Forest of Dean Sculpture Trail, Beechenhurst Lodge, Speech House Road, Coleford (2026)

This is the page of the Forest of Dean Sculpture Trust CIO, a charity that commissions sculptures for the Forest of Dean Sculpture Trail at Beechenhurst, a Forestry England site in the beautiful surroundings of the Forest of Dean, on the border of England and Wales. Please visit our website to find out more about the sculptures and to access audio description files https://www.forestofdean-sculptu

re.org.uk/

The Trail is owned and maintained by Forestry England. Please visit https://www.forestryengland.uk/beechenhurst to find out about accessibility, parking charges, and to plan your visit. Opening times are usually 8am until dusk, but the Trail may be closed in extreme weather conditions. The Trail is closed on Christmas Day. The trail currently features 16 permanent artworks by internationally acclaimed artists such as Natasha Rosling, Cornelia Parker, Henry Castle and more. Temporary installations are also programmed, such as the Forest to Forest temporary trail in 2021. You can donate to support our work at https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=Y453Y4TFJZ2RA

15/06/2026

We are looking for a new co-Chair!

The Forest of Dean Sculpture Trust CIO (FODST) is a registered charity that commissions sculptures for the Forest of Dean Sculpture Trail at Beechenhurst, a Forestry England site. The unique heritage and environment of the Forest of Dean has inspired the creation of around 50 temporary and permanent sculptures on the trail since 1986, as well as film, poetry and photography projects, and artist residencies. In partnership with Forestry England, we have worked with emerging and world-renowned artists to establish a vital cultural resource that connects with local and global communities and contributes to the thriving arts ecology of southwest England.

The Charity

We are a small charity and being a trustee of FODST is a rewarding experience. The Board of Trustees are responsible for the charity’s long-term sustainability and strategic direction, ensuring that FODST meets both its charitable objectives and its legal requirements as a CIO. There are currently 7 trustees on the Board who contribute their expertise to informed decision-making and act as ambassadors for the charity.

Trustees are the custodians of the Sculpture Trail, volunteers who have played an important role in upholding the vision and mission of FODST across decades. Working closely with Forestry England, our trustees make a meaningful contribution to this pioneering and forward-looking organisation with their enthusiasm and commitment, skills and networks.

Interested in becoming our new co-Chair?

The Chair of the Board of Trustees is the keystone of the charity, overseeing higher-level and day-to-day operations. Our current Chair is in their final term as a trustee and we have decided that this role will be more equitably managed if it is shared between the existing Chair and a new co-Chair. For this role, we are seeking to appoint a committed and engaged individual with leadership experience, charity governance knowledge, strong communication skills and a belief in the fundamental value of arts and culture to society. This is a voluntary, unpaid position. Reasonable travel expenses can be reimbursed.

How to apply

If you are considering the role and would like an application pack or an informal chat, please email [email protected]

The deadline for applications is 12pm on Friday 31 July 2026.

Photo: Carolyn Black

13/06/2026

The Forest of Dean Sculpture Trust (FODST) is thrilled to announce the 40th Anniversary of the opening of the Sculpture Trail, which took place on 19th June 1986!

The first sculptures to be unveiled on the Beechenhurst site were Sliced Log Star (Inside-Out Tree) by Andrew Darke; Black Dome and Fire and Water Boats by David Nash; The Iron Road by Keir Smith; Place by Magdelena Jetelova; Cathedral by Kevin Atherton; and Melissa’s Swing by Peter Appleton. Artist residencies took place in July and September which resulted in Bracken Ring and Bracken Knot by Stuart Frost, and The Four Seasons by Yvette Martin. During the summer, twenty workshops took place with adults and children.

We would like to thank Martin Orrom and Jeremy Rees whose vision brought the Sculpture Project, as it was then called, to life. Added to this are the artists whose ideas and proposals for the forest, assisted by curators and producers, set the bar for future commissioning. Early supporters included the Elephant Trust, the Henry Moore Foundation, the Carnegie United Kingdom Trust, the Forestry Commission (later Forestry England), and South West Arts (now Arts Council England). Particular thanks should go to Rupert Martin, then a curator at the Arnolfini who worked on the Sculpture Project, and whose book The Sculpted Forest: Sculptures in the Forest of Dean (1990) leaves us with a fantastic record of those early days.

We would also like to acknowledge everyone that has been involved with the Sculpture Trail during its long existence – too many to list here, but these include artists, project managers, fabricators, groundworks engineers, Forestry and an extensive number of FODST charity trustees, whose tireless work ensures that the Sculpture Trail continues its pioneering work into the future.

In 2024 we commissioned Sam Williams to make a film commemorating the first conversations with artists at the site using material in the FODST archive held at the University of Gloucestershire. Find the film, Common Ground, on our website here.

Of course, the Sculpture Trail is nothing without the hundreds of thousands of visitors who spend time with the sculptures in the ancient forest every year. This is what we’re here for. As we celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Sculpture Trail, we invite you to consider donating to the charity to help fund the next commissioned artwork, bringing joy to many. Thank you for being part of the adventure and for your generous support.

Do look out for news on our website and social media, and please sign up to our newsletter mailing list through the website to find out how your donation has made a difference.

The Forest of Dean Sculpture Trust CIO is a registered charity (no. 1185309) that works in partnership with Forestry England to commission artworks and artists’ projects for the Sculpture Trail at Beechenhurst, a Forestry England site.

Image: Artists and curators at the launch of the Sculpture Project, June 1986

16/04/2026

We have just updated the audio descriptions on the Visit page of our website for partially sighted visitors, and anyone else who'd like to hear the sculptures described. The updates include descriptions of our two newest sculptures, Meander and Gathering.

Don't forget to download the audio to your mobile phone before you set out as there's limited signal on the trail! Link to download the audio in the comments.

Many thanks to Gloucestershire Community Foundation for helping us fund the audio descriptions, which were created by VocalEyes.

Address

Beechenhurst Lodge, Speech House Road
Coleford
GL16

Website

http://www.forestofdean-sculpture.org.uk/

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Forest of Dean Sculpture Trail