THE amazing work done by the Forest of Dean’s ‘unsung heroes’ was celebrated at Cinderford Miners’ Hall last week when the Forester presented its annual community awards.

Almost 200 people packed the hall to an enjoy a packed evening of awards, presentations highlighting the work of local charities and entertainment from former X-Factor singer Russell Jones.

In addition to focusing on the work of local volunteers and community heroes, the evening also marked the 200th anniversary of The Forester itself.

Despite the weather, the hall was packed as The Forester’s editor Liz Davies welcomed guests and explained that the awards had premiered last year in Lydney and moved to Cinderford for their second outing.

“What I’ve found in my time in the Forest is a community which is second to none with people who are more than willing to go the extra mile to help their neighbours and support anyone in need of a helping hand…which is why we decided to amalgamate our 150th birthday celebrations with the second year of our community hero awards.

“Our aim to to move this event between the main towns in the Forest of Dean and we are very grateful to Cinderford Town Council for their support this year,” said Liz

Also speaking at the evening was Tindle Newspaper’s managing director, Scott Wood who thanked the special guests who included Forest of Dean MP Matt Bishop.

Mr Wood said that Tindle Newspapers prides itself on operating some of the longest established newspapers in the country and with a century and a half under its belt The Forester was definitely one of the oldest in our stable

“Although the last few years have seen many changes as we embrace new technology and face up to the challenges facing the news industry as a whole, one thing remains the same - and that is that the Forester is dedicated to bringing the best in local news to its readers just as it has for the past 150 years

 “Of course, a newspaper is only as strong as the community it serves, which is why we are here tonight - to say thank you to the people of the Forest of Dean for continuing to support the Forester and its sister paper the Forest of Dean and Wye Valley Review. 

 "We’re delighted that we have representatives from many of  the Forest towns here with us tonight and I’d like to thank the mayors of Lydney, Coleford and Cinderford as well as our MP Matt Bishop for being here to help us celebrate,” said Mr Wood.

“On a final note it would be very wrong of me not to take a moment to thank the people who are at the sharp end of making the Forester such a Forest institution  - so thank you to the entire team at the Forester both present and past who have not only worked tirelessly to make tonight such a success but also work day in day out to make the Forester such a success,” he added.

The evening was then handed over to The Forester’s Heather Wood who led the audience through the presentation of the awards.

She explained that over the years staff at the paper had been so impressed by the stories of the area’s ‘unsung local heroes’ that they were keen to recognise them.

“People like our winners tonight and so many others are always there to look after their neighbours and make our communities so special. They are quite literally the blocks on which the Forest is built,” she said