Photograph by 38 Degrees

On Friday, 38 Degrees members gathered in Bedgebury forest to meet with the government’s forests panel. Over 30 38 Degrees members handed in a petition of over 39,000 signatures. One member even cycled 25 miles from Tonbridge Wells to come and meet the panel!

The forests panel were left in no doubt of what 38 Degrees members wanted for our forests:

• public ownership
• keeping forests accessible for all
• protecting the diversity of wildlife and plants that live in them. The priorities printed on placards meant that our message to the panel was clear: protect our forests!

The panel were really pleased to see so much support and such a turn-out for the meeting. Dr Mike Clarke, a member of the panel, said that they were impressed by the enthusiasm of 38 Degrees and the articulate comments that they’ve received.

Lots of members made new friends and there was talk of starting a local group around Bedgebury forest.

Over the last few weeks, members have been organising events in local forests up and down the country. We’ve been going on bike rides, walks and taking photos to show how much the forests mean to us. Volunteers in the 38 Degrees office have collected together the photos from these trips to hand over to the forest panel. We even took a massive banner covered in some of these photos to show the huge people-powered support for the campaign.

The panel is now working on an autumn Progress Report which will be ready in the next few months.

You can see more photos on the 38 Degrees Flickr account here.

Photograph by 38 Degrees

Photograph by 38 Degrees

On Friday, we’re meeting with the government’s forests panel, to tell them our priorities for protecting our forests. Here’s the email:

The government’s forests panel have asked 38 Degrees members for a meeting this Friday to find out our priorities for protecting Britain’s forests in the future.

Because we can’t fit all 500,000+ people who’ve campaigned to save our forests around the table, 38 Degrees members have spent the last few weeks attending get-togethers and sharing our ideas for the future of our forests. [1]

Using the same technology that helps analyse regular member surveys, we’ve worked out our three top demands from 38 Degrees members to the forests panel:

1. Keeping our forests in public ownership

2. Protecting the incredible variety of animals and plants that live in our forests

3. Making sure as many people as possible are able to enjoy our forests, including those who don’t have access to a car, or use a wheelchair, as well as those who want to ride horses or bikes

If you’re on board with these priorities, click to show your support by signing our new petition now – and we’ll present it to the panel on Friday:

https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/our-forest-panel-message

This panel could come under pressure from government. They could end up recommending wise ways of protecting forests for the future, or they could end up legitimising another stab at a sell-off in a few years’ time.

Because 38 Degrees members worked together in record numbers to stop the sell-off of England’s forests in the first place, we already have their attention – and so far engagement has been constructive. When the panel put out the call for submissions from the public, nearly 35,000 of us responded. [2]

Our submissions made such an impact that they rang the 38 Degrees office to arrange a meeting to discuss our views in more depth. The question now is, will this panel ultimately give the government a back door for privatisation? Or will they hold firm to the bedrock principles we should never abandon at any price?

Help tip the balance in favour of honest, sensible recommendations for the future of our forests: add your name to the petition now:

https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/our-forest-panel-message

Just a few months ago, politicians were shocked to discover that protecting forests wasn’t just the hobby of a few people, but something lots of us cared passionately about, and were prepared to fight for in large numbers. [3] We proved that when 537,490 of us signed the Save Our Forests petition. [4]

Now we’re going to meet the forests panel in Bedgebury National Pinetum and Forest in Kent this Friday to hand over all our suggestions – and to ensure our top priorities can’t be missed.

Public ownership. Protecting wildlife and plant diversity. Accessibility for all. Add your name to back these priorities now and let’s deliver a united message piled high with signatures – that we expect them to stand tall with the people, and insist we protect England’s woodlands for future generations:

https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/our-forest-panel-message

Photograph by Jeff Hester

Last week, 38 Degrees members started organising and attending get-togethers in their local forests, woods and parks all over the country to show the forest panel that there are hundreds of thousands of us who love our forests and want to see them protected. We asked members to collect together the photos, stories and videos of their event so we can take them to our meeting with the forest panel as powerful proof that 38 Degrees members want our forests looked after for future generations.

Do you have photos, stories and videos to share from a forest get-together?

• If you have digital photos, you can share them on our Facebook page, through our website by adding them in the comments below or you can email them to emailtheteam@38degrees.org.uk
• If you have print photos to share, you can post them to the 38 Degrees offices using this address: 40 Bowling Green Lane, London EC1R 0NE.
• If you have a video of your forest get-together, you can email them to emailtheteam@38degrees.org.uk or upload onto YouTube and share the link on our Facebook page.
• If you have any stories, drawings or anything else you’d like to share about your forest get-together, you can email them to us at emailtheteam@38degrees.org.uk, post them to the above address or adding them to the comments section below.

Are you planning to attend or organise a forest get-together in the near future?

There is still time to organise a forest get-together in your local area. If you want to see whether there is a forest get-together in your area, click here

If there currently isn’t a forest get-together in your area, why not organise one? Here is a Guide, FAQ’s and Hints & Tips on how to organise a forest get-together. Remember, take lots of photos on the day!

