Pearce Hire have been involved with the tour since it began in 2001, supplying the lighting equipment, generators and power distribution systems. Shaun Pearce and the team from Pearce Hire worked closely with David Barrow, production manager for the Forestry Commission and event organizer Mike Taylor, to pull the project together. For this year's event, Pearce provided 20 generators allocated across the five sites, as well as a lighting rig for each stage and site-wide lighting.
Shaun Pearce, owner of Pearce Hire, commented: "The forestry tour is a great set of gigs to work on as it is intimate and relaxed for the audience. The forests supply a dramatic backdrop for the stage and the sites have proved easy to work on over the last three years. These relaxed summer concerts are becoming increasingly popular, appealing to all ages." The tours are a platform from which the Forestry Commission can introduce new audiences to its conservation work, for which it recently won a World Wildlife Fund Award. There are plans to expand the tour next year to include two additional sites.
(Ruth Rossington)
