In The National Forest

Families searching for new ideas on where to take the children during the long summer break should head to The National Forest at the heart of the English midlands. With more attractions opening all the time, this �Forest in the Making� is bursting with things to see and do, ensuring young ones and their older companions alike are kept entertained - whatever the summer weather brings!

The National Forest Maize Maze will have a distinctly �Jurassic� feel to it this year, with the theme being DINOSAURS! Visitors will step back millions of years to a land that time forgot. The opening date is planned for 15 July with new features and facilities at the maze. The �Fun Field� children�s play area has been further improved with new attractions along with favourites like the �Splash Zone�.

Conkers Discovery Park is a brilliant place to take the family this summer with its new resident cast of Little Forest Dwellers. Ashby the rabbit, Moira the squirrel, Ernest the badger and Gabriel the fox will be entertaining families in the covered Waterside Amphitheatre with several performances a day. And not-to-be-missed is multi-talented Nick Spellman from Children�s ITV at Conkers every Tuesday and Friday throughout the summer holidays. Based upon life in a British woodland and with more than 100 indoor and outdoor activities themed around Forest life and the environment, families will enjoy hours of fun at this lively discovery centre. Where else can you tackle an assault course, walk across a precipice, hear like a bat or trace animal tracks? Regular music events will be held at Conkers covered amphitheatre throughout the summer. And you can explore more of the Forest in and around Conkers thanks to �Cyclelife� cycle hire based at Conkers Waterside. To find out more call 01283 216633 or visit www.visitconkers.com

Snibston Discovery Park in Coalville has the largest fashion gallery outside London and with the hands-on interactive exhibits in its Extra-ordinary Gallery, it guarantees an exciting, full and fun day out for all ages. In addition to the indoor galleries, take a ride on a diesel locomotive train; visit the Wild Water Play area to operate the system of canal locks, create a dam or divert a river; and have a guided tour of Snibston colliery with a real miner. Every Friday during the summer holidays there will be special children�s activity sessions including a rocket launch workshop and pirate treasure hunt. To view a full list of special summer events at Snibston visit www.snibston.com

Coors Visitor Centre (formerly The Bass Museum) will have craft days during the school holidays for children as well as a 'Forest Week' (from Monday 7 to Friday 11 August) that promises bags of family fun. The museum explores the fascinating history of brewing in Burton and is home to the famous Coors Shire horses � a reminder of the role horses played within the brewing industry.

As part of Rosliston Forestry Centre�s �Get Active in the Forest� programme, visitors can come along to the �Five for a Fiver Days� and choose up to five exciting activities out of a wide range including archery, laser clay, skateboarding, combat laser games, tri-golf, stone painting, kite making and orienteering - all for a fiver! There will also be a series of events and activities taking place throughout the summer such as an evening with owls, family pond dipping, minibeast magic and family fun days. As well as woodland walks, the centre also hires bikes, offers fishing and bird of prey displays and has wildlife hides to spot the wide variety of animals and birds that visit the site. Younger visitors can have fun sliding down the sparrowhawk�s pole or climbing through the crocodile�s mouth in the outdoor play area or bounce around in the soft play area. For details on dates and cost of activities contact Rosliston on 012883 563 483.

The Heart of the Forest Open Top bus tour will again be out and about in the Forest every Friday from 21 July to 25 August with its hop-on, hop-off sightseeing tour. This gives passengers a rare glimpse over the hedgerows to witness the transformation taking place in this Forest in the Making, while stopping off at major attractions such as CONKERS, Snibston Discovery Park, Ashby de la Zouch Castle, Donington le Heath Manor House, Moira Furnace and the wonderful Sence Valley Forest Park. Leaflets with fare and timetable information will be available from Ashby Tourist Information Centre on 01530 411 767.

Visitors can step back into a bygone age at the truly fascinating Calke Abbey and enjoy a wide range of summer activities. In addition to its outdoor concerts and theatre productions, visitors can meet the characters that lived and worked at Calke in the 19th century in the �Calke Alive� event, solve a murder mystery or follow the Hungry Caterpillar trail. The hall, gardens, restaurant and shop will be open seven days a week from 29th June until 1st September. For more information telephone 01332 863 822.

Visitors can explore the tunnels and tower at Ashby Castle, walk through the ruins of Lady Jane Grey�s (the nine-day queen) home at beautiful Bradgate Park or discover the area�s industrial heritage at Moira Furnace, Swannington Incline and Sharpe�s Pottery.

As you would expect, there is a huge array of outdoor activities to do across the Forest all year round including skiing and tobogganing at Swadlincote Ski Centre; horse-riding; sailing and windsurfing; survival and conservation courses; fishing or simply enjoy walking through the ancient or new woodlands created by this Forest in the Making.

Ideas on fun ways to spend summer days are contained in the 2006 visitor guides to the Forest and its surrounding area. These are available from Tourist Information Centres or from the National Forest Company, tel: 01283 551211, email: discover@nationalforest.org. Or visit the website: www.visitnationalforest.co.uk for a complete listing of all the events going on within the Forest throughout the summer.

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Media contacts: For further information contact either Penny Wilkinson or Carol Rowntree Jones at the National Forest Company on 01283 551211. For background information please visit www.nationalforest.org Digital images available, contact: media@nationalforest.org

NOTES TO EDITORS:

1. The National Forest area covers 200 square miles of the counties of Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Staffordshire. Its objective is to increase woodland cover within its boundaries from an initial six per cent to about a third. No multi-purpose forest on this scale has been created in the UK for one thousand years. To date the proportion of woodland cover for the Forest has already more than doubled to 16 per cent and over 6 million trees have been planted.

2. Year by year, The National Forest has been steadily turning what was once one of the least wooded areas of England into a multi-purpose, sustainable forest. The National Forest provides environmental and economic benefits, including landscape enhancement, creation of new wildlife habitats and major new access and leisure opportunities. It is an excellent example of sustainable development � with environmental improvement providing a stimulus to economic regeneration.

3. To achieve its objectives, the National Forest Company works in partnership with landowners, local authorities and private business and has strong support from Government, politicians and the public. The Company, which celebrated its tenth anniversary in 2005, receives grant in aid from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

4. Heart of the Forest Open Top Bus Tour � Ashby TIC � Tel: 01530 411 767 Conkers � Tel: 01283 216 633. www.visitconkers.com Cyclelife � Tel: 01827 284 646 Snibston Discovery Park � Tel: 01530 278 444, www.leics.gov.uk/museums Coors Visitor Centre � Tel: 0845 6000 598, www.coorsvisitorcentre.co.uk Rosliston Forestry Centre � Tel: 01283 563 483, www.south-derbys.gov.uk/rosliston Beehive Farm � Tel: 01283 763 981, www.beehivefarm-woodlandlakes.co.uk Maize Maze � Tel: 07812 333 315, www.maizemaze.com Calke Abbey � Tel: 01332 863 822, www.nationaltrust.co.uk Ashby de la Zouch Castle � Tel: 01530 413 343, www.english-heritage.org.uk Bradgate Park � Tel: 0116 236 2713 Moira Furnace � Tel: 01283 224 667 Swannington Heritage Trust � Tel: 01530 832 704, www.swannington-heritage.co.uk Sharpe�s Pottery � Tel: 01283 222 600, www.sharpes.org.uk Swadlincote Ski Centre � Tel: 01283 217 200, www.jnll.co.uk Survival School � Tel: 0871 222 7304, www.survivalschool.co.uk BTCV Conservation Courses � Tel: 01530 277 855 Greenwood Days � Tel: 01332 864 829, www.greenwood-days.co.uk