Photograph by the bubu (Flickr)

The forest campaign is still going strong after the tremendous victory in February where the Government decided to scrap the plans to privatize English woodlands and forests.

The forest panel was then set up to advise the government on how our forests are best protected. The panel is now going through the thousands of messages sent from 38 Degrees members and the greater public on what the forests mean to all of us and how their future should be protected. Lots of 38 Degrees members have been getting together to talk about our forests future, and to prepare messages are the panel. You can see if there’s a get-together happening near you here, or you could set one up yourself – read more about organising a forest get-together here.

Read more about the 38 Degrees forest campaign and the Independent Panel on Forestry or get more ideas for why forests are important by looking at some of the links below:

• The Guardian and the Telegraph‘s useful Q&A about the forest sell-off.

• One group’s view on the future of public forests

• An expert opinion on protecting forests for their economic, social and environmental benefits

• Local campaign events organised by Hands Off Our Forest in the Forest of Dean

• Top ten ancient forests

• Details about forest holidays

• Cycling routes in UK forests

If you’ve got more ideas of articles we ought to include that might help people who are getting ready for events, then please share them in the comments section below.

Lots of members have already been in touch asking questions about how to organise a forest get-together. We’ve gathered together some of the most frequently asked ones and answered them here. If  you’re wondering about something that’s not covered here, leave your question in the comments section below and we’ll update the FAQ.

How much time will it take to organise a get-together?

To organise a get-together should not take more than a couple of hours to organise. Sharing your photos, stories and videos with other 38 Degrees members on the website might take another hour. But if you feel like putting a bit more time in, then that’s brilliant.

Will I need to invite people?

If you add your event to the 38 Degrees events tool at least four days before the event, we’ll send an invite automatically to other 38 Degrees members in your area. But it’s also good idea to ask people you know to come via Facebook, email or Twitter as well, especially as it can be a good way to get new people involved in saving our forests.

How will I know how many people are coming?

Once you have entered the event into the 38 Degrees events system, you’ll be able to check to see how many people have said they’re going to come along.

What will be expected from me at the event?

Although you’ll be the organiser, it’s up to each person who comes to the event to join in in the way that works for them. We’re going to create a factsheet with some ideas for ways to help people get involved and to start a discussion. You might want to prepare a couple of starter questions, or perhaps think up a couple of ideas for photos before you get there, to help get the ball rolling.

Are these events party-political?

It’s important that 38 Degrees remains entirely non-partisan, and that people from all political backgrounds are welcome to take part in our events. Anyone who is concerned about the future of our forests should be able to attend. If you are a member of a political party, it’s OK to get involved, but it would be best to leave your party banners and leaflets at home for the day!

Am I expected to know loads of detailed stuff about the forest campaign?

No. The most important thing is that you care about the issue and are able to convey that to the rest of the group. We”ll also prepare some resources that we’ll share here on the blog, as soon as they’re ready!

How do I find a postcode for somewhere that doesn’t have any buildings, like a car park or woodland?

A few members have found this a bit tricky, but the best solution seems to be to find the nearest business or house, and use their postcode. Then describe the actual meeting place and directions in a bit more detail in the space on the form for describing the event.

How can I get extra advice?

If these frequently asked questions haven’t covered something you feel you need to know, you can ask your question in the comments below, and we will do our best to update the FAQ!  There’s also our step-by-step guide or organising an event or you could have a look at our “hints and tips“, which we’re keeping up to date with good ideas we’ve heard 38 Degrees members organising events.

38 Degrees members are getting together in parks, woods and forests all over the country to collect ideas, photographs, drawings and stories about how we want our forests protected for the future.

We’ll collect the ideas, photographs, drawings and stories about how we want our forests protected for the future using the 38 Degrees website and take them to our meeting with the forest panel, as powerful proof that there are hundreds of thousands of us who love our forests, and want to see them protected for the future.

What kind of photos?

We’re getting together to share ideas about what’s precious about our forests, as well as how we think they can be protected for the future. So, all photos that help to get the message across will be really important. Ideas from other 38 Degrees members include photographs of the surrounding forest and woodland areas we want to protect, photographs of people enjoying their hobbies in the forest, or just spending quiet time there relaxing. There might also be particular wildlife or plants in your nearby forest or wood that is rare, or perhaps a community project that’s helped make the woods a place that lots of people want to visit.

If you aren’t visiting a forest, you could have photos of people holding up signs with the words they think best sum up what’s precious about our forests. It will be easiest to share the photos if you take them on a digital camera, but if you prefer to use a film and then get the pictures developed, you can post them to the 38 Degrees offices using this address: 40 Bowling Green Lane, London EC1R 0NE.

What kind of videos?

Really, the ideas for videos are mostly pretty similar to the ideas for photos. But you might also find that people are happy to answer questions about the future of our forests on camera. Questions like “What do forests mean to you?” and “What should happen to our forests in the future?” might be good questions to start with.

