Case study | The Enchanted Forest

The Enchanted Forest | a force for good

The Enchanted Forest is more than a popular sound and light show in Highland Perthshire - it’s an event that sits at the heart of the local community, a force for good, giving back to the local visitor economy. 

Having just wrapped up another incredible show, the month-long event welcomed over 81,000 visitors from all over the world, shining a light on the region. 

It's a busy period for businesses as Pitlochry’s streets bustle with visitors eager to explore the nearby forest. 

What makes The Enchanted Forest special is its commitment to reinvesting back into the community. Proceeds from ticket sales are channelled back into the local area, with over £522,000 in grants awarded to 185 local charities and community groups operating in Highland Perthshire since 2015. 

We caught up with Chair of The Enchanted Forest Community Trust, Karen Bothwell to learn more about how this event continues to make a lasting impact.

How would you describe the impact that The Enchanted Forest has on the local economy?

It's a big impact, which I'm very proud of. 

We bring over 80,000 visitors into the area at a time when there wouldn't normally be as many visitors, so there is a big economy gain for the local community from that.

On top of that, and possibly more importantly, we give back to the local community to charities that cover every spectrum of need, across the geographic area which is Highland Perthshire.

The benefit of The Enchanted Forest goes back to the local community.

Social Flock | driving positive change

Rachael Esdale is the Founder of Social Flock, and grant recipient from The Enchanted Forest Community Trust. Rachael shares what Social Flock is all about and how the grant has helped amplify their work across Highland Perthshire.

What is Social Flock?

Social Flock is a community clothing climate charity.

We take in donations of pre-loved and new clothing and we redistribute them for free to anyone who lives in Perth & Kinross.

We are anti-poverty and pro-climate and believe that there is enough clothing made across Perthshire that we can give everyone the clothes they deserve to have.

What has been the impact from the grant received from The Enchanted Forest?

It's hard to pin down a number for the people who directly benefitted from the award. We've delivered an additional 58 packs to the Highland ward across our three core projects  - our clothing library, back to school, and nursery and winter warmer.

Our packs don't just impact one person but the whole family. The packs allow families to redistribute the money they would have spent on clothing to other areas of their lives, whether that be bills or Christmas presents.

We know that the packs help reduce stress and increase excitement for returning to school, so the mental wellbeing and the feeling of community increases for every person who receives a pack from us. 

On top of this, by increasing our volunteers and local donations from the Highland area, we receive items that we can then give out in other packs. The circular nature of Social Flock means that every time we get donations from people, we support a wider volume of people across Perth & Kinross. 

The money received from The Enchanted Forest means that we've saved families between £8,000 to £9,000 on cost of living for families - alongside building a stronger community network.