A PROJECT to bring together the works of Forest writers has received a grant of more than £130,000.

The Forest of Dean Writers Collection will conserve the literary papers of local writers and make them available to researchers and the public.

The project involving University of Gloucestershire, the Dean Heritage Centre, and local volunteers and schools has been awarded £133,8867 by The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

The new project will bring together a unique collection of material spanning more than 200 years, some written in local dialect, that reflects the landscape, people and places of the Forest of Dean.

The Forest of Dean Writers Collection will complement Dean Heritage Centre’s archive of television playwright Dennis Potter which was also the product of previous work with the university.

The two-year-long project will see the original handwritten manuscripts, including poems, novels, play scripts, notebooks, drawings and photographs held by descendants from all over the UK and the United States, become part of the Forest community museum’s permanent collection.

Specialists from University of Gloucestershire will work with museum staff and local volunteers to research and catalogue the more than 400 unique items making up the new collection, while a series of events and exhibitions will showcase the fascinating new material.

Schools will have access to the collection’s literary, historical and dramatic content, to give their cross-curriculum work a local flavour and raise literary aspirations.

Among the unique material making up the new collection are previously unknown poems by ‘Forest Poetess’ Catherine Drew (1784-1867); work by poet, biographer and literary editor Leonard Clark OBE (1905-1981); books once belonging to war-poet FW Harvey (1888-1957; a never-before seen novel by Valerie Grosvenor Myer (1935-2007) better known as an academic and biographer; a memoir by former collier and farmer Fred Boughton (1897-1985) written in Forest dialect with parallel ‘Queen’s English’ translation.

The project was officially unveiled at the heritage centre on Friday (November 17) by the Vice-Chair of the Forest Council Cllr Simon Phelps.

His father, Humphrey Phelps, was a significant Forest author.

Many of the papers were discovered by Dr Jason Griffiths and Dr Roger Deeks during their research for the University’s ‘Reading the Forest’ project that was launched in 2015 to engage the public with the work, life stories, and achievements of writers and poets from the Forest.

Dr Griffiths said: “We’re so thrilled to hear we’ve received this support from the Heritage Fund. Thanks to The National Lottery players, more people will learn about the Forest of Dean’s rich and distinctive literary heritage.

“We’ve been sitting on it for a couple but news has leaked out but we can now officially say we are about to start the project.”

“The work of these authors is of intense local interest, but it is also part of a much wider national body of work that captures the rich texture of this country’s fascinating places and people.

“Hopefully it will encourage new material –that is the main thing to encourage new writers to describe the Forest 

Nicola Wynn, head of collections at Dean Heritage Centre, said: “This is fantastic news. I am so looking forward to working with this new collection. Alongside our existing Dennis Potter archive, this new material demonstrates the incredible depth of creative talent that has come out of the Forest of Dean over the years.

“Engaging young people with this work could create a whole new generation of Forest writers and poets.”

“It is people and stories that matter behind the objects and that is what this project is going to bring out. 

“All the stories, all the authors are about the Forest of Dean, the people, place and landscape. 

“It is going to give us the opportunity to work with Jason and Roger (Deeks, of the Reading the Forest project) to bring out those stories. 

“It is incredible we are going to have unpublished works. 

“We can work with local schools, we can do displays, exhibitions, “

I hope to work with some younger volunteers, many of our volunteers are older but with the funding we will also get the opportunity work with some younger people. 

“We are delighted and we are very excited. 

“There is a focus on industry (at the centre) as you would expect but we are so excited to be working with Jason and Roger to bring out that cultural history which is important in the Forest of Dean, culture and industry are intertwined.

Dr Roger Deeks said: “The literary heritage of the Forest of Dean is an important part of its wider cultural heritage. Many of these writers overcame economic hardship and class prejudice to achieve what they did. The story of their lives and careers will inspire young Foresters.”

Dean Heritage Centre manager, Mark George said: “This new collection plays an important part in our plans to diversify the museum’s displays and the new stories we tell about the Forest’s history.  It will bring new visitors to the Centre too.”

Beki Smith, head of history at Five Acres High School, said, “This new collection will be such a brilliant asset, keeping Forest of Dean history and literature alive for generations to come. 

We can’t wait to start working with the University and the Dean Heritage Centre on this exciting new project.”