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Five ways we turned ambition into action this month. Big transformations are built through consistent action. Every woodland created, partnership strengthened, habitat explored and conversation shared helps shape a bigger vision for the National Forest. Transformation in Action is our monthly snapshot of progress, showing how long-term ambition becomes real change for landscapes, lives and livelihoods.
08 Sep 2026
Growing the Forest at Oakthorpe
The growth of new woodland continues at Oakthorpe, where we have completed the acquisition of a further 22 hectares of land.
This will allow us to extend the recently planted Unity Wood site and will create a larger connected area of new woodland, while improving access to the Ashby Woulds Heritage Trail for residents of Oakthorpe.
It is another example of how the National Forest is changing the landscape for the long term, creating new woodland while improving access to nature and connecting communities with the wider Forest.
Making the Forest more accessible
Transformation also means changing who feels able to experience and enjoy the National Forest.
Through our funding, Trails and Tales CIC helped families in Burton discover their local greenspaces during the summer holidays. The six-week challenge combined activity packs, weekly challenges, led walks and activities, with before and after surveys being used to understand its impact on activity levels and wellbeing.
Meanwhile, the Roots to Routes project, organised by the Muslim Youth Alliance, brought Muslim women and their children, predominantly from Burton and surrounding areas, to stay at the National Forest YHA over the summer.
For many, it was their first experience of the National Forest and helped us to understand what could help families currently underrepresented in the outdoors to discover and return to the National Forest independently.
These projects are helping us understand how the Forest can become a place that is genuinely accessible to more people, not simply a landscape that is physically open to everyone.
Evidence of nature returning
The transformation of the landscape at Albert Village Lake by volunteers with the specific aim of improving biodiversity, is also creating the conditions for wildlife to return and thrive.
National Forest volunteer and wildlife enthusiast Meg Cox captured footage of a grass snake swimming in the lake during the summer heat. The footage attracted widespread attention and was subsequently featured on BBC News.
A grass snake swimming through a former industrial landscape might seem a small moment, but it is a visible reminder of how dramatically places within the National Forest have changed. Habitats that were once dominated by industry are now supporting a growing diversity of wildlife.
Looking ahead
Transformation in the National Forest does not happen all at once. It is built month by month through practical action, strong partnerships and a shared belief that landscapes can be renewed for the benefit of nature, communities and enterprise.
August reinforced that transformation is built through steady, practical action. From community programmes and habitat improvements to land acquisition and partnership work, each step contributes to a greener, more resilient Forest.
If you'd like to be part of the National Forest's transformation, whether as a supporter, business partner or landowner, we'd love to hear from you. Together, we can continue growing a greener, more resilient future.
