Our Forest

The Mushets: An illustrated audio drama

Written by Bristol-based screenwriter Mike Akers, directed by Wyldwood Arts co-founder Rachel Adams and performed by a community cast from across the Forest of Dean, The Mushets is a 3-part audio drama based on the fascinating story of Robert ‘Forester’ Mushet who, working closely with his wife Mary, discovered an industrial invention that changed the shape of global transportation and development.

Although the characters and people in this story are real, some elements have been fictionalised. The dates and key events that took place are as described in the reports and newspaper clippings from the time.

Credits:

• Writer: Mike Akers

• Director: Rachel Adams

• Editing/Sound Design: Nikki Ruck

• Original Composition: Pat Moran

• Film Animation: Lucy Baxendale

• Film Maker: Camilla Adams

‘The Mushets’ was produced by Wyldwood Arts as part of the ‘Community Celebration’ strand of the Foresters’ Forest Heritage Lottery Funded Landscape Partnership Programme.

100 Forest Faces

Our 100 Forest Faces project aims to celebrate everything that is unique and inspiring about the Forest of Dean and its people.

We invited people to send us photographs of themselves and/or their favourite places in the Forest, along with stories about what makes this place special to them.

We collated these images and words via a dedicated Instagram page, a selection from which is displayed here.

Forest Faces of the Past

As this project evolved, people began sharing older photographs of local people and places, many of which had been captured long ago.

These ‘Forest Faces of the Past’, reveal so much about the fascinating history of the people and communities that have lived here over the years.

Forest Faces of the Future

To complete the full set of generational experiences, we reached out to local primary schools across the Forest and invited pupils in Year 5 and 6 to send us their self-portraits and poems.

We collated their images and words into a beautiful short film, which is featured here, to showcase and celebrate the ‘Forest Faces of the Future.’

The 100 Forest Faces project was produced by Wyldwood Arts as part of the ‘Community Celebration’ strand of the Foresters’ Forest Heritage Lottery Funded Landscape Partnership Programme.

Celebrating Our Forest

As a project partner for the ‘Community Celebration’ strand of the Foresters’ Forest programme, Wyldwood Arts has delivered a wide range of community-based events and activities over the past four years.

This short film, which highlights our various contributions, is one of a series created to mark the end of the Foresters’ Forest programme in March 2022. The full series of films is available to watch online.

Wyldwood Arts: Celebrating Our Forest was produced by the Foresters’ Forest Heritage Lottery Funded Landscape Partnership Programme.

Jo Durrant’s Beautiful Universe: Ep 56

Jo Durrant’s award-winning podcast series celebrates and explores arts and science as part of our culture. In this episode, Jo visits the Forest of Dean and meets local historian Dr Roger Deeks, to explore the lives and legacy of iron and steel production pioneers, David and Robert Mushet.

Presented, produced and edited by Jo Durrant. Music licensed from Purple Planet. The full series is available via the Beautiful Universe website.

Reading The Forest podcast: S1, Ep 2

In this episode of Series 1 of the Reading The Forest podcast, Dr Jason Griffiths and Dr Roger Deeks explore the literary legacy of the legendarily provocative question that every Forester knows: 'Who killed the bears?'

Featuring interviews with Andrew Gardner, Nicola Wynn and Glenda Griffiths, with readings from the late Ken Sollars, Neil Jones, and Sally Latham. Also featuring the voices of Barney Rowe, Sarah McMullen Morris, Jeremy Gazard and Rachel Griffiths.

The ‘Reading the Forest’ project, led by the University of Gloucestershire, is part of the Foresters' Forest Heritage Lottery Funded Landscape Partnership Programme. More information about the project, as well as all episodes of Series 1 and 2 of the Reading the Forest podcast, can be found online.

Voices from the Forest podcast: Ep 6

The Voices from the Forest podcast explores the changing face of work and social life in the Forest of Dean in the second half of the twentieth century. In this episode, Dr Roger Deeks delves into the fascinating past of the famous Forest sheep and their shepherds, more commonly known as ‘ship’ and their ‘badgers’, and learn how the ability to turn out the domestic pig, cattle and sheep was challenged by modernisation, authorities and regulation after the Second World War.

The ‘Voices from the Forest’ oral history project is part of the Foresters' Forest Heritage Lottery Funded Landscape Partnership Programme. More information about the project, as well as this and all other episodes of the ‘Voices from the Forest’ podcast, can be found online.