Ashdown Forest wants to improve engagement with residents and visitors and has appointed a new manager to do just that.
Beth Morgan has joined Ashdown Forest as Head of Engagement and Development and says she wants to champion the forest “as a place where wildlife and people can thrive together.”
The new role is designed to increase and enhance engagement with residents, visitors and other stakeholders. It means Beth is also now responsible for communications and engagement initiatives, as well as the Forest’s education and volunteering programmes.
She said: “Ashdown Forest is one of the most unique and remarkable landscapes in Sussex. I’m delighted to join the team to help welcome and inspire visitors to this very special place.
“I moved to Sussex with my family as a teenager in the mid-1980s and spent as much of my spare time as possible exploring Ashdown Forest.
“After moving away to study and then work in London, the Forest always drew me back. I was thrilled to move back to the area permanently 20 years ago.”
In November 2021, Beth responded to a call to action from former CEO James Adler for volunteers to come and help support the Forest.
At the same time as running her own business, Beth supported the team’s communications activities. In July 2022, she was appointed as a trustee of the Ashdown Forest Foundation and was elected Vice-Chair in 2023.
She said: “It has been an absolute pleasure and a privilege to support both the Ashdown Forest Foundation and the Conservators of Ashdown Forest over the last few years.
“It’s been wonderful to engage with the many thousands of people who visit the Forest’s social media channels, as well as those who very kindly support the Forest through the Foundation’s charitable fundraising events and campaigns.
“I am now even more thrilled to be fully focused on championing Ashdown Forest as a place where wildlife and people can thrive together.”
She said: “There is a wide range of individuals, groups and organisations who engage with the Forest in a variety of ways. I’m delighted to be working with CEO Mark Pearson and the wider team to ensure that we engage actively and positively with all stakeholders.”
CEO Mark Pearson is thrilled that Beth has joined the team.
He said: “I’m delighted that Beth has joined the team to help us deliver our vision to protect, conserve and enhance the nature and culture of Ashdown Forest as the largest biodiverse heathland and open space for people in Sussex.
“Engaging with a large and diverse range of people is essential – from those who already know and love the Forest to wider audiences for whom nurturing a personal connection with nature is vital to reversing biodiversity loss on Ashdown Forest and beyond.”