The Gruffalo at Dean Heritage Centre - dates announced

On Saturday 31st of March and Sunday 1st of April the Dean Heritage Centre (DHC) will open their highly anticipated Gruffalo Trail. Visitors will be able to meet the official Gruffalo character at the opening weekend and see the spectacular woodland trail based on the UK’s best loved children’s book.
 
The trail will depict scenes from the storybook and has been painstakingly carved by resident chainsaw artists Clayton Ryder and Gil Parnham, using locally sourced redwood from the Forest of Dean.
 
Opening at the start of the Easter holidays, families will be able to enjoy special interactive trails around the centre, purchase tasty Gruffalo inspired treats in the café and take home their own Gruffalo from the gift shop as the DHC prepares to go Gruffalo mad for 2012.
 
PR and Event Manager, Harri Le Claire said: ‘We’re looking forward to being the centre for the Gruffalo and hope that it will encourage tourism in the local area as people plan their ‘staycations’ in the UK for 2012. The Gruffalo book is internationally renowned and we’re sure that visitors will find that the trail is a fitting representation of the book’

The DHC has worked in partnership with local primary schools including Newnham St Peters, Littledean, St Whites Primary and Soudley who have kindly decorated toadstools, butterflies and other insects that will decorate the backdrop of each Gruffalo scene. Children will be able to visit the trail and search for the piece of artwork they have painted.

Year nine Lakers school students are creating an interactive and educational series of activities for the indoor trail including sensory boxes, foot prints and a Gruffalo house. All of the activities will incorporate literacy, maths and science skills. Year eight students from Heywood Community School will be providing an interactive science activity in the centres’ Gallery five about the effects of forces.

Education & Training Officer, Joanne Clarke said: ‘It’s brilliant to have the local schools involved in the Gruffalo event at DHC, it has been an exciting and rewarding process working alongside local school pupils as they develop activities for other local children.’

In addition to the input by local schools, Gloucestershire library staff will be on hand to advice visitors on everything they have to offer at their local libraries for families wishing to invest more time in reading with their children.
‘Carole Bowe, Community & Development Officer for Libraries & Information at Gloucestershire County Council said: Gloucestershire Libraries have lots of books by Julia Donaldson which can be borrowed, free of charge. All Julia’s books are very popular in the libraries and the Gruffalo woodland trail will encourage children to explore her books further”

The Gruffalo trail will be part of the Centre’s annual Easter activities including an egg hunt, indoor Easter trails and visitors can enter a ‘name the rabbit’ competition.

As a charity organisation, the Centre is still looking for companies to sponsor elements of the trail either with funding or by providing goods in kind so please contact Nathalie via nathalie@deanheritagecentre.com for more details.
For more information on the DHC please visit the new and improved website www.deanheritagecentre.com or call 01594 822170.

Picture courtesy of The Gruffalo, the author Julia Donaldson, the illustrator Axel Scheffler and Macmillan Children's Books, London.

Explore Gloucestershire
13 March 2012

• Also see : Dean Heritage Centre

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