By Peter Lindsey 
As Winnie-the-Pooh turns one hundred in 2026, Ashdown Forest, the original Hundred Acre Wood, celebrates with a brand-new story!
Coming this summer, The Big One Hundred, created and produced by Trigger, brings together performances, events and workshops to help protect Ashdown Forest for the next hundred years.
There will be a new character to the Forest, a curious creature inspired by the landscape and special species who live there.
The new creature will also be popping up at sites across Wealden to delight and inspire children to see the magic in nature and the joy of reading.
This summer, visitors will be invited to explore the forest and discover its newest inhabitant, a large-scale, mythical puppet creature inspired by the landscape and its unique species through a series of interactive performances.
Organisers say its size is sure to amaze – it will take up to ten puppeteers to bring this wondrous creature to life!
Trigger will also tour the new puppet creature across the Wealden district in summer 2026, and the “Big One Hundred” will involve a series of events including interactive performances, heathland walks and shared encounters – for all ages.
Five new accessible walks will open in Ashdown Forest themed around different unique and threatened species native to the Forest, including the Dartford Warbler, the Silver-Studded Blue Butterfly, the Adder, the Tiger Beetle, and the Dormouse.
Angie Bual, Creative Director and Joint CEO of Trigger said: “Trigger are delighted to be celebrating Ashdown Forest, where A.A Milne lived and wrote his beloved stories. A hundred years on, the Forest is still inspiring us with its unique landscape and special species. To celebrate this site of imagination we are weaving a new myth for this extraordinary landscape.
“This project is about engaging people’s hearts and minds with the fact that Ashdown Forest is a national conservation site and that places like this are increasingly at risk. We need to inspire a new generation of people who will care for these landscapes over time.
“Fewer and fewer young people are spending time in nature, and sites like the Ashdown Forest are seeing visitor numbers from families and children drop dramatically. So, we have to ask ourselves: what does the future look like if we don’t create opportunities for people to connect with nature? If we don’t actively bring the public into Ashdown Forest, its future is in jeopardy. Where will we be 100 years from today? And how do we ensure that same relationship with the natural world endures into the future?”
Mark Pearson, Chief Executive Officer at Ashdown Forest said: “We are thrilled to be working with the team at Trigger to celebrate this cherished setting, ensuring its natural beauty and creative legacy endures for future generations.
“According to the English Nature Report, lowland heathland such as Ashdown Forest is rarer than rainforests; in the UK we have only about 16% left of the area that existed in 1800.
“The next generation will be vital in protecting this treasured landscape. We look forward to welcoming them as visitors who can follow in the footsteps of A. A Milne, discover a new story for the Forest, while witnessing the charm of the landscape and the need to look after it for the next 100 years to come.”
Councillor Rachel Millward, Deputy Leader of Wealden District Council, said: “This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to celebrate a story cherished across the globe, while protecting the extraordinary landscape that inspired it.
“We’re proud to support a programme that honours our cultural heritage, brings communities together, and builds a lasting legacy for Ashdown Forest.
“Our investment is not just about marking a centenary – it’s about ensuring the Forest remains a place of wonder and learning for generations to come. With careful planning, strong partnerships, and local engagement, this project will create real and lasting benefits – environmentally, socially, and economically for the whole region.”
