A SERIES of artworks inspired by walks in the Forest are to go show in venues around the area.

A celebration of creative work by participants of the Creative Walks in Nature project organised by arts group Canopy was held at the West Dean Centre, in Bream.

More than 75 members of the local communities around Bream and Parkend enjoyed a celebratory cup of tea or glass of wine.

Alison Bruce, Chair of West Dean Parish Council that supported the initiative opened the event which included displays of the artworks along with poetry readings and music.

She said: “People are going out on these lovely walks, come rain or shine, and they are not just walking through, they are stopping and they’re thinking.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity for people and it’s such wonderful work.

Canopy extended its Creative Walks in Nature programme by working with the local community from the parish of West Dean over the last four months with people signing up to join a walk and an art workshop.

Four walks in the natural environment around Bream and Parkend were offered with participants encouraged to develop their ideas inspired by the walk.

Canopy offered a couple of half day workshops at the West Dean Centre and the Memorial Hall, Parkend for participants to develop their initial ideas.

Participants who made sketches, took photographs or wrote words/poems were able to develop these into more substantial works with support from Canopy members Roger Drury, Sara Rickard or Rob Olins.

Andrew MacBean from the Forest of Dean camera club has taken photographs of all the work so that a travelling exhibition about Canopy’s Creative Walks in Nature can tour venues across the Forest.

The walks featured on the BBC Radio 4 programme Ramblings with Clare Balding which was recorded in February last year and aired nationally on March 2 2023.

Over the last 18 months Creative Walks have developed with a variety of routes around the forest, and most operate at capacity of twelve with waiting lists.

The exhibition will be shown at the Dean Heritage Centre in Soudley and at the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust at Robinswood near Gloucester.

Canopy are hoping to find more local venues to host the exhibition in the Forest.

The artists and poets featured in the exhibition are: Liza Lazuli, Heather Engel, Adele Cammes, Marion Owen, Chloe Waplington, Melanie Willows, Brian Willows, Sue Osborne, Charlotte Patrick, Bernadette Ward (Clancy), Mel Bastin, Jules Bastin, Lisa Longmore, Bobbie Allen, Julie-Annie Amos, Harrison Melling, Ruth Welters, Russell Hoy, Jenny Fisher, Penny Ballinger, Freya Davies, Peter Dunford and Jules Newcombe.