Winnie-the-Pooh: The Journey to Clare’s Legacy

(Image: Fernando Manoso for the Royal Literary Fund)
(L-R) Sita Brahmachari, Dame Julia Donaldson, Her Majesty the Queen, Cerrie Burnell, Jane Riordan, Edward Kemp, Gyles Brandreth and Axel Scheffler in on Pooh Sticks Bridge, Ashdown Forest, the location that inspired Milne’s original stories

100 years of Winnie-the-Pooh.

For millions of people around the world, Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, Tigger and Christopher Robin are much more than characters in much-loved children’s stories. They have become part of our shared cultural heritage; stories of friendship, kindness, courage, vulnerability and belonging.

The BBC is celebrating the centenary with a special season of programming on Radio 4, bringing the original stories to a new generation while also exploring the real-world story behind them. The season includes new readings of Milne’s stories and a drama about Christopher Robin Milne’s involvement in the campaign to protect Ashdown Forest, the landscape that inspired the Hundred Acre Wood.

For The Clare Milne Trust, this centenary has a particular significance.

A. A. Milne’s granddaughter, Clare Milne, lived with cerebral palsy. Clare died in 2012. Her family’s commitment to making a difference in the lives of people living with disabilities ultimately led to the creation of The Clare Milne Trust.

Today, that legacy continues.

The Clare Milne Trust provides grants to charities and not-for-profit organisations across Devon and Cornwall that support people living with disabilities. Through the organisations we fund, we help create opportunities, remove barriers and enable people to participate more fully in their communities and in everyday life.

That is why the centenary of Winnie-the-Pooh feels like more than an anniversary. It is a reminder of the extraordinary power of a legacy to reach far beyond its original purpose.

A book written for a child a century ago has touched generations of children and adults around the world. And the legacy of the family from which those stories came is, in a different but equally meaningful way, helping people living with disabilities today.

There is also something particularly appropriate about the themes running through Milne’s stories.

Friendship. Acceptance. Looking out for one another. Recognising that everyone has their own strengths and vulnerabilities. Finding ways to include those who may otherwise be left behind.

These are values that resonate strongly with the work supported by The Clare Milne Trust.

As we celebrate 100 years of Winnie-the-Pooh, we can also celebrate something else: the power of a legacy to keep making a difference.

A century after Pooh first appeared in print, the stories continue to bring people together.

And through The Clare Milne Trust, Clare’s legacy continues to help create better opportunities and a more inclusive life for people living with disabilities across Devon and Cornwall.

100 years of Pooh.
A legacy that continues. And a reminder that the things we leave behind can make a difference for generations to come.

Broadcasting on BBC Radio 4 at 11.45am from Monday 12 to Friday 16 October, will mark the 100th anniversary of the publication of A.A. Milne’s beloved Winnie-the-Pooh stories this October with a special week of programming, introduced by Her Majesty the Queen.

BBC story