Branching out at...ROSLISTON

Rosliston Forestry Centre is one of the oldest sites in The National Forest. As well as Fox Covert, a delightful area of mature woodland, many of the 120,000 trees over the 154 acre site were planted by the Forestry Commission between 1994 and 1996.

10 years on, the site is now undergoing massive and exciting redevelopment. All four new timber lodges offering eco-friendly holiday accommodation for groups and families are now up and running and have been well used over the summer:

“We had a great time – thank you”

“We enjoyed our stay and will definitely be coming again”

“superbly built cabin – beautifully finished”

Sleeping 8 – 10 people they are built of sustainable timber, heated by renewable wood chip energy, are all fully accessible and set discretely amongst the flourishing woodland.

The summer also saw the start of Get Active in The Forest, a major £1.5m project which won substantial funding from Sport England. Get Active aims to get more people using Rosliston Forestry Centre as a way of improving their general health and fitness. Laser games, conservation activities, cycling, Tai Chi, archery and orienteering are just some of the new activities the Centre has been able to introduce to get more people fit and active. Throughout the woodland and open areas there will be additional surfaced trails, more seating, new play equipment and a community events area.

The Forestry Commission has redesigned the whole site into a series of zones, so you will still be able to find plenty of space for a quiet reflective walk! Over the coming months the entrance and visitor centre will be redeveloped to provide a reception area and exhibition space to help visitors make the most of their time at Rosliston Forestry Centre and understand its setting within the wider National Forest. The Get Active in The Forest programme has enabled Rosliston Forestry Centre, working with South Derbyshire Community Transport, to make contact with an over 60s group in Sinfin, Derby. This group of Asian men meet regularly at a small resource centre in the city, but had not been out walking as a group before.

12 – 15 of them have been coming out to the Forest for a planned weekly ‘health’ walk: about 45 minutes of reasonably brisk walking, covering about 2 miles. So far they have walked at Rosliston and Sarah’s Wood, and the rest of the programme will take them to Calke Park, Swadlincote Woodlands and Foremark Reservoir. “This is such a beautiful place, we never knew it existed” “It’s so nice and clean, unpolluted” “These walks are one of the best things that have happened to us as a group”

• Six years ago Rosliston Forestry Centre had 10,000 visitors per year; last year the Centre welcomed around 100,000.
• Over 1,000 people took advantage of the Five for a Fiver promotion over the summer: choosing from laser games, kite making, archery, orienteering, cycling. Look out for similar activities at other holiday times.
• A small group of 8 – 14 year olds were invited to take part in a unique Weight Management Summer Programme run at Rosliston Forestry Centre in partnership with East Staffordshire Primary Care Trust. The young people joined in fun, adventurous activities two days each week over the summer, and the Primary Care Trust (PCT) provided supportive information for the young people and their families. Many felt the experience was a great boost for their self-confidence and a great start to a more healthy lifestyle. The young people all have vouchers for free cycle hire to encourage them to continue to exercise on their own. The PCT are already making plans to develop the programme in future.