British Big Cat Weekends
Sun 26 Apr
|Dean Heritage Centre
Artwork created by Tim Bradford


Date & Address
26 Apr 2026, 10:30 – 16:00
Dean Heritage Centre, Camp Mill, Soudley, Forest of Dean GL14 2UB, UK
About the event
This spring, we’re hosting a series of special events, with British Big Cat Conversations, dedicated to one of Britain’s most intriguing wildlife mysteries — the reports of big cats said to roam our countryside. Throughout the Easter Holidays and the following weekends, visitors will have the chance to meet a British big cat witness and an experienced investigator to learn more about the evidence, the sightings, and the ongoing research.
As part of the experience, you’ll be able to see life-size scale examples of animals often reported in Britain — including panthers, pumas and lynx — helping to visualise what witnesses may actually be encountering. We’ll also demonstrate how modern wildlife-monitoring tools, such as camera traps and thermal cameras, are used to investigate sightings.
26th of April – 2:00 pm
Folklore for Real: British Big Cats in Imagery & the Creative Arts
Join a discussion with specialist artists, folklorists, filmmakers, and writers about how British big cats appear in art and culture. The event will be filmed for the Big Cat Conversations channel.
Meet a British big cat witness and a big cat investigator
-See scale examples of panthers, pumas and lynx
-Discuss camera traps & thermal cameras
-Walk the Gruffalo trail & discuss tracking big cats !
