Hoping to bring back Sherwood Forest's 'magic'

A NEW project hopes to reclaim the "lost magic" of Sherwood Forest as it commemorates its historic boundary which once covered 100,000 acres.

- By OLIVER PRIDMORE

Councillors Linda Tift, Paul Peacock, Celia Brooks, Michelle Welsh MP and Councillor Mike Pringle planting the 'Minor Oak'

Designated a Royal Hunting Forest by William the Conqueror, Sherwood Forest grew to cover a fifth of Nottinghamshire by the 1200s.

Its boundary stretched all the way down to the city and covered scores of communities in present-day Gedling, Mansfield and Sherwood.

Boundary changes and developments over the centuries mean that Sherwood Forest is now mostly associated with the nature reserve which is managed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and contains the historic Major Oak tree linked to Robin Hood.

The annual Sherwood Forest Day on Friday saw plaques installed all over Nottinghamshire to remind people of the site's history.

Michelle Welsh, Labour MP for Sherwood Forest, attended the unveiling of a plaque at the Vicar Water Country Park in Clipstone.