UNEXPECTED Upland

CHARNWOOD FOREST GEOPARK

Our projects conserve our heritage, educate the next generation, and promote our region. On this page you can find out more regarding who we are and how we work.

Included centimetre thick layers of rock, with out of focus green landscape in the background.

About our Geopark

Our Geopark is here to tell the story of Charnwood Forest: celebrating our internationally important geology, connecting people to our history, and securing a sustainable future. Our projects conserve our heritage, educate the next generation, and promote our region.

Learn About Our Heritage

DISCOVER

An aspiring UNESCO Global Geopark

UNESCO Global Geoparks are territories that contain internationally significant geology, which communities promote to achieve sustainable economic development. There are currently 195 UNESCO Global Geoparks in 48 countries, and it is our aim to bring this designation to Charnwood Forest.

A mortared wall made of stone from Charnwood Forest

WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP

Who we are

We are a strong partnership of 17 organisations who are committed to enhancing, promoting and managing the Charnwood Forest landscape. We have a co-ordinated approach to managing the character, biodiversity, geodiversity, cultural and industrial heritage of the area and to promoting sustainable leisure, tourism and travel.

Who We Are

Landscape Partnership Scheme

Charnwood Forest Landscape Partnership Scheme is funded by National Lottery Heritage Fund and partners to make landscape scale changes and create a legacy of shared commitment to the area. The logos below show all the organisations that are part of the Partnership.

Logo of the Trent Rivers Trust

Trent Rivers Trust

Logo of Voluntary Action Leicestershire

Voluntary Action LeicesterShire

Logo of the National Forest Company

The National Forest

Logo of the National Farmers Union

National Farmers' Union of England and Wales

Logo of North West Leicestershire District Council

North West Leicestershire District Council

Logo of Natural England

Natural England

Logo of the Wildlife Trusts

Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust

Logo of Leicestershire Promotions

LPL Tourism Specialists

Logo of the Leicestershire Local Access Forum

Leicestershire Local Access Forum

Logo of Leicestershire County Council

Leicestershire Country Council

Logo of Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council

Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council

Logo of the Environment Agency

Environment Agency

Logo of Charnwood Arts

Charnwood Arts

Logo of the Bradgate Park Trust

Bradgate Park Trust

Logo of the British Geological Survey

British Geological Survey

Logo of Active Together Leicestershire

Active Together

Logo of Charnwood Borough Council

Charnwood Borough Council

Projects

A logo for the Charnwood Forest Trail project

Charnwood Forest Trails

Improving priority rights of way and creating links to provide a joined up network of clear, themed, guided and self- guided walks and cycle routes from urban centres and honeypot sites.

A logo for the Choose How You Travel project

Choose How You travel

Guides and support for sustainable travel to get to and around Charnwood Forest by rail, bus, cycling and walking.

A logo for the Geopark on your Doorstep project

Geopark on Your Doorstep

A community outreach project to enable more people and a wider range of people to engage with Charnwood Forest’s landscape and heritage.

A logo for the Warm Welcome project

A Warm Welcome

Providing a high quality experience for visitors by improving small scale tourism facilities, the quality and welcome of sites, and the coherence of the visitor offer.

A logo for the Unearthing What's Special project

Unearthing What’s Special About Charnwood Forest

This project will encourage and enable people to explore and research the layers of heritage.

A logo for the Celebrating Charnwood Forest project

Celebrating Charnwood Forest

Engaging people through a variety of art forms and events to record and celebrate local heritage, stories and traditions.

A logo for the A Learning Landscape project

A Learning Landscape

An outdoor learning development programme which helps to create outdoor learning facilities and engages learners of all ages to learn in and about the landscape.

A logo for the Fire Your Imagination project

Fire Your Imagination

Engaging communities in developing an exciting range of interpretive media across all types of heritage for a broad audience.

A logo for the Food and Products logo

Charnwood Forest Food and Products

This project will provoke conversations about produce from the Forest, reduce environmental impacts and food waste and support small producers.

A logo for the A Coherent Wildlife Network project

A Coherent Wildlife Network

A bigger, better, more joined up approach to managing Charnwood Forest, linking up and extending out from the central area where the best wildlife habitats remain.

A logo for the Charnwood Forest Rocks project

Charnwood Forest Rocks

Charnwood Forest has a truly distinctive geoheritage rooted in its Precambrian fossils – some of the earliest evidence of animal life.

A logo for the Built From The Geopark project

Built From the Geopark

A project to investigate and map the condition of Charnwood Forest’s dry stone walls to better understand their complex construction and establish how best to care for them.

A logo for the Charnwood Forest Volunteers project

Charnwood Forest Volunteers

A project to grow and support a committed team of volunteers actively caring for Charnwood Forest and to better co-ordinate volunteering across the Forest.

A logo for the Friends of the Geopark project

Friends of the Geopark

Supporting the development of a network of local community interest / friends of groups, providing and signposting them to advice, training and grants to improve skills and capacity building.

A logo for the Resilient Honeypot Sites project

Resilient Honeypot Sites

Bradgate Park, Beacon Hill and Outwoods are the most visited sites in Charnwood Forest.

A logo for the Heritage Skills and Training project

Heritage Skills Training Programme

The Heritage Skills Training Programme will enable people to develop new skills and support the management of Charnwood Forest’s landscape and heritage assets.

A guided tour group walks through the green woodland at Beacon Hill

part of the team

Geopartner Network

Delivery of the Landscape Partnership Scheme is creating a real momentum for collaboration between delivery partners, local businesses, community groups, artists, schools and volunteers. More connections create more opportunities for collaborative working with the most amazing results.

Learn About Our Geopartner Network

Reconnect with nature in Charnwood Forest Geopark

There are many ways you can help and support Charnwood Forest Geopark – discover the one that works for you.

A volunteer, wearing PPE, cuts a small branch within an area of woodland