Friends of Westonbirt Arboretum

Blog - Community activities

Community Shelter update - making the structural skeleton

Over the last few weeks, the Community Shelter has started to take shape with the structural skeleton in place. Take a look at the timelapses below to find out more...

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Meet Julia - Our Westonbirt Runner

This year we're pleased to announce Julia, our Supporter Services Manager, will be running for the trees at the 10K in May. We recently interviewed her so you can get to know her a little better...

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Community Shelter update - steam bending

Westonbirt's community participants have been using the ancient process of steam bending to create the shelter's arches. Find out more...

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Community Shelter update - Jan 2022

The build phase has started and we're thrilled to share some of the details with you...

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Art at the arboretum

Westonbirt is the inspiration for up-and-coming artists. Recently Forestry England teamed up with local charity Art Shape on a new project using art to connect more people to trees and nature.

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Help us win!

Trees are of course at the core of everything we do but we know how much benefit being outside and around trees can offer our local community, so we run a wealth of programmes at Westonbirt Arboretum encouraging visitors to connect with trees.

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How to hygge a tree

Westonbirt Arboretum has recently produced a book based on their experiences of running wellbeing and community engagement activities. Karen Price, Community Youth Officer, explains more.

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Five Years of Progress #ThanksToYou HLF

In 2012, we received some wonderful news – that we had been awarded £1.9 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) to help us embark on a project to improve Westonbirt, the National Arboretum.

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Community Shingle Shelter

Wild Westonbirt (Westonbirt’s youth group) were tasked with thinking of a way to celebrate the current phase of the HLF coming to an end.

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'Ain't Got Time to fix the shingles, Ain't got time to fix the floor.....' our Community Youth Officer, Karen Price, shares one of her recent projects

Team WB have been busy this month learning how to make wooden roof tiles, known as shingles, for a proposed sculpture to celebrate the culmination of the 4 year HLF Community Engagement Programme.

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Overnight Plant Hunter Challenge

A mouse took a stroll through the deep dark wood The mouse saw….a group of teenagers unsure of where they stood...

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Pizza in the Woods!

The community team welcome a wide range of groups from the surrounding area to come and learn about our tree collection through exploration and discovery.

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Case Study for National Youth Work Week 2015 #YWW15

How young people have helped shape the HLF Community Youth activities at Westonbirt, The National Arboretum...

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The Adult Changing Room is ready for use!

Works have now been completed on our Adult Changing Room/Changing Place space for visitors in the main toilet block by the Great Oak Hall.

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