The Forester revealed the winners in it 150th anniversary Community Unsung Hero Award at a packed event held at Cinderford’s Miners’ Hall on Friday night.

With dozens of nominations it was hard to decide on the winners as there were so many deserving groups and individuals but the final choices were:

The first award of the evening, presented by Mayor of Cinderford Councillor Roger Sterry, was the Mayor's Special Award, which went to Nikki Norman of The Golden Lion pub. The Mayor highlighted Nikki's outstanding efforts in organising food donations for the harvest festival, benefitting communities in both Bream and Cinderford.

The Good Neighbours Award was claimed by 93 year old Matthew Harding who was nominated by one of his neighbours who suffers with mobility issues. She said he calls on her on a daily basis to ensure she is okay and to do any jobs that need doing and also acts as a chauffeur to take other neighbours wherever they need to go while offering assistance and support to many other people in need. He evening finds time to go dancing three times week.

The award was presented by Scott Wood.

Archie and Evie Harris are both students of Five Acres High School and have been raising money for Teens in Crisis since they started school. They make Christmas decorations which they sell at local Christmas markets every year and also helped organise and took part in a charity run to raise funds. Over the past three years they have raised over £1, 500 pounds for charity.

With such a large number of nominations it was decided to provide a runners up award in this category, which was presented to Jared James - a promising young rugby player and cricketer.

Winner of the award was Karis Brace who lives every day with epilepsy and FND (functional neurological disorder) meaning she can have several seizures a day triggered by stress, anxiety, physical and emotional exhaustion.

Karis does not have much independence and always needs someone nearby because of the seizures but that hasn’t stopped her and her running partner taking part in the Forest Runner 10k last November and raising £1,900 for the charity FND hope.

This September the pair ran the Forest Half Marathon raising £3,400 for the NHS neurological department in Gloucester and Cheltenham. After each charity race she has suffered clusters of seizures that take weeks to normalise. Impacting their college and memory but that doesn't seem to stop her wanting to help others.

Karis attends college n Cinderford studying Early Years Child Care and volunteers at Green Wood Nursery in Coleford and managed to find time to work a few shifts a week at the Orepool bar and restaurant Sling. From the age of 12 till she was 16 Karis volunteered for Coleford Library twice a week.

Karis's work ethics are fantastic, she digs deep and fights hard for everything, with older and younger siblings streaking past her academically and socially she is determined she can do her best in life, helping others get that all important diagnosis, then they can get on with life too.

This award, presented by Luke Smith of Roofcare 247 was won by Primrose Hill Community Garden and Eco Project which has been working with local organizations including Lydney Town Council to create and educate not only children but it's wider community in the importance of growing food and helping the environment.

A highlight of the project is the establishment of a community orchard featuring two varieties of local apple trees, donated by Lydney Town Council and the Forest of Dean Motor Club. Officially opened by the Mayor of Lydney, Cllr. Natasha Saunders, on September 27, the orchard symbolises the school’s commitment to fostering environmental awareness and community involvement.

The eco project extends beyond the orchard, encompassing a broader gardening initiative supported by donations from local businesses.

Students receive hands-on guidance from Bream Gardening Society, learning how to care for the gardens effectively. Their efforts have not gone unnoticed; in July last year, the school was awarded the prestigious Eco Schools Green Flag with distinction, recognising their dedication to environmental care and education.

This project is a shining example of how schools can engage their communities in meaningful environmental action. It is hoped that local residents will continue to support the upkeep of the orchard and gardens, ensuring that the initiative thrives for years to come.

Once again due to the huge number of nominations it was decided to offer a runners up award, which was won by The Victoria Centre in Lydney which provides a warm safe space for the elderly providing nutritious meals and company T

The award, which was presented by MP Matt Bishop was won by The Five Acres High School Enterprise Society

This group consists of nearly 40 students who give up their lunch time each Tuesday to run a small craft businesses based on the theme of Christmas. There are 11 charities that benefit from these students giving up their time and raising money

Each team is given £10 as a start-up and all monies raised goes to a charity of the student’s choice.

They hold two Christmas markets over two lunchtimes in school so students can sell products and so far, they have almost £1,740

Chris Jones, who was presented with this award by MP Matt Bishop was station officer at Lydney Fire Station for more than 25 years, only retiring this year.

His service to the town of Lydney is incredible and despite retiring he still volunteers at town events from marshalling, event construction and tidy down and is a credit to the community.

Headteacher Simon Phelps has been at the heart of an amazing journey for Five Acres High School . Under his leadership the school has gone from strength to strength and as moved from being in special measures to being rated good with exam results which places it in the top three percent in the country.

He is passionate to ensure that all those within the community have the best chance of success both academically and personally in all they face .

Once again due to the large number of nominations a runners up award was presented to Lydney Town Hall Trust.

The winners of the award, who received their prize from MP Matt Bishop were Clint and Carole Marsh who have made great enhancements to their village by repainting the bus shelter and regularly cutting grass verges and grounds and have even been creating allotments and are very engaged in their community.

The award was won by Forest based business The Grill Girls which launched a pay it forward scheme to help struggling families.Their ‘Pass the Plate’ onitiative was not only a brilliant idea but an outstanding success and started when they began by donating the first ten meals themselves and inviting the public to contribute by either donating meals in person or over the phone.

For each donation, a receipt was printed and displayed on a board outside their van. Families in need could then visit the van, select their meals, and exchange the receipts for freshly cooked food.

This incredible effort supported an estimated 40–50 families during the school holidays, making a real difference in the community. Any leftover donations at the end of the initiative were used to provide a large shopping donation to the "A Little Help" charity.

The first special achievement award was presented by MP Matt Bishop to the Mayor of Lydney, Cllr Natasha Saunders for her tireless work in the community.