As we head quickly towards the end of the year, we often find ourselves reflecting over the past 12 months, and that’s certainly no different for us at The Forester.
We’ve reported on some of your most incredible stories this year, and we’re so honoured to continue serving the residents of the Forest of Dean, and our readership beyond.
So, we’ve compiled a list of five stories this year that caught our eye and are highly memorable. Unfortunately, we couldn’t fit them all into such a small list!
We hope you enjoy it.
Kicking off the list is the Lydney-based garage that was recognised for its customer service and all-round excellence over the previous 12 months. Exhaust, Tyres and Batteries (ETB), based on Forest Road, outperformed 52 other locations within the network with ETB Lydney achieving the highest all-round performance.
The centre was established in 2020, and since then it has become a staple of the local community, with both staff and customers expressing how happy they are with the service.
Next, we have the heartbreaking story of five puppies that were dumped in a box and into a skip, but thanks to an anonymous member of the public, the puppies were found and eventually taken to the Forest of Dean Dog Rescue centre in Bream, where they received amazing care to start their recovery.
It was a story that showed humanity and highlighted the Forest of Dean community’s compassionate and caring nature.
We now have to go back to August’s Bank Holiday weekend and remember the tremendously colourful Parkend Carnival, inclusive of an array of costumes, floats and decorations.
The carnival was opened by Natasha Hamm of Coleford, the goalkeeper for England and Great Britain’s deaf women’s football team.
Additionally, the event saw a large turnout of vintage cars, buses, tractors and more from the Forest Vintage Vehicle and Machinery Club. Check out the article and refresh your memory with photographs from the day!
The penultimate choice on our list is an incredible story of the Oversby couple, who opened up an Ofsted-approved residential children’s home in Littledean. The experienced fostering pair opened Adamas House CIC.
The home got its name from an amalgamation of the Oversby’s first fostered child Adam, and the Ancient Greek word 'adámas', meaning unbreakable, which the word diamond derives from. Kevin said this is because the couple truly believe there is a diamond in every child.
Number one on our list is the story of one of the smallest residents in the Forest! Following the removal of diseased ash trees from a woodland in Flaxley, which left the mammals’ habitats disconnected, Forestry England came up with a solution.
They built bridges for Hazel dormice to travel safely between woodlands. The bridges are two 20-metre-long and 16-feet-high, over a forest road and supported between trees.
The bridges took less than two days to install, with a plan for trail cameras to monitor the dormice using them.
This story was hugely popular across the Forest of Dean and beyond. It took off on social media and even made national news.
Did you agree with our list? Do you think a different five should have made the cut? Let us know by emailing [email protected]
And as always, keep your stories, photographs, letters, videos, and thoughts coming in using the same email address, or call 01600 712142.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from everybody here at The Forester!