The Active Forests programme was developed through a partnership between Forestry England and Sport England. A three-year pilot programme focused on five forest sites ran from 2014. It was mainstreamed in April 2017 and is now running on eighteen forest sites in England in 2019. The aim of the programme is to encourage a physical activity habit, and participants can get involved in a wide range of activities from Nordic walking to mountain biking, Pilates, running, and Bootcamp in different scenic forests. The aim of the research was to identify the motivations, benefits and the overall experience participants had from their forest physical activity. As part of the programme, qualitative data was gathered through in-situ participant observation, and interviews or focus groups. One hundred and twenty people were involved in the research. The findings identify some of the key elements of the programme that encourage, support and in some instances help to sustain or change physical activity. These include participants gaining a wide range of wellbeing benefits; appropriate targeted activities; opportunities for progression; social connections; providing challenge; and a supportive atmosphere. There is evidence of participants sustaining and changing physical activity practices, however attribution of this to the Active Forests programme is not straightforward. The programme is also explored through the lens of social practice theory and its concepts of materials, competence, and meanings. The research highlights how a targeted physical activity programme can reach and involve a broad range of people from the already physically active to those who are less active.
Keywords: forest; mental wellbeing; physical activity; qualitative research; social practices.