Press Release

If you go down to the woods at Kew...

Woodland Wonders Weekend

5 - 7 May 2007

The wilder side of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is preparing for some new inhabitants over the Spring Bank Holiday. Joining the badgers, peacocks and bugs that make this end of the 300 acre site their home will be a huge variety of craftspeople, exhibitors and rustic displays, from the big bug experience to morris dancing.

Woodland Wonders Weekend is a hugely popular weekend celebrating sustainable arts and crafts set in Kew 's wooded areas. Harris Hawks and Eagle Owls will grace the skies in the popular birds of prey demonstrations. Visitors can learn about dendrochronology – the dating of trees from ring growth and the traditional practices of hedge laying, archery and pole-lathe turning; the more adventurous can take a lesson from the experts in woodland survival and yurt construction. Children can try imitating the beautiful birds of prey by flying through the air on a specially constructed 70m zip-wire, be enchanted by traditional tales from the woodland storyteller and will love the human-sized badger set, a permanent fixture, located just a stone's throw from this hub of activity.

Though the whole weekend is a chance to escape the modern world and immerse oneself in the traditions and skills being kept alive throughout Britain, it has, at its heart, the very modern ethos of sustainability. In addition, traditional maypole dancing and music from wandering minstrels makes Woodland Wonders a truly memorable, fun day out for the entire family.

Notes to Editors

Kew Gardens is open daily from 9.30am and will close at 7.30pm for the duration of the Woodland Wonders festival. Festival events and displays will finish at 5.30pm. Entry to Woodland Wonders and participation in activities is FREE once you have entered the Gardens. For visitor information visit www.kew.org or telephone 0208 332 5655 (24 hours).

Entry is £12.25 adults, £10.25 concessions and FREE to children under 17.

For further information and press images please contact Oliver Basciano, Catherine Owen or Anna Quenby in the Kew Press Office on 0208 332 5607 or email pr@kew.org

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Kew Gardens is a major international visitor attraction and its 132 hectares of landscaped gardens attract over one million visitors per year. Kew was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2003 and represents over 250 years of historical landscape. The site houses over 40 listed buildings and other structures including the Palm House, Temperate House, Orangery and Pagoda as well as two ancient monuments, Queen Charlotte's Cottage and Kew Palace. RBG, Kew is a world famous scientific organisation, internationally respected for its outstanding living collection of plants and world-class herbarium as well as its scientific expertise in plant diversity, conservation and sustainable development in the UK and around the world. www.kew.org .

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