A throttle full of chainsaw carvers will set the sawdust flying at The National Forest Wood Fair on Bank Holiday Monday 31 August.

Four carvers will compete in a thrilling speed carve � never before held at the Wood Fair.

Lorraine Botterill, Andrew Frost, Dick Tilley and Carrie Yuen will have just half an hour flat to be on their marks, get set and off at full power to create a piece of sculpture from a plain lump of wood.

�What these skilled artists can produce when the pressure is on is quite remarkable,� said Simon Greenhouse, Woodland Officer for the National Forest Company. �The pieces may represent animal, vegetable or something completely abstract, but whatever the sculptors create, the speed carve will be great fun and first class entertainment for the crowd.�

Throughout the day the carvers will wield their way through more lumps of timber than an eager beaver, and each will donate at least one piece of sculpture to the charity auction that wraps up the day at 4 o�clock.

One chainsaw carver will work on a piece of oak as part of the �One Oak Project�. Fifteen woodworkers and craftspeople have been invited to make items from an oak tree that was felled as part of management works in a National Forest woodland near Moira. The items they make over the summer will demonstrate the range of products that can come out of a single tree. The pieces, ranging from a bench to floorboards, a dog kennel to bird boxes, charcoal to coat hooks, will all be on display at The National Forest Wood Fair, and badged the One Oak project. The whole story of the One Oak project will be told in words and photographs in the National Forest Company marquee.

The whole day will be packed with live demonstrations of woodworking skills and craft displays, with hands-on activities for adults and children. There will be stories and songs from the Wild Man of the Woods, archery, birds of prey and a brilliant climbing wall.

The Wood Fair Food Area will be packed with delicious locally-sourced food and drink and a farmers market.

This fantastic family event is organised by the National Forest Company and Leicestershire County Council. It will run from 10am � 5pm on Bank Holiday Monday 31 August. Admission charges include car parking and a programme and will cost adults �6, concessions �4 and a family ticket �14 (for two adults and three children).

Beacon Hill Country Park lies within the ancient Forest of Charnwood and is close to the attractive village of Woodhouse Eaves, just five minutes drive from Junctions 22 or 23 of the M1. The Country Park, owned and managed by Leicestershire County Council, with its craggy summit and panoramic views, is just one of the many visitor attractions across the three counties of Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Staffordshire that make up The National Forest.

See www.nationalforest.org www.leics.gov.uk/woodfair

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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 in the Forest has already trebled to 18 per cent and over 7 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, social 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 both to economic regeneration and to community pride and activity.

3. To achieve these objectives, the National Forest Company leads the creation of The National Forest, working in partnership with landowners, local authorities, private business, voluntary organisations and local communities 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.

Media contacts: Carol Rowntree Jones, Media Relations Officer, or Penny Wilkinson, Tourism & Promotions Officer, National Forest Company on 01283 551211. For background information on The National Forest see www.nationalforest.org Digital images are available: contact media@nationalforest.org