A 'WISTFUL' film made about the Peter Rabbit Trail at Langdon Hills has picked up second prize in a short film competition run by the The Land of the Fanns Landscape Partnership which is aimed at engaging the local communities of Havering, Barking & Dagenham, Thurrock, Brentwood and south-west Essex with the natural, geological, archaeological and built heritage of their area.

This unique £2.4 million partnership was awarded £1.36 million by the National Lottery Heritage Fund in 2016 and brings together a number of different partner organisations with a commitment to work towards a shared goal of enabling local people to discover, restore and enjoy what's special about the local landscape.

As part of that aim, it ran the short Autumn film competition won by Mark Tilbury's evocative and moody film about a footpath walk beginning in Buttesbury, a place he has discovered and come to appreciate during lockdown.

Second place was awarded to Bob Stevenson for his charming and wistful film of Langdon Hills and its Peter Rabbit Trail. Bob too has a very personal connection to this site, recalling how he likes to take his grandchildren to discover the Beatrix Potter characters nestled among the trees.

Paul J. Young's photography of the carpet of bluebells at Nursery Wood in Bedfords Park won third place. Paul made this film in the Spring, for his mum, as she was very upset that she couldn't walk about in the woods anymore due to the lockdown. The film is an optimistic look forward to warmer, sunnier times.

Benjamin Sanderson, Land of the Fanns Scheme Manager said: "There were some fantastic and thoughtful entries to our film competition, a real reminder of the value of being able to access and enjoy the Land of the Fanns landscape, I'm already looking forward to spring!"

The winning films can be seen on the Land of the Fanns website here.