CHILDREN'S storybook character The Gruffalo is coming to Grizedale Forest next month (Tuesday August 12).

As part of his 15th birthday celebrations, Forestry Commission England is launching the Gruffalo Trail and now The Great Gruffalo Forest Tour.

The Gruffalo will visit Grizedale Forest so that children and families can meet him and get a photograph taken with him.

He will be appearing from the forest at 11am, 12pm, 2pm and 3pm.

On the day visitors can also take part in drop-in family activities, including Gruffalo crafts, Gruffalo badge making and storytelling.

The visit is part of The Great Gruffalo Forest Tour which started at Haldon Forest Park in Devon on Thursday July 10.

MORE TOP STORIES:

There are already 15 giant wooden sculptures of The Gruffalo hidden in selected forests across England for families to track down, including one at Whinlatter Forest, in Cumbria.

The 7ft tall sculptures have been individually carved out of three-tone pieces of timber, each carefully selected from Forestry Commission sites.

The Gruffalo activity trails can be found in 28 forests across England until the end of September.

For a great Gruffalo summer day out, families can also download an exciting party pack to make the most of their time in the forest, which includes official bunting, flags, party invitations, recipes like Gruffalo crumble and Scrambled snake quiche, and a range of games including ‘Pin the wart on The Gruffalo,’ and ‘What’s the time Gruffalo?’

The party pack can be downloaded for free from Forestry Commission England’s website www.forestry.gov.uk/gruffalo.

Details of trails and sculpture locations and the forest birthday picnic party pack are available from www.forestry.gov.uk/gruffalo.

Sign up online to find out more about the exciting year of forest celebrations.

For details of other summer activities at Grizedale Forest, visit www.forestry.gov.uk/grizedale