'Bonkers' creature featuring at Winnie-the-Pooh event
George Carden/BBCA free festival commemorating a century of Winnie-the-Pooh is coming to Ashdown Forest this weekend.
The Big One Hundred will feature lots of events and craft activities including poetry, den building, bug hunting and leaf printing.
The centrepiece of the festival is a new creature, Poppet, which is inspired by endangered species of the forest and is operated by ten expert puppeteers.
"We were really inspired by the fact Christopher Robin was a real boy playing in the forest when his father was writing Winnie-the-Pooh", said Angie Bual, creative director for the Big One Hundred and outdoor arts charity Trigger.
"We were thinking how do we get our children to go out and play and enjoy and protect the forest for the next 100 years.
"We decided to create this new, bonkers, out there colourful puppet. We are really proud to present this and get more people to this special conservation site."
George Carden/BBCLaura Cubitt, puppetry director, said: "There was a process of discovering how Poppet moves. We did a huge week-long exploration of all the different characters. She's a shapeshifter and can transform from shape to shape.
"We've been inspired by the endangered species that live in this special bit of heathland. We've put it into the soup of what Poppet can be."
Poppet is inspired by animals including the European Nightjar and Dartford Warbler which are ground nesting birds, as well as the silver studded blue butterfly.
The puppet was designed by Jack Irving, who has worked with pop stars including Lady Gaga, Katy Perry and the Spice Girls.
In a visit to the Ashdown forest last week, Queen Camilla described Winnie-the-Pooh as a "universal hero" and said "people love him and his friends all over the world".
She visited the Posingford Bridge, which is the exact spot where Milne and Christopher Robin invented the famous game of Poohsticks.
Free online tickets are available online for The Big One Hundred, as well as park and ride options for £6.
