Who We Are

We are a UK registered charity and 150-acre visitor site on the edge of the National Forest in Staffordshire. Part of the Royal British Legion, but a separate legal body, we exist to ensure that:

  • the unique contribution of those who have served and sacrificed is never forgotten
  • the baton of Remembrance is passed on through the generations
  • there is a year-round space to celebrate lives lived and commemorate lives lost.

 

The Arboretum welcomes over 300,000 visitors to site each year, including over 20,000 young people for formal and informal learning visits. Visitors can enjoy discovering over 400 memorials nestled amongst some 25,000 trees, experience riverside walks and participate in a wide variety of daily activities: guided walks, land train tours, memorial talks, exhibitions and buggy tours.

 

Each year around 250 events take place on site, from small intimate services of Remembrance to set piece events like Armistice Day, Remembrance Sunday, a summer proms and Armed Forces Day.

Who We Are 

Our 20th Anniversary Year

Since our official opening twenty years ago, the Arboretum has grown into an inspirational living landscape where families, friends and comrades can celebrate lives lived and remember lives lost. Find out more about how we are marking our anniversary by clicking the button below
The Arboretum at 20
Image of the Parachute Regiment and Airborne Forces Memorial

Our Memorials

Full of symbolism, the memorials and gardens are there to tell the stories of those remembered. On visiting you will be fascinated by the wide range of memorials on site: some military, some for specific campaigns, some for the emergency services, along with tributes for civilians.

Names on the Armed Forces Memorial

A Very Special Place

"Every time I attend the Armed Forces Memorial, I remember my four friends on the wall. I only touch one name, because I never said goodbye when she said goodbye to me on the day we lost her." Michael, Arboretum Volunteer