2016

Children are warmly invited to visit Pigman's wood-entshusiast workshop in jelgava

With presentation of a wooden manifest to Jelgava, the first Pigman's (Cūkmens) Wood-Enthusiast Workshop and a debate of knowledgeable and experienced experts, Pigman together with the host of the event Anna Rozīte will open a tour organised to remind people about trees and their significance in our daily lives. The tour opening ceremony will be held in Jelgava, Raiņa Park on Tuesday, 26 July, from 16:00 to 20:00.

Pigman has long been known as a friend and protector of nature, and a patron of clean forests and unpolluted environment. People are becoming more and more educated on environmental issues; therefore Pigman is taking a step further - he has assembled a team of knowledgeable experts and friends to start the tour of Pigman's Wood-Enthusiast Workshop. This tour will take the most popular nature-enthusiast in Latvia to five cities in different parts of the country: to Jelgava on 26 July, to Rēzekne on 30 July, to Valmiera on 13 August, to Liepāja on 20 August, to close his summer tour on 26 August with an event in Riga, in Lucavsala Recreation Park.

At the Pigman's workshop children are invited to explore the good qualities of wood by creating a variety of new things from wood - dolls, spinning tops, their first business card and many more. There will be games, animated short film Wood and other exploratory activities, also for the grown-up wood enthusiasts.

Woodcarvers of Latvia's State Forest Nature Park in Tērvete have decided to create a wooden sculpture of Pigman that would embody the values of wood and symbolically remind everyone to appreciate our trees and wood, and all the range of opportunities they offer. The idea for the sculpture will be sought in a contest Draw a Wooden Pigman. The competition will be open to children under the age of 10, and it will take place from 26 July to 20 August. The submitted works will be evaluated by a jury, and the most creative work will turn into a real wooden sculpture. The winner will have an opportunity to make a party for his or her friends in LVM Nature Park in Tērvete together with Pigman himself. The young wood enthusiasts are invited to draw their ideas and submit them at the Pigman's Wood-Enthusiast Workshops; they can also send them by post or submit in person at the office of JSC "Latvia's State Forests" at 1 Vaiņodes Street.

It is already the 10th year that JSC "Latvia's State Forests" in co-operation with the Latvian Environmental Protection Fund organises the campaign Do not Litter the Forest!. Within its framework this year children are invited to take part in the Pigman's Wood-Enthusiast Workshops, as well as together with their kindergarten fellows engage in LVM eco-programme Pigman's Detectives.

Pigman, the patron of the LVM campaign Do not Litter the Forest!, says: "This year I have started to talk not only about the bad things but also about the good and valuable things of the forest, so that everyone could understand why the forest is so special and important to us. The forest provides us not only with fresh air, but also with wood, which is one of the most environmentally friendly materials children can play with safely. This we learn in LVM eco-programme for kindergartens Pigman's Detectives, as well as in the Pigman's Wood-Enthusiast Workshops".