Today, Friday 25 April, saw the judges of the 2013 Man
Booker Prize for Fiction reunited in their last official duty, as they
travelled to Hainault Forest to plant trees with the
Woodland Trust.
In contrast to their meetings during last year’s
prize, this gathering saw the group donning their wellington boots and picking
up spades to plant 13 saplings in the heart of what was once Henry VIII’s royal
hunting forest. These trees will become a living commemoration of the ‘Booker Dozen’ – the 13 titles longlisted
for the 2013 prize.
They will be the sixth judging panel to take part in
the prize’s ongoing collaboration with the Woodland Trust, providing a symbolic
gesture to compensate for the trees felled in order to produce the hundred-plus
books submitted for the prize each year.
Robert Macfarlane,
who chaired the panel, was joined by: Robert Douglas-Fairhurst, Natalie Haynes,
Martha Kearney and Stuart Kelly.
Ion Trewin, Literary Director of the Booker Prize
Foundation, joined the five judges and added: “Printed books use wood pulp. By
planting a grove of trees each year the Man Booker judges are putting something
back.”
Hainault Forest is a designated Site of Special
Scientific Interest (SSSI), which is being extended by the Woodland Trust to an
additional 53 hectares of land. This former hunting forest was created to
provide venison for the King’s table in medieval times and is home to large
oaks, hornbeam and ash pollards.
Laura Judson, Woodland Trust Head
of Regional Development, said: “Our trees and woods have provided
inspiration for countless creative works over the years. It’s critical that we
protect irreplaceable ancient woods like Hainault Forest, which cover just 2%
of the countryside, to provide stimulation for future generations of writers.”
The Trust recently launched a campaign urging
Government to increase protection for ancient woodland across the UK, the
charity has already received support from over 45,000 members of the public.
For more information about the Woodland Trust visit www.woodlandtrust.org.uk. For
further information about the prize please visit www.themanbookerprize.com or follow
on Twitter at twitter.com/ManBookerPrize.
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