The organisation set up to manage the 海角视频’s new National Forest said it welcomed a record number of visitors last year.
The National Forest Company said visitor numbers increased to their highest ever at 8.9 million in the year to March, 2019, and estimated the economic impact of tourism was up more than 6 per cent.
Accounts for the year show the organisation, based in Moira, in north west Leicestershire , had an income of £3.59 million, slightly up on the previous year, with £2.5 million coming from Defra.
Expenditure for the year was £3.519 million.
As well as an increase in visitors, it said the number of tourism jobs within the forest area passed 5,000 for the first time.
The not-for-profit organisation was established in 1995 to help regenerate 200 square miles of Midlands countryside, much of it scarred by generations of mining and heavy industry.
In that time it has worked with landowners, businesses, public, private and voluntary organisations and local communities to plant almost 9 million trees and create a new national leisure destination.
Today the forest spans an area stretching from Derbyshire through Leicestershire and Staffordshire, where more than 220,000 people live.
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Attractions include Ashby Castle, Beacon Hill Country Park, Bosworth Battlefield, Elvaston Castle Country Park, Calke Abbey and Kedleston Hall.
Sir William Worsley, chairman of the National Forest Company board of trustees, said it had been another “excellent” year with more than 600 acres of new forest planted, double that of the previous year.
He said: “At a time of increasing urgency to respond to issues such as climate change, species loss, wellbeing of communities, and a low carbon economy, I am delighted that the National Forest continues to demonstrate real progress.
“With the help of our many landowners and partners, nearly 134,000 trees were planted during 2018-19, making a major contribution to Government targets and taking us close to the 9 million figure for the National Forest since its inception.
“But it is not just our landscape that is benefiting.
“Through the year we have worked with all 88 primary schools in the National Forest, helping to train teachers in outdoor learning and creating classrooms in wooded spaces.
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“Some 43 per cent of schools now have regular outdoor learning sessions with their pupils and we should reach 50 per cent by the end of 2019.
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“Similarly, we are seeing improvements in the economy as our work with tourism businesses expands, with initiatives such as our Timber Festival, new accommodation and attractions, as well as improved marketing, generating an uplift in visitors, jobs and investment in this part of the Midlands.
“As we look ahead to next year, I hope we can continue to contribute positively to Defra’s work and the Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan.
“Whether it’s planning, agricultural incentives, woodland economy or volunteering, the National Forest is well placed as a national exemplar to showcase how we can all mitigate and adapt to a changing climate, providing clean growth, enhancing natural capital and benefiting our communities.”