ABOUT 1,000 people flocked to a special open day at Felix Dennis' private sculpture garden at the weekend.

Mr Dennis, the entrepreneur publisher who was the driving force behind the Alne Wood Park natural burial ground in Great Alne, died throat cancer on June 22 2014.

He collected more than 50 bronze life-sized sculptures for 'The Garden of Heroes and Villains' during his lifetime.

The event in Dorsington was blessed with sunshine as visitors toured the private garden and viewed the life-size sculptures of historical and fictional characters, from Charles Darwin and Alice in Wonderland to Bruce Lee and King Kong.

The event raised more than £9,000 for The Heart of England Forest charity and visitors were also able take part in falconry's workshops, complete an adventure quiz, enjoy the tranquility of The Shard Garden and get lost in the yew hedge maze.

Head forester Stephen Coffey gave a series of popular guided walks showing the work being done by The Heart of England Forest charity.

Events manager Toby Fisher said: "It was wonderful to show off these sculptures to so many people and make them aware of The Heart of England Forest while raising funds for the charity.

"It was a real team effort with many volunteers coming to help make it such a success. Everyone I spoke to had a fabulous time, many expecting to come for an hour or two and staying all day. With so many people asking when we would open it again we’ll certainly look at repeating this in the future."

A vote held just for fun, to find the most popular sculpture was a closely fought contest, with Lawrence of Arabia scooping the title.

To find out about future open days in The Heart of England Forest visit heartofenglandforest.com.