Becoming a member
Q. How do I become a member and can I visit the forest straight away?
A. You can join our Forestry England Membership scheme for Bedgebury National Pinetum & Forest either online or by phoning 0300 068 0400.
You can also buy in-person from Bedgebury Information Point subject to staffing available during opening hours.
We strongly advise becoming a member in advance of your visit. This ensures you can start visiting without incurring any parking fee. We cannot make any guarantee that you will be able to join or renew Membership on the day of your visit.
If buying online or by phone, you will be sent a temporary Membership document by email to print or present on an electronic device if required. Your temporary Membership will be valid for the initial six weeks, in which time, your full Membership pack should have arrived by post. Your Membership is only valid on the vehicles you have registered, and as displayed on the temporary document provided.
Please follow the additional instructions stated on the temporary document.
Q. What will I receive in my Membership pack?
A. You will receive a Membership card which is used to obtain a range of member benefits. For full details of current discounts and benefits, please view our Bedgebury Membership page.
Q. What’s included in the Forestry England Membership?
A. Membership is an ideal way to support Bedgebury National Pinetum & Forest, investing in it’s care now and for generations to come. You also get access to free parking for 12 months, newsletters (subject to your marketing consent), and a range of other discounts with partner organisations. For full details of current discounts and benefits, please view our Bedgebury Membership page.
We understand that being a member can mean different things with different organisations, so we will be clear about what’s included and what’s not. For instance, Forestry England Membership does not include any voting or governance rights.
Q. I am buying online and I cannot see where I enter my car registration details?
A. Please complete the online purchase process and enter these details along with the rest of your account information. If you already have an account, you will need to select the person icon shown at the top right-hand side of the screen and then you can edit your details.
Minibuses
Q. Can one of my registered vehicles be a minibus?
A. Forestry England Memberships cannot be used with minibuses or vehicles carrying more than 7 people. Please email our Bedgebury office for details of minibus arrangements.
Membership as a gift
Q. I would like to buy a Membership as a gift, how do I do this?
A. We have Forestry England Membership gift vouchers available. You can buy gift Membership online, and the recipient of your gift then redeems the voucher to start their Membership when ready.
Q. How do I redeem my Forestry England Membership gift voucher?
A. You can redeem your gift voucher online (or by phone if you need assistance). You will need to select the forest named on your voucher, and continue through the purchase as normal. Enter your voucher code at the payment stage. You can use the voucher for new Membership or a renewal. The voucher must be used (redeemed) within 90 days of when it was bought, but is valid for one annual Membership.
Vouchers can only be redeemed on-line (or by phone if needing assistance). You can’t use a voucher to buy Membership in person at the Forest Centre. You can contact us at membership@forestryengland.uk if you have any queries or need help.
Q. I have been bought a Membership gift voucher, but don’t want my Membership to start straight away, what can I do?
A. Don’t worry, we can still help. Membership gift vouchers are valid for 90 days from date of purchase. This means the person receiving the gift must use their voucher within 90 days of when it was bought. However, if you don’t want your Membership to start straight away or your Membership isn’t due for renewal yet, you can still redeem the voucher as normal, but delay the start of your Membership. This can be done on-line by amending the start date during your purchase. You can contact us at membership@forestryengland.uk if you have any queries or need help.
Q. I have an unused Friends of Bedgebury Gift Certificate, but understand the Friends of Bedgebury has been dissolved as an organisation, can I use this to buy Forestry England Bedgebury Membership instead?
Please contact us at membership@forestryengland.uk (or by phone) including as much detail as possible. This includes purchaser details, voucher number, Friends of Bedgebury Pinetum email validating voucher (if you have one), and of course your details. We will honour the gift under our new scheme, subject to a validity check. Unfortunately, you cannot use your Friends of Bedgebury Pinetum gift voucher on-line, and our Forestry England Customer Relations team need to activate your membership for you.
Renewals
Q. I have (or had) a Friends of Bedgebury Membership in the past, can I renew my Friends of Bedgebury Membership?
A. No, Friends of Bedgebury has closed since 31 December 2021. The Forestry England Membership for Bedgebury is now available as an alternative offering. You will receive many of the same benefits you received while you had been a Friend of Bedgebury, and other new ones. Plus, the Membership fee will still directly contribute to the care of Bedgebury National Pinetum & Forest, including recreation facilities and conservation work.
All Friends of Bedgebury Memberships have now expired. If you do not wish to join the Forestry England Membership scheme, then normal day parking tariffs will apply when you visit. Find out more about Forestry England Membership at Bedgebury Pinetum.
Q. Do you remind me when my Membership will be due for renewal?
A. If you had been a Friend of Bedgebury member, you will have received emails or a phone call to notify you of the change. You will have been pointed towards the new Forestry England Membership scheme. The price will currently be the same as you have paid for Friends of Bedgebury Membership (£72 for your household, but this price is not fixed indefinitely, and may change in the future).
