Forestry Commission - family values?

I am so upset. Actually that feels like an understatement. I'm horrified.

I've not been feeling on top form of late and Nana is waiting to have surgery, anyway, to cut a long story short I decided not to allow the children to have a Halloween party in the garden this year, but to go to a Forestry Commission event instead.

Again, I'll be brief as I'm finding it difficult to sit still right now. The event consisted of a tour in the dark forest, lead by a ranger. We stopped at various points where a theatre company staged various scenes of a connecting story. The event was advertised as a family event and for 'all ages'.

The scenes were varied but included a young woman wrapped in something like a sheet crying and telling of how a man had taken her to the moors and done awful things to her. There was a further scene where an actor tried to push supposedly severed body parts onto children even when they were crying and recoiling in fear. At one point a mad looking twitchy scratchy sort of guy started waving a real big chopping axe around and chased a young boy with it.

It was so bad that we decided to leave the guided party and took our chance on being lost in the huge pitch black forest. Thankfully we made it back to the visitor' centre where the Chief Recreation Ranger sniggered at me when I told him it was not family entertainment!

I am so disappointed with the Forestry Commission. In addition to it being advertised as a family event for all ages I also called and spoke to a ranger before booking tickets and told him how old my children are and asked if it would be suitable.

What is then world coming to when this is classed as family entertainment? We will certainly revert back to our usual plans next year where I have control over what happens - red fairy lights in the trees, toasting marshmallows over the fire and tales of The Hairy Toe!