On Saturday (15 April) Hainault Forest Visitor’s Centre, café, and event space was officially opened by the Mayor of Redbridge, Thavathuray Jeyaranjan and Deputy Leader, Cllr Kam Rai, with special guests and staff in attendance. The new Woodland’s Trust Visitor’s Centre is the first of its kind and compliments the stunning renovated Victorian barns and new landscaping at the country park.

The project has been delivered in partnership with Vision RCL, the Woodland Trust with funding from Redbridge Council, National Heritage Lottery Fund, GLA Good Growth Fund and the Garfield Weston Foundation.

The £7m project has seen the restoration of the Victorian barns which now boast a range of new features and facilities including:

• A stunning events space for weddings, corporate events, and celebrations
• A new interactive visitor hub
• A brand-new café
• Craft Workshops for local artists and businesses

New restroom facilities in addition to the above, the country park has also benefitted from new landscaping, and accessible paths providing visitors with the opportunity to experience nature and connect with the forest.

Cllr Kam Rai said, “Redbridge is home to incredible parks and green spaces which local people treasure, that’s why as a council we’re continuing to invest in protecting and improving our parks so our neighbours can enjoy them now and for generations to come.
This project is a fantastic example of partnership working, after many months of planning and hard work. A big thank you to all our partners who’ve helped bring this project to life. We now have an attraction unlike any other in the capital that the local community can enjoy and be proud of”.

Chair of Vision Trustees, Martin Solder said: “On behalf of Vision, I would like to congratulate all staff involved, who have worked tirelessly to deliver this project, working alongside our partners; Redbridge Council and the Woodland Trust.
As the major leisure, culture, parks operator for Redbridge, Vision are extremely excited to manage and incorporate these wonderful new facilities into our portfolio, whilst reconnecting with the community and attracting new visitors to Hainault Forest”.

Darren Moorcroft, CEO of the Woodland Trust, said: “We’re delighted to have been able to open our Woodland Trust Visitor Centre here at Hainault Forest as part of the wider project works.
Our partnership with the London Borough of Redbridge and Vision RCL means the future of this irreplaceable ancient, wooded landscape looks secure, and gives us real opportunity to connect communities to the natural world that’s on their doorsteps, and on which we all depend.”

For a perfect family day out visit our centre page for Hainault Forest.