Friends of Ashdown Forest

22/11/2025

Ashdown Forest is for everyone! If you’re taking a stroll on the heath or in woodland today, share your photos with us! We’d love to see them.

20/11/2025

🎯 Membership 🎯
Know someone who loves Ashdown Forest? Give them the gift of membership! For just £3 a month, they'll receive our magazine, access to our events which are free for members, and the satisfaction of directly supporting the conservation of our beautiful Forest. Growing our community grows our impact! Photo is of some of our members on a visit to Nutley Windmill.

17/11/2025

❄️ Winter Preparations ❄️
As temperatures drop, our wildlife is adapting for winter. Dartford warblers retreat to gorse thickets, deer grow thicker coats, and many insects enter dormancy. The Forest's natural cycles continue, protected by decades of conservation work.

14/11/2025

🍄 Fungi Season 🍄
October brings a magical display of fungi across Ashdown Forest! From tiny toadstools to impressive bracket fungi, these often-overlooked organisms are vital to our ecosystem. They break down organic matter and support the complex web of Forest life. This month, our members will be enjoying a Fungi Walk!

13/11/2025

Looking for a gift for a loved one this Christmas? Our 2026 Calendars are now on sale online - get yours today at:

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12/11/2025

🌳 The Old Oak by Rosalie Leng 🌳

Old oak with furrowed brow,
Who hides inside your crinkled bark?
Do spiky insects creep within?
Bark, lichen crisp and moss matted,
Has deeply rutted whirls,
Which twist up your ancient trunk,
Embracing your history.
And how many lives have you seen?

10/11/2025

Looking for something fun to do this week? Rich Allum will tell us more about the Conservators’ herds of Hebridean Sheep, Riggit Galloway Cattle and Exmoor Ponies and the importance of the Grazing Project in maintaining and improving the heathland habitat and its rare and special wildlife.

Book now or email [email protected] - tickets are £5 for non members:
https://www.friendsofashdownforest.co.uk/blank-19

10/11/2025

06/11/2025

📖 Education Matters 📖
More than 2,500 school children visited Ashdown Forest during the last academic year! The Friends are proud to help fund the Education Programme, which we believe is inspiring the next generation of conservationists. Every child who falls in love with nature is a victory for the future.

04/11/2025

Take a moment to appreciate a Honey Buzzard spotted on Ashdown Forest. These birds are rare with only around 100 pairs breeding in the UK annually.

02/11/2025

🔥Incredible colours of Autumn
Ashdown is home to incredible colours and scenery year-round, but the trees are starting to show Autumn hues.

30/10/2025

🐦 House Martins 🐦
Say goodbye to our House Martins for the year! Found mainly in rural areas with easy access to farmland, House Martins often form small flocks when collecting mud from a pondside or puddle. They’ll be off to Africa during October!