Wyldwood Arts, our Community Celebration project partner, have been busy collecting stories from people with strong connections to the Forest; tales that have been woven into a series of illuminating podcasts.
Their podcast producer Nikki Ruck, and previous podcast producer Alice Homewood, have created these podcasts to capture our community living here in the Forest.
From a family of freeminers to an all-female coppice team, they are exploring the unique cultural heritage and traditions of the Forest of Dean by completing these podcast interviews.
Here are the podcasts released so far. We recommend listening - you will be sure to learn some hidden facts about our forest!
Clearwell Caves Podcast by Nikki Ruck
This episode takes us deep under the ground to visit one of the first tourist attractions in the Forest of Dean, Clearwell Caves.
Freeminers Podcast by Nikki Ruck
This podcast shares the unique story of three generations of freeminers based in the Forest of Dean. Interviewed at Bixslade valley at Monument, one of the last traditional free mines in the Forest.
Forest Showcase Audio by Alice Homewood
Our journey to discover tales from Forest Folk started with a trip to the Forest Food Showcase in September 2019, where our associate artists Lucy Baxendale and Josie Rogerson ran ceramic workshops for children and families. All ages created forest creatures, using a combination of clay, leaves and twigs found in the forest. During the day, Alice captured everyone’s stories, teasing out their memories.