Children get a sneak preview of 'Wild About Wood' stories
25/08/2009
Children were treated to stories about ‘wild and wonderful' happenings in the woods at The Arboretum Trust at Castle Howard by York's eco-storyteller Nettlefoot Kate this week, in preparation for the ‘Wild About Wood' Festival taking place there on 12th and 13th September.The avid listeners were the children of staff from Harrowells Solicitors who are supporting the inaugural ‘Wild About Wood' Festival and storytelling will be one of the many exciting things that will be on offer.
Nettlefoot Kate said: "I will be telling stories that will amuse and entertain both children and adults and will bring trees and nature alive. They will be able to join in and I hope to capture their imagination with stories about the spirits and ghosts that used to live in the woods, and the odd terrible tale about what can happen when people disturb a particular tree that they really ought to leave well alone! I will be teaching people, in between stories, to write in Ogham, the 'tree language' that is the oldest form of written language in Ireland."
The Festival promises to be fun and informative for members of the public of all ages and will include activities such as chainsaw sculpting, heavy horse logging, coracle making, willow weaving, and tree climbing.
Sir Ron Cooke, Chair of the Trustees said: "Plans are progressing well for the Festival and we have two action packed days organised for September. There will be something for all the family to enjoy. We want everyone to come for a great day out and enjoy the Festival, but also to experience the delights of The Arboretum which is a very beautiful and special place."
Richard Wood, Partner at Harrowells said: "We are delighted to be supporting this inaugural event at The Arboretum Trust at Castle Howard. The children enjoyed their eco stories and we will all be coming to the Festival to enjoy the other activities that will be here then. It is a great way of getting everyone involved in enjoying and helping to maintain such an important and valuable collection of trees in this stunning location."
The Arboretum covers more than 150 acres and with more than 6000 trees from hundreds of places, some of which are very rare, the collection at The Arboretum at Castle Howard stands without parallel in the north of England and acts as the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew's northern reserve for many valuable tree species.
Kew at Castle Howard Arboretum Trust is an independent charity established to maintain and protect this unique collection of trees. It is dedicated to welcoming visitors to the Arboretum who wish to learn about trees and their importance to the changing climatic environment as well as visitors who simply want to enjoy the tranquillity and beauty of the location. The Arboretum, which this year is celebrating its 10th anniversary of being open to the public, welcomes visitors every day between 10am and 6pm until the end of November.
The Wild About Wood Festival is open from 10am-5pm on Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th September 2009.
Admission prices, which include all activities advertised, are:
Adult £6
Child (3-16) £4
Infants (under 3) Free
Family Ticket (2 adults and 2 children) £16
Concessions (Senior citizens/NUS) £5
For more information about Wild About Wood please see: http://www.wildaboutwood.org/ or email: info@wildaboutwood.org.
Wild About Wood is being sponsored by a number of local businesses including: Bivouac Design; Monks Cross Shopping Park; Intandem Marketing and PR; Ignite Meetings Management; Harrowells Solicitors; Shepherd Group; CPP; McCain Foods; Sir George Martin Trust.
For more information about visiting the Arboretum contact the centre on 01653 648598 or see: http://www.kewatch.co.uk/
ENDS