Winnie the Pooh - Lady Gaga and Katy Perry......

Trigger - the creators and producers behind major cultural celebrations taking place this summer to mark 100 years of A.A Milne’s beloved Winnie-the-Pooh stories in Ashdown Forest - have announced some exciting appointments.

Groundbreaking artist and costume designer Jack Irving - best known for his costume designs for global pop icons including Lady Gaga and Katy Perry, will work alongside 'The Big One Hundred’s’ creative director Angie Bual to create the giant puppet creature which will lead the cultural celebrations in the Forest on 18-19 July 2026.

The creative team will also include Olivier award-winning theatre maker Laura Cubitt as puppetry director and Oliver Hymans, the current associate director at Little Angel Theatre, as puppetry consultant.

Launching on Saturday 18 July to mark 100 years of A.A Milne’s beloved Winnie-the-Pooh stories, Ashdown Forest – the original Hundred Acre Wood - are partnering with world-class creatives Trigger for ‘The Big One Hundred.’

This is a series of free, family-friendly cultural events inspiring visitors to connect with this landscape of environmental and cultural significance and help protect it for the next 100 years.

'The Big One Hundred' is a magical new story for Ashdown Forest, where interactive performances, heathland walks and shared encounters will reveal a curious new creature and invite audiences to write the Forest’s next chapter.

Visitors will be invited to immerse themselves in the enchanting landscape where Christopher Robin played as a child through a series of interactive performances and events for the whole family. These will introduce the Forest’s newest inhabitant a giant, mythical puppet creature inspired by the landscape of Ashdown Forest and the special species of animals and plants that live there.

Jack Irving's bold design for ‘The Big One Hundred’ creature will be operated by 8-10 performers simultaneously, pushing the boundaries of live performance, costume and puppetry.

Jack 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, Creative Director, 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."

More information about ‘The Big One Hundred’ is available at: thebigonehundred.co.uk