What other activities are there for people who don’t have a camera, or who can’t take photos?

We’re writing a factsheet with a few other ideas for how people might like to work together to come up with ideas on how to protect our forests in the future. We’re going to share it here as soon as it’s finished! But you could also get people to tell their stories about why forests matter and write them down, or some people might prefer to draw a picture. Others might like to make a tape recording.All of those would be a brilliant way to help the forests panel understand why we love our forests so much, and what we want doing about protecting them in the future.

To share your photos, videos, stories, drawings and anything else that will show the Forest Panel how much parks, woods and forests mean to you, click here.

Are there other tips you’d find useful about organising a forest get-together? Post suggestions here, and we’ll do our best to post some useful info. Sharing your questions on the Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/peoplepowerchange) is also a good way to find out what other 38 Degrees members think.

You can also read more about organising a forests get-together here or see whether there is an event already happening in your area here. There’s a FAQ page which may be helpful too.

Recently, we handed in more than 30,000 submissions from 38 Degrees members to the forest panel, who are going to tell the government how to protect England’s forests for the future. Because so many of us got involved with sending in our answers to the panel’s questions, we’ve been asked to meet with the panel in a few weeks.

So now, we need to get together all over England, to decide what we want to say to the panel and collect together the pictures, stories and videos to make our message powerful. Dozens of 38 Degrees members will be getting together in forests, woods and parks all over the country to share their ideas. It could be an hour’s gentle ramble and chat, or a full-blown teddy bears’ picnic – but the aim is the same: making sure the forest panel understands that there are tens of thousands of us who love our forests, and want to see them protected for the future.

Before you organise your own event, have a look here and type in your postcode to see if a get-together has already been organised in your area. If not, it’s pretty easy to organise a forest get-together.

Here’s a quick step-by-step guide explaining how to do it:

1. Decide where and when to hold your get-together

You could hold your event on a weeknight or a weekend, between 21st August and 11th September. More people might be able to come along on a Saturday, Sunday or the bank holiday. Decide a time and a place to meet, for example, 1pm on Saturday 27th August at a particular car park near the woods or forest you want to visit. Try to make it somewhere easy to find with a clear landmark, or a sign.

38 Degrees is a non-party political organisation, so if you represent a political party (for example, if you’re a local councillor, or hold a position within a local party group), please don’t sign up to organise an event.

2. Decide what you want to do

It depends on how you like spending time in the woods.

It could be:

• a gentle ramble for an hour or two to give a chance for lots of conversation and taking a few photographs
• if you’ve got kids, maybe a teddy bear’s picnic would be ideal, or a chance to draw and paint pictures
• a mountain biking session, with a break in the middle to talk about ideas
• something else?

The important thing is to make sure there will be a chance to:

• Take photographs of the event that will show the forest panel how much people enjoy spending time in woods and why they’re important to us. You could even take video clips on a video camera or mobile phone, of people explaining what they think is important about forests and what the government should do to protect them for the future.
• Talk together about what you think are the most important things to protect forests for the future.  Later you can share your ideas on the 38 Degrees website. You could also have a look at the ideas people have already shared.

The questions the government’s panel asked people to answer were:

• What do forests and woods mean to you?
• What is your vision for the future of England’s forests and woods?
• What do you feel to be the benefits of forests and woods? This could be to you personally, to society as a whole, to the natural environment, to the economy?
• We would like to hear about your suggestions of practical solutions and good practice which can be replicated more widely.
• What do you see as the priorities and challenges for policy about England’s forests and woods?

3. Tell other 38 Degrees members as soon as you’ve decided the details

Now you need to tell other 38 Degrees members about your event so you have plenty of people who also care about the woods to join you. It’s quick and easy to do that. Just:

Go to http://www.38degrees.org.uk/add-event and enter in the details of when and where you’re planning to meet. If you do this the Monday at least 4 days before your event, the 38 Degrees office will be able to email other 38 Degrees members near you and invite them to come too. But you can also let your own friends and neighbours know about it, by sending them to your pages on the 38 Degrees website.

Once you’ve added your event, we’ll be in touch with some extra advice and some materials you might find useful.

24 hours before the event the 38 Degrees office will automatically email a reminder to everyone who has said they’ll come to your event, so they don’t forget to show up!

4. On the day

Remember to bring weather-proof clothing, a camera to record pictures of what you love about the woods and if you have access to one, a video camera to record people saying what they think is important for the future of the forests. Have a read here of hints and tips to make the most out of your forest get-together.

Meet up with the other 38 Degrees members at your agreed meeting spot.

Have fun and remember to take the chance to talk about what people think is most important for the government to do to protect forest, so you can share the main ideas later on the 38 Degrees website.

5. After the event

Share your photos, videos and ideas for the future of our forests on the 38 Degrees website, on our Facebook page or by email to emailtheteam@38degrees.org.uk.

Photograph by Ernst Vikne