Forest of Dean sculpture trail plans to go-ahead

The new trail will be in place in time for the school summer holidays

Plans for a new sculpture trail in the Forest of Dean have been given the go-ahead.

The Forest to Forest trail will run alongside the existing sculpture trail at Beechenhurst Lodge in Coleford, Gloucestershire, which attracts 300,000 visitors annually.

The new sculptures are due to be installed ready to open in July and in place until October.

Organisers hope it "will provide inspiration and reflection".

With uncertainty still surrounding holidays abroad, it is hoped the trail will appeal to day-trippers

Trustees hope the new temporary sculptures will bring even more visitors as the UK starts to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic.

The new sculptures have been designed by different artists and include arms hugging trees, a poem cut into a steel cylinder surrounding a tree and a wicker bench shelter made in the form of a badger.

There will also be native wildflower paintings hanging from the trees, dozens of bright red bugs made from garden hand trowels crawling up tree trunks and lightweight modules suspended from the canopy.

The eight new sculptures are being added as the existing trail marks its 35th year

None of the installations will be fenced off and there will be no description or signage so visitors will be expected to make their own judgement of what the sculptures represent.

A spokesperson said: "We hope they will provide inspiration and reflection for visitors and allow them to reconnect with nature after the hardship of the pandemic.

"With more people finding benefit from getting out into nature during Covid-19, it has been created as a shorter, more accessible, fun and family friendly trail and provides an alternative offer for the large number of visitors we expect to see over the summer months."