As a Forestry England Member, you will be contacted by email by Forestry England (if an email address has been provided) when your membership is due to be renewed . The first will occur approximately six weeks before your Forestry England Membership expires, inviting you to renew for another year.
You can join or renew your Forestry England Membership online 24/7. We strongly recommend you renew online, but if you are unable to do this or need assistance, please email us or call 0300 068 0400 (covered weekdays 9am - 5pm).
Member access using automated number plate recognition (ANPR)
Q. How does ANPR work for members?
A. You will not need to visit a pay station. Members’ vehicle registrations will be automatically recognised provided we have your correct details, your Membership is still valid (not expired), and you have purchased prior to the day of your visit.
If you experience any issues or need advice, please make contact so we can help you – see our ‘Need help?’ section below as this will help us direct you.
If you have joined on the day the same day as visiting, you may need to seek assistance on-site by calling into the Information Point prior to trying to exit. Please have your membership confirmation email and temporary membership document to hand, either via a mobile device or as a print out.
Q. I have a new vehicle, what should I do?
A. Please keep us informed of any vehicle changes.
Forestry England members can update details online (you may need to log-in using your email address as your user name and reset your password if necessary). Please update your details no later than the day before your next visit. This timing is essential to ensure the system recognises your new vehicle. See our 'changing details' section below for more guidance.
Q. I have not been able to update my details before my visit. What should I do?
A. Please go to the Information Point when you arrive so our team can assist you and avoid any difficulties when you come to leave. If necessary, please make sure you update your details before your next visit – see the previous FAQ for advice on this.
Changing details on the Membership
Q. How do I change details of my registered cars?
A. It is important to keep your car registrations up to date to ensure you can access the car park without disruption.
Forestry England Bedgebury Members, who have given an email address when becoming a member, will have been set up with an online account. You can update your details online (you may need to log-in using your email address as your user-name and reset your password if necessary).
If you don't have an online account, please email details of any changes to membership@forestryengland.uk and these will be updated for you. It may take a couple of days before we have amended your details on your behalf and this to be reflected in the car park barrier system.
If you don't have access to email or you would like us to set up an account for you, please call 0300 068 0400.
Q. Can I change the details of car registrations on my temporary Membership document?
A. Temporary Membership documents are issued by email for online and phone purchases and are for use in the initial weeks of your Membership. This is while you wait for your full Membership pack to arrive by post. Due to the short validity period of the temporary document, we can't reissue or amend the details on these.
Q. How do I change my address / phone number / email address?
A. It is important to that we have up to date details about you and your Membership. This is to ensure we can help you as quickly and positively as possible.
Forestry England Bedgebury Members, who have given an email address when becoming a member, will have been set up with an online account. You can update your details online (you may need to log-in using your email address as your username and reset your password if necessary). However, if changing your email address, please contact us for support (as this is also your username and could otherwise accidently block your account).
If you don't have an online account, please email details of any changes to membership@forestryengland.uk and these will be updated for you. If you don't have access to email or you would like us to set up an account for you, please call 0300 068 0400.
Q. Why am I not receiving Forestry England Membership newsletters or how do I stop these?
A. Firstly, please check your spam folder in your email account to ensure they are not being blocked. You will only receive the newsletters if you have provided a valid email address and given us your consent to receive marketing. Please send your email address and member account details to us at membership@forestryengland.uk and we will ensure this is activated on your account. Our member newsletters are sent four times a year, plus occasionally we will send supplementary emails to keep you informed so you don’t miss out on any exciting news or important information.
If you do receive our newsletters and want them to stop, then please manage your preferences or unsubscribe via the link provided in your latest newsletter email.
Lost and stolen
Q. I have lost my Forestry England Membership card, can it be replaced?
A. We advise that you take care of your Membership card. Our terms and conditions state, we are unable to replace them if lost or stolen. However, please still contact us at membership@forestryengland.uk (or call 0300 068 0400) to report any losses and seek our further advice.
Payments
Q. Who will my payment card be charged by?
A. For Forestry England Memberships, payments made online or by phone are processed via Capita Pay360 (payment processor used by Forestry England). On your card / bank statement this will show as 'Forestry Tickets/Pass'.
This may appear differently on your statement if you buy membership in-person at the Bedgebury Information Point.
National access to Forestry England forests
Q. Will Forestry England Membership let me visit other forests?
A. Your Membership will allow you to visit Bedgebury National Pinetum and Forest. If you are visiting other forests owned or managed by Forestry England and parking charges apply, you will still need to pay the normal parking charges. We are continuing to research and develop a national form of Membership to offer this choice but a timeframe is not yet confirmed.
In the meantime, please opt-in to receive our member newsletters so we can help you get the most from your Membership. If you didn’t opt-in during joining, but want to change your preferences, then please email us (you can unsubscribe at any time).
Something not covered?
Contact us about membership and we'll do our best to help.
Contact us at membership@forestryengland.uk or 0300 068 0400. It is best to email us if you can. If you need to phone instead, we will respond within Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.