The last two Bank Holidays this year have been quite spectacular. Make sure you make the most of the last hoorah of the summer by booking a National Forest Wood Fair Short Break over the August Bank Holiday.

The National Forest Company has teamed up with Leicester Shire Promotions and the stunning 4 star Quorn Country Hotel to offer fantastic rates for a short break over the August Bank Holiday weekend.

From just £109, including tickets to the National Forest Wood Fair on Monday 26 August, you can choose one night's accommodation in a double or twin room with breakfast for two people, upgrade to dinner, bed and breakfast or an executive room if you wish, or enjoy a family offer of one night's accommodation with breakfast, with a family ticket to the Wood Fair from £129.

Quorn Country Hotel is a charming 17th century country hotel with luxury accommodation set on the banks of the River Soar, just three miles from Beacon Hill Country Park, where you can enjoy a fantastic day out on Bank Holiday Monday at the National Forest Wood Fair.

The Wood Fair is a wonderful country day out with a very definite focus on trees, timber and all things related to wood. You'll find beautiful things to buy, from handmade flutes and rustic towel rails, to children's chairs and hand-turned bowls. There will be live demonstrations of woodland crafts, including woodworking and wood turning masterclasses, interspersed with Forest Food Festival cookery demonstrations.

You can have a go at pole lathe turning, pyrography, willow weaving - or even take part in the lumberjack display! There's plenty for children to do as well, including stories from the Wild Man of the Woods, hitching a ride in the tree lift, eco-art and ranger-led craft activities and the ever-popular climbing wall.

It'll be an action-packed day! See the sawdust fly once the lumberjacks and chainsaw carvers take the stage, cheer on the fast and furious log to leg races, see the steam and smoke rise as the wheelwright plunges metal into cold water and persuades the timber to bend, determinedly.

The Wood Fair guarantees entertainment for the whole day, 9 am to 6 pm throughout Bank Holiday Monday, with some of the best craftspeople in the country, a charity auction, live music and delicious local food. 

Martin Peters, Chief Executive of Leicester Shire Promotions, said: "The new National Forest Wood Fair short break is the latest in our family of campaigns to encourage overnight stays in Leicester and Leicestershire. This new break will provide people with a great value opportunity to combine a visit to the famous Wood Fair with trips to more local attractions in The National Forest, North West Leicestershire and the wider county areas."

The Wood Fair is organised by the National Forest Company and Leicestershire County Council. Sophie Churchill, Chief Executive of the National Forest Company, said: 'We are delighted to work with Leicester Shire Promotions and the Quorn Country Hotel to launch this great value short break offer.  The Wood Fair is a brilliant family day out but there is so much more to see and do across the area. This short break means that visitors can make a weekend of it and combine their visit with a trip to Conkers, Snibston, Calke Abbey, the National Memorial Arboretum or one of the other quality visitor attractions that we have here.'

For more information or to book the National Forest Wood Fair Short Break, contact 0844 888 5181, 0116 299 4444, email info@goleicestershire.com or visit www.goleicestershire.com/short-breaks/wood-fair-short-break.aspx

For more information on the Wood Fair and the short break offer visit the website www.nationalforestwoodfair.co.uk

The National Forest Wood Fair takes place in the stunning setting of Beacon Hill Country Park, which is owned and managed by Leicestershire County Council. With its craggy summit and fantastic views, it is just one of the many visitor attractions across the three counties that make up The National Forest. The 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. 

Ends

Media contacts: For further information contact Carol Rowntree Jones at the National Forest Company on 01283 551 211. 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 in the Forest has more than trebled to 19.5 per cent and in 2012 HRH the Duke of Cambridge planted the eight millionth tree in the Forest. 

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 receives grant in aid from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

4. The Independent Panel on Forestry, in its final report published in July 2012, stated: 'The National Forest exemplifies how a long term, resourced and focused agenda can increase publicly accessible woodland in an area alongside other environmental and economic benefits.'

5. In 2008, the National Forest Company and partners won the inaugural Sustainable Development UK Award, for their work in Ashby Woulds, at the heart of The National Forest.