Countdown begins to fab forest gigs

On Friday Paul Weller, the so-called Modfather, is set to wow the crowds at the forest gig which is held in the open surrounded by trees. He will be joined by special guests Twisted Wheel at the Birches Valley gig.

On Saturday pop sensations The Sugababes will be strutting their stuff to music fans with guest act from teenager singer Alex Roots.

The 5,000 tickets available for the Paul Weller concert sold out within four weeks compared with the usual 14-week sale period.

Now the Forestry Commission has said there are fewer than 1,000 tickets left for The Sugababes with a final last minute rush under way.

This year will see Cannock Chase welcome its 37,000th music fan after the concerts, which are part of the Forestry Commission's Forest Tour, began three years ago.

The Forestry Commission tour is self-sustaining and is aimed providing valuable revenue to plough back into the woodland in a variety of environmental and social projects.

Some of the biggest acts in the music business, including Status Quo, James Morrison, UB40, Jools Holland and Lulu have graced the stage at Birches Valley.

Forestry Commission spokesman Alastair Semple said that the location of the concerts along with the bowl shaped arena gives fans a perfect live music experience.

He said: "Everything is looking very good for this weekend and it should be fabulous. We got off to a great start this year selling 5,000 tickets in the first four weeks. Tickets for The Sugababes went on sale a few weeks later and they have sold well and sales seemed to have picked up over the last couple of weeks.

"We have just announced Alex Roots who will play on Saturday and we are hoping she will have a fan base that will support her too."

Mr Semple added: "We are predicting temperatures of 25 or 25 degrees so it should be terrific."