Creative Team Unveiled for THE BIG ONE HUNDRED Celebrating 100 Years of Winnie-the-Pooh

The creative team has been unveiled for THE BIG ONE HUNDRED, a series of major cultural celebrations marking 100 years of A. A. Milne’s beloved Winnie-the-Pooh stories in Ashdown Forest, the landscape that inspired the Hundred Acre Wood. The programme will launch on July 18–19, 2026, with free family events in the Forest before touring to cultural and heritage sites across Wealden during the school summer holidays.

Groundbreaking artist and Costume Designer Jack Irving will collaborate with Trigger’s Creative Director Angie Bual to create a giant puppet creature that will lead the celebrations. Irving, known for his work with global pop artists including Lady Gaga and Katy Perry, brings a practice rooted in wearable art, immersive installation, and large-scale spectacle. His work has been shown at the V&A, London Fashion Week, and the Blackpool Illuminations.

The creative team also includes Olivier Award-winning theatre maker Laura Cubitt as puppetry director and Oliver Hymans, Associate Director at Little Angel Theatre, as puppetry consultant.

The giant puppet—operated by eight to ten performers simultaneously—will personify Ashdown Forest and its rare heathland ecosystem, a Site of Special Scientific Interest that is home to some of Europe’s most threatened species. Designed as a living, moving artwork, the creature will form the centrepiece of interactive performances, heathland walks, and shared encounters inviting audiences to help write the Forest’s next chapter.

Irving said:
“I’m absolutely thrilled to be collaborating with Trigger on The Big One Hundred project to unveil the new creature of Ashdown Forest. Working closely with the Ashdown Forest team, I’ll be immersing myself in the Forest’s extraordinary ecosystem, from its butterflies and birds to its insects and plant life, and weaving those inspirations together into a vibrant, unforgettable puppetry spectacle.”

Angie Bual said:
“We’re thrilled to have Jack Irving on board as part of The Big One Hundred. His work has a rare ability to feel both spectacular and deeply playful, we can’t wait to see how his otherworldly design language responds to the imaginations of local children and the beautiful, ever-changing landscape of Ashdown Forest. We’re also very excited to also be joined by the Olivier-award-winning Puppetry Director Laura Cubitt and Puppetry Consultant Oliver Hymans to help us bring this new forest creature to life.”

Children’s Drawing Competition

Primary school-aged children (5–11) across Sussex are invited to take part in a creative competition to help design the new creature. Children may submit drawings, collages, or short written descriptions, with all entries featured in an online gallery. Shortlisted designs will be reviewed by a local panel of judges.

The winning design will be incorporated into the final puppet, and the creator will be invited to meet the creature in Ashdown Forest before its public debut. Submissions close at 10 a.m. on April 15, 2026, with the winner announced in May.

Five New Themed Walks

Alongside the launch weekend, five new themed walks will debut this summer, each inspired by species native to Ashdown Forest: the Dartford Warbler, the Tiger Beetle, the Adder, the Dormouse, and the Silver-Studded Blue Butterfly. The walks aim to deepen visitors’ connection to the Forest’s unique ecology while highlighting the importance of conservation.