Royal Forestry Society judges praised the Gold award winner as ‘a template for change’
Date: 21 October 2026
A London Metropolitan University academic has been recognised in the premier forestry competition for England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Held earlier this month, the Royal Forestry Society (RFS) Excellence in Forestry Awards 2026 celebrated the best in woodland management, forestry education and learning.
George Fereday, Associate Teaching Professor in the School of Art, Architecture and Design at London Met, won the Education and Learning Award which recognises those who increase awareness, understanding and skills related to the environment.
His project, the Future-Oriented Regeneration of Ecological Spaces through Timber, Education and Design (FORESTED), was awarded the Gold prize.
The project, which takes students through the whole journey that a tree makes from standing timber all the way to finished furniture, combined theoretical study with a practical, hands-on immersive workshop.
It has also restarted active forestry activities in Lesnes Abbey Woods in Bexley for the first time in 60 years.
Judges praised the way that the course was constructed as an integral part of the overall qualification and not just added as an aside, and how its holistic nature helped to build a connection between the woodland and the materials it produces.
The panel called it “a template for change,” adding simply: “We look forward to what comes next.”
George said: “We are absolutely delighted to receive the Royal Forestry Society's Education and Learning Award 2026. We would like to thank the Royal Forestry Society for helping celebrate the role that education, public engagement and design-led making can play in the resilience of urban nature and society.
“What makes this award especially gratifying is that it recognises the impact of a simple, collaborative, and hopeful project, at a time of complexity and ecological stress.
“Combining free digital tools with low-cost wood craft techniques, our project has connected people with ecology in new and repeatable ways. We hope this combination will grow resilience and positive change in other underutilised woodlands.
“This award belongs to everyone who generously contributed their time, enthusiasm, and creativity to the project. We hope it will shine a light on the potential of design-led making, education, and enterprise in the prosperity of other UK woodlands.”
In collaboration with Dr Xan Browne of the Royal Danish Academy, partners at the London Borough of Bexley, students and local volunteers, the project showed how education, design and making can support ecological citizenship.
FORESTED was supported by a grant from the Ecological Citizen(s) Network + , an EPSRC/UKRI funded project to catalyse drive positive climate action by leveraging the digital economy and community co-design to lower barriers to sustainable living.
Associate Teaching Professor George Fereday is technology co-ordinator for materials for manufacture and fabrication at the School of Art, Architecture and Design (AAD). See all AAD courses here.