THE GRUFFALO and other creatures from the deep dark wood have come to a beloved Worcestershire attraction.

This week, the Wyre Forest ranger team welcomed a set of six new sculptures, each based on a different character from the best-selling picture book written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler.

Mouse, Fox, Owl, Snake, Gruffalo’s Child and the Gruffalo himself are all now hidden in the deep dark wood.

For many years, Gruffalo sculptures at Wyre Forest were in place for tourists to enjoy and were recently retired from the venue to make way for the new sculptures.

The new sculptures can be found along the yellow walking route, which is also home to the family activity trail, whose theme changes each year.

For 2022, it is the Superworm Trail, based on the children’s book by the same author.

Megan Coles, Forestry England’s recreation manager for Wyre Forest said: "We are delighted to be able to welcome these sculptures into the forest and we are sure they are going to be very popular with visitors of all ages.

"The Gruffalo is an iconic character, and we were sad to say goodbye to our old sculptures. They are made from natural materials and so they do come to the end of their life when they are exposed to the elements for so long.

"Our new sculptures are a great addition to the family offer we have here at Wyre Forest.”

Young fans of the Gruffalo can also take part in Gruffalo Orienteering at Wyre Forest, which is a map-reading challenge designed to help children develop their navigational skills.

You can discover more things to do at Wyre Forest this summer by visiting www.forestryengland.uk/wyre-forest