Volunteer of the Year 2023 T he People's Champion VOTING OPEN! Time to choose your champion... We recently asked you to nominate a local volunteer who has gone above and beyond for their community over the past 12 months, and/or has an inspiring story. We had some cracking nominations, and it was an extremely hard task to narrow it down BUT after much deliberation, our panel of community experts have shortlisted 7 community heroes. Vote for your favourite by selecting ONE of the following volunteers: Chris Brain Melanie Getgood Jando Greco Edna Husbands Barbara Jenkins Albert Weager Dave Young VOTING CLOSES: 10PM SUNDAY, 17 SEPTEMBER VOTE Thanks for voting! Check out the profiles of the shortlisted nominees below: Chris Brain Chairman & Coach of Broadwell Youth Football Club For the past 15 years Chris has dedicated a huge amount of his time, energy and passion into grassroots sports. A constant supporter and instrumental in the ongoing success of Broadwell Football Club, Chris has served as the Chairman of the club and more recently 2 and half years as the First Team Manager. The pinnacle of his successful coaching term came last year when Chris led his side to Les James Cup victory. Going out on a high, Chris has just retired and deserves recognition for his dedication and commitment which has provided the opportunity for 100’s of children to play football and helped to create the thriving community football club Broadwell FC has become. Melanie Getgood Chairperson at Friends of Worcester Walk Melanie has been the inspirational driving force of Friends of Worcester Walk (FoWW). Her steadfast commitment to Worcester Walk has seen it develop into a unique richly diverse habitat in the Forest of Dean. Melainie goes the extra mile to share the experience of being in nature, through events with school groups, volunteers, and local people. With her generous inclusive way, she has built a solid and diverse group of volunteers for FoWW and ensures that everyone is welcome, and their work appreciated. Melanie’s community work doesn’t end there! She is also a co-opted member of the Environmental Committee of Coleford Town Council, helps run a local Morris Dancing group, has organised clean ups in the Coleford Cemetery, King George Playing Field and Bells Field. Melanie works tirelessly for community but is always friendly, approachable, kind and generous with her time and with everyone she meets. Jando Greco Volunteer helper at St Stephen's Church Cinderford Jando is a fantastic example of the impact volunteering can have for the community, and in growing as a person. For the past twelve years, Jando has supported St Stephen’s Church through his involvement with many projects, services, events and prayer groups. Jando is often found setting up and tidying after events or keeping the church tidy midweek between services. He helps with the Fairtrade Stall and Fairtrade Friday coffee afternoons, and is a leader at Messy Church. Usually the first to put his hand up to help, like many volunteers, much of what Jando does is 'behind the scenes' and unseen. But that doesn't bother him at all, he just loves volunteering his time, feeling part of a community and growing his skills as well as sharing his talents with others. His nominator said that: “We so appreciate him, he is such a thoughtful, caring person and will do anything for anyone – Jando is so worthy of receiving this award and would love for him to be recognised for his service!” Edna Husbands Lydcare Community Transport Co-ordinator at Lydcare An essential member of the team, Edna is responsible for organising Lydcare Community Transport Service. A complex and demanding role, on average Edna deals with over 120 calls from people who request transport and with drivers to arrange journeys. Edna's role requires a massive commitment both in time and energy and requires a high degree of patience and diplomacy dealing with last minute medical appointments, cancellations and reschedules. Thanks to her tireless work over 4,000 journeys are completed every year, helping over 2,700 people get to hospital, medical appointments and social events which due the lack of public transport would be impossible. Lydcare was the only community transport service running through the pandemic and this was down to Edna's determination and commitment to ensure patients, particularly those who usually received home visits, were able to get to important medical appointments. Edna also works as a voluntary driver and is an outstanding volunteer working for the benefit of those in need within the community. Barbara Jenkins Organiser of the ‘Over Sixties Group’ Berryhill Memorial Institute AKA ‘The Hut’ It would be hard to find a volunteer in the Forest with a longer commitment to volunteering in the community than Barbara! For over 50 years, Barbara has been the lead organiser of the ‘Over Sixties Group’ at the ‘The Hut’ Berryhill Memorial Institute. This popular group has been providing social activities to help combat isolation for the older community for decades. Collecting community memories for a recent memory capsule, created as part of The Hut’s centenary celebrations, revealed that Barbara had been quietly managing this group since 1971. But Barbara’s involvement with The Hut goes even further back to her childhood when her father was resident caretaker, and her mother was involved in organising activities. A wonderful and unique example of generations getting involved with the community to make it a better place, Barbara is an inspiration to us all and shows no sign of slowing down. Albert Weager Community representative & advocate for better healthcare in FoD A more committed and dedicated community representative than Albert would be hard to find! For over a decade Albert has tirelessly advocated for better health provision in the Forest of Dean. With an incredibly long service on the FoD Health Forum, in 2014 he was appointed chair and has been instrumental in ensuring that everyone is listened to and given the opportunity to ask questions. At a county level, Albert chairs the People and Communities Reference Group for Urgent and Emergency Care and is the community representative on the Urgent and Emergency Care, Patient Flow Clinical Programme Group. Not stopping there, Albert is also represents local people on the Ageing Well Care Programme Board and has been the patient representative on the Blood Transfusion Committee for over ten years. Everything Albert does is as a volunteer and we must congratulate him on his drive and passion. Dave Young Volunteer driver, cook, outreach at Forest Sensory Services & Samaritans Over the past 2 years Dave has dedicated more and more of his time volunteering and going above and beyond to support other people. Starting as a volunteer driver for Forest Sensory Services (FFS), Dave now volunteers with FSS 3 times a week and even dons his chef hat and cooks up a delicious feast, twice a month, for the service’s clients. A fantastic supporter of all the work that FSS does, Dave plays an active role in outreach sessions to make visually impaired people aware of the support services offered and he also helps with fundraising. Along with his face-to-face volunteering, Dave volunteers with the Samaritans answering the phone a couple of times a week offering emotional support . Plus promoting Samaritans with outreach in the community. His nominator said: “Dave is an inspiring person and an amazing volunteer who does so much for other people.” Find our more about the Forest Volunteers Awards here:

OUR FOREST EVENTS Community ideas wanted for ‘Our Forest’ £3m lottery bid An opportunity for people and community organisations to discuss project ideas for Our Forest's planned National Lottery Heritage Fund Bid. BOOK TICKETS: Saturday 13th April, Lydney Town Hall - 1pm - 4pm BOOK TICKET: Sunday 14th April, Mitcheldean Community Centre - 1pm - 4pm We’re excited to announce that we are leading on preparing a new £3million bid to the National Heritage Lottery Fund (NLHF). Called ‘Our Forest’ this new community-driven project will focus on the heritage of the Forest of Dean To prepare for this bid, we are asking local people, community groups and organisations to have their say at two community events we are hosting this weekend. Taking place at 1pm-4:30pm on Saturday (13 April) at Lydney Town Hall and 1pm-4:30pm on Sunday (14 April) at Mitcheldean Community Centre , these events are open for anyone to attend, to share and discuss ideas for potential heritage projects, partnerships and collaborations that could be included in the bid for funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF). Deb Cook, our Volunteering Manager at FVAF said “Heritage is what you think is important and should be preserved. It could be about improving access to landscapes, historical sites, or collections; cultural activity or traditions; stories and celebrations as well as more traditional ideas of heritage. It can be anything from the past or even present that you value and want to pass on to future generations. She added: “We’re asking the community to come along to one of these events to be part of the conversation and tell us what they think is important to include in the ‘Our Forest’ project.” Building upon the legacy of the Foresters' Forest Landscape Partnership programme, ‘Our Forest’ will focus on involving diverse people, grass-roots organisations, and the voluntary community sector, with projects that involve young people, older people, hardly reached groups, as well as focusing on mental health and wellbeing.

Tapk FVAF nariu Tapdami FVAF nariu, padedate mums ir toliau teikti gyvybiškai svarbią paramos paslaugą savanorių ir bendruomenės sektoriui. Dino miškas . FVAF veikia kaip savanoriškų ir bendruomeninių veiksmų advokatas, jei reikia, rajono, apskrities ir nacionaliniu lygiu, ir kuo daugiau narių atstovaujame, tuo stipresnis mūsų balsas. Todėl su nariais konsultuojamasi klausimais, turinčiais įtakos savanoriškam ir bendruomeniniam sektoriui Dekano miške ir tai, ką mes, kaip organizacija, siekiame. Būdami nariu galėsite naudotis mūsų biuro paslaugomis, sumažinti spausdinimo ir kopijavimo įkainius, reklamuoti laisvas darbo vietas jūsų grupei ir nemokamai išsinuomoti įvairios biuro įrangos. Tai įtraukia: Ekrano lentos Klausos kilpa Skaitmeninis projektorius ir ekranas PA sistema Flip Charts Ilgas sulankstomas stalas Karšto vandens maitinimo urna Pavėsinė (reikia paaukoti 5 GBP) Jei norite tapti FVAF nariu, spustelėkite dešinėje esantį mygtuką Prisijungti prie FVAF ir užpildykite formą. Daugiau informacijos telefonu 01594 822073 NEMOKAMAI tapti FVAF nariu ir naudotis visomis mūsų palaikymo paslaugomis Prisijunkite prie FVAF

FVAF COMMUNITY CELEBRATION & AGM 2024 BOOK HERE Frequently visited pages: COMMUNITY HUBS VOLUNTEER ADVICE FOREST YOUTH ASSOCIATION Kas yra FVAF? FVAF reiškia Forest Voluntary Action Forum. Siūlome paramą vietos piliečiams, bendruomenės grupėms ir veiklai, kad jie galėtų daryti tai, kas jiems svarbiausia. Tai apima: pagalba ir plėtros patarimai mokymas informacija tinklo susitikimai palengvinantis atstovavimą savanorių verbavimas savanorių įdarbinimas ir parama Taip pat vykdome daug projektų su vietos bendruomene ir jai, pavyzdžiui, jaunimo asociacija „Forest of Dean“, „Šventinės veiklos kampanijos“, „Miško jaunimo muzikos tinklas“, „GEM projektas“, „Miško kompaso katalogas“, „Pasivaikščiojimas su ratais“ ir daugelis kitų. Išsamią informaciją rasite mūsų puslapyje Projektai. „Kuriame stipresnes bendruomenes Dino miškas“ Sužinoti daugiau JOIN OUR MAILING LIST Get the latest community news and check out exciting volunteering opportunity in or around the Forest of Dean... Eikite į „Facebook“. Useful publications: FREE directory of the many volunteering opportunities available locally... DOWNLOAD Mūsų partneriai We work with so many amazing and supportive partners. Find out more here... How to contact us Forest Voluntary Action Forum Ow Bist Forest Community Space Dockham Road Cinderford , Glos. GL14 2AN Email us: contact@fvaf.org.uk Tel: 01594 822073 Copyright © 2021 Forest Voluntary Action Forum. All Rights Reserved. Forest Voluntary Action Forum is a charity (1141126) and company limited by guarantee (07557852) registered in England and Wales. The registered address is The Belle Vue Centre, Cinderford, Glos, GL14 2AB. Forest Voluntary Action Forum proudly receives financial support from the Forest of Dean District Council .

Volunteer Heroes Crowned! The community turned out in force on Wednesday 7 September to see local volunteers crowned at a glittering awards celebration evening we held at the AccXel Training Centre in Cinderford. We created the Forest Volunteer Awards to recognise and celebrate the amazing efforts of local volunteers in the Forest of Dean. Earlier this Summer, we asked local people to nominate those volunteer heroes who have demonstrated exceptional and outstanding support to the local community over the past 12 months. The response was amazing and we received hundreds of nominations. An expert panel had the tough task of shortlisting the nominations and picking the winners. However, one category - Volunteer of