Join The Gruffalo’s Child on her forest adventure at Moors Valley (Sept 2014)

Join The Gruffalo’s Child on her forest adventure at Moors Valley (Sept 2014)

Families are invited into the deep dark wood this autumn and winter to find The Gruffalo’s Child, who has followed The Gruffalo out of his comfortable cave for a trail adventure at Moors Valley Country Park and Forest.

The Gruffalo’s Child activity trail is the latest initiative organised by Forestry Commission England in conjunction with Magic Light Pictures. It follows the success of this year’s Gruffalo’s Forest Tour, which was supported by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler.

During spring and summer 2014, more than 10,000 children met the Gruffalo. Hundreds of thousands followed the Gruffalo activity trails throughout England’s forests and had their picture taken next to his magnificent wooden sculpture.

From 3 October 2014 until 22 February 2015, self-led Gruffalo’s Child activity trails will be in place at Moors Valley near Ringwood, and 23 other Forestry Commission forests across England, continuing the nationwide celebrations of the 10th anniversary of the book’s publication.

While following the trail route, families can take part in activities based on their favourite book’s characters.  The trail will lead them through the forest using activity boards to help them discover nature and woods at a time of the year when forests are at their most beautiful and the animals are preparing for winter.

In addition, there will be activity packs available for £2, which will include a foraging bag, a fun-packed activity leaflet, a colouring-in sheet and a special Gruffalo’s Child sticker. These special packs will encourage children to learn more about the behaviour of animals in autumn and how they search for food, create shelters and prepare for the cold winter months.

Katie Davies, Countryside Interpretation Ranger at Moors Valley, said  “Many families discovered the wide range of activities we have on offer at Moors Valley for the first time this year – when they came to meet the Gruffalo or visit his new sculpture. Now the Park will provide the perfect winter woodland setting for another family adventure as the Gruffalo’s Child ignores her father’s warning and tiptoes out into the wild snowy night.”

Later this winter, a carved wooden sculpture of The Gruffalo’s Child will join the existing Gruffalo sculpture in the wild woods at Moors Valley.

For more information go to www.moors-valley.co.uk or call the Rangers on 01425 470721.

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Editors Notes:

Moors Valley Country Park and Forest
Nature and people flourish side by side at Moors Valley Country Park and Forest. Set in 700 acres, Moors Valley is home to a wide range of plants and animals as well as recreational and play facilities. Every year over 750,000 visitors enjoy the cycleways, a tree-top trail, picnic areas, lake and forest walks and play structures.
Alongside an extensive events programme further attractions include:

  • high wire forest adventure – Go Ape!
  • cycle hire
  • miniature steam experience on Moors Valley Railway
  • recreational fishing lake
  • 18 hole Moors Valley Golf Course
  • Seasons restaurant
  • Country Shop

Moors Valley is the joint venture of East Dorset District Council and the Forestry Commission. It is just ten miles north of Bournemouth, at Ashley Heath, on the Dorset/Hampshire border.

1. 2014 marks The Gruffalo’s 15th anniversary and The Gruffalo’s Child’s 10th anniversary and will see a range of celebratory events which are being driven by Magic Light Pictures. It started in March with a national schools tour of Gruffalo themed days in partnership with Film Nation; the Gruffalo birthday month at the Eden Project was celebrated in May and Gruffalo films will be performed live with the Northern Sinfonia in October. The anniversary year also sees the launch of Gruffalo reading frames with Specsavers along with other new and exciting product ranges including luxury wooden toys from Bajo and anniversary publications from Macmillan’s Children’s Books.

2. The Gruffalo’s Tour and Trails in figures

28 forests across England hosted Gruffalo activity trails. The Gruffalo trails led to an increase in visitors of a third in some forests.
This summer more than 10,000 children met and had their photo taken with the Gruffalo himself on the Gruffalo Forest Tour across England.
Over 56,000 signed up to receive email updates on the trails in the first few months. There have been more than 670,000 unique page views to the Gruffalo web pages to date.

3. About Magic Light Pictures

Magic Light Pictures makes imaginative entertainment for audiences, families and children worldwide.
The company creates high quality films and products and has built the wonderful Gruffalo brand over many years.  Its filmmaking includes feature films such as Oscar-nominated animation Chico & Rita, comedy thriller Wild Target and natural history documentary One Life.
The company directly manages production, licensing, global distribution and marketing.  Magic Light has sold its Oscar and BAFTA-nominated half-hour animated films, The Gruffalo and The Gruffalo’s Child, to over 80 broadcasters worldwide.  It runs an international merchandising programme with over 40 licensees and 250 products.  In 2012, the company launched Room on the Broom – based on the best-selling book by Donaldson and Scheffler – with a Bafta and International Emmy-winning half-hour animation and a growing range of merchandise.
www.magiclightpictures.com Follow on Twitter @MagicLightPics

4. About The Gruffalo

The Gruffalo is a fast growing classic brand based on the best selling books written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler.  Magic Light Pictures produced two award winning half hour animated films (The Gruffalo and The Gruffalo’s Child) and has launched a very successful, high quality merchandising programme which builds on the heritage of this special and much loved property.
First published in 1999 by Macmillan’s Children’s Books The Gruffalo has been described as a ‘modern classic’ (The Observer). Written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler, the book has been translated into 52 different languages. A second book, The Gruffalo’s Child, was published in 2004 and together they have sold over 10 million copies worldwide.
In 2009 Magic Light Pictures produced a half hour animated special based on The Gruffalo. First broadcast in the UK on BBC One, Christmas Day 2009, the film was seen by over 10m viewers, then nominated for both an Oscar® and BAFTA Film Award, and has gone on to win numerous international film awards including the Prix Jeunesse 2010. A companion film The Gruffalo’s Child premiered on BBC One Christmas 2011 to 10m viewers.