June 29, 2011
Structures in the sky
For anyone with experience of tree houses, it probably involved little more than nailing a few shoogly planks to the uppermost branches of a favourite climbing tree. Or perhaps the enduring image is that of the dream-like quality of the dwellings in Enid Blyton’s The Faraway Tree. Now a film production company wants to hear from any community that harbours an ambition to build its very own dream tree house by taking part in the Great Tree House Challenge
Hi,
A new TV series is about to be made called The Great Tree House Challenge for Sky1, where we choose 3 communities to build their dream tree house, as sustainably as possible. Check out the website here: http://sky1.sky.com/sky-announces-the-great-tree-house-challenge .
We’re very keen to work with a community in Scotland. The finished Tree House will act as a green and unique focal point, serving whatever needs the community wants fulfilling whilst encouraging people to embrace outdoor spaces. The idea is that the treehouses are designed by communities, with support from a team of experts and are largely constructed from salvaged or locally & sustainably harvested materials. It’s very simple to apply as there’s no formal process, we just want to hear their reasons for wanting the tree house and the purpose it would serve, as well as some ideas for a location within their community (with a living tree/trees and ideally a secure site) and some sketches of the weird and wonderful designs they come up with! We will provide the expertise, workmen and budget to bring it to life this summer alongside the efforts of the community – whether that be raising extra money through bake sales, local businesses donating supplies, or people getting their hands dirty with painting and decorating the structure.
We’re expecting a lot of applications from schools and children’s groups but want to hear from a real range of people so would love to speak with those who work with the elderly, disabled people, disadvantaged communities, or anyone else who may never have dreamed of something like this but could really benefit from it.
We’re hoping people can register their interest by Friday, 1 July, so we can speak to them as soon as possible about their ideas.
In the first instance please either email treehouse@octoberfilms.co.uk, or call: +44 (0) 207 284 6868 and ask to speak to me or someone else on The Great Tree House Challenge team.
Best wishes,
Ellie Hayward