Winnie-the-Pooh celebration in Sussex

They are centred around Ashdown Forest, where author A.A Milne set the stories of Christopher Robin, Winnie-the-Pooh and friends.

It comes as the official Winnie-the-Pooh prequel is published by writer Jane Riordan on Thursday.

Pupils from St Martin’s Church of England School in Franklin Street, Brighton, will meet Jane for an afternoon of storytelling and den building in the setting that inspired Milne’s original stories.

The children will be following in the footsteps of Christopher Robin, Pooh and friends in the new collection who enjoy similar outdoor activities.

The book, Winnie-the-Pooh: Once There Was a Bear will take readers back to when Pooh was bought from Harrods for baby Christopher Robin.

It imagines the ‘before stories’ of Pooh, Eeyore and Piglet for the first time, and follows Pooh and friends on a number of outings, including one to London Zoo, where Pooh meets his namesake, Winnipeg. The second half of the book focuses on Ashdown Forest.

James Adler, Chief Executive Officer at Ashdown Forest, said: “We are delighted to be welcoming the children to take part in what is a very exciting time for us.

“We wanted to mark the 95th anniversary in a special way, and obviously Winnie the Pooh is very close to our hearts here at Ashdown Forest.

“We are delighted that Jane will also be joining us. She has produced an excellent new book which I am sure will prove extremely popular.”

The new book is written in the style of Milne by Jane Riordan, and beautifully illustrated by Mark Burgess in the style of E.H. Shepard.