FOREST Council chair Julia Gooch has pledged her support for two “magnificent” local charities this civic year.

Cllr Gooch (Independent Alliance, Newent and Taynton) has chosen the Forest Voluntary Action Forum (FVAF) and Forest Pulse to receive monies from planned fundraising events.

These include a Chairman’s Charity Dinner on Friday, October 14 at the Speech House and a Carol Service at St Stephen’s Church, Cinderford on Tuesday, December 6 at 6pm, “amongst many others”.

Cllr Gooch said: “As chair of Forest of Dean District Council it is especially pleasing to be able to support two local charities who do so much for our local communities.

“In choosing FVAF and Forest Pulse, both charities will receive an equal share of the proceeds from the fundraising events held throughout the year and I hope that this will help them continue the magnificent work they do supporting local people and local organisations across the Forest.

“I would like to personally thank both local causes for all they do in our local community and look forward to working with both of them over the coming year.”

FVAF offers support to local people, community groups and activities “to do the things that matter most to them.”

The team work to facilitate projects for a variety of voluntary groups that support those in need, including local food banks, sustainability projects and youth engagement initiatives.

Their work ranges from helping local projects to access funding to “strengthening’ communication between community groups.

Chief Executive Officer at FVAF, Chris Brown said: “It is fantastic to receive such support from the Forest of Dean District Council, in particular Cllr Julia Gooch, who is a great advocate for FVAF and the important work we are doing to strengthen our local communities.

“We’re looking forward to working with Forest of Dean District Council to continue to provide the best possible support to our communities.”

Forest Pulse provides a range of out-of-school social, sport and recreational activities for disabled children and young people up to the age of 25, giving them the opportunity to meet up with friends, have fun and learn alongside their non-disabled peers.

Chair of Forest Pulse, Helen Baker said: “We’re so pleased to be chosen as one of the charities to support by Cllr Julia Gooch and the Forest of Dean District Council.

“As a charity we rely on fundraising to continue to provide the support that is needed and we’re so thankful for all of the help provided.

“We’re looking forward to helping even more people across the district receive the support they need.”