s cinema and community hub from Enchanted Forest. We’re also thrilled to be able to bring some of the cinema community group members along to enjoy the show – it was first time at Enchanted Forest for some of the kids who had a wonderful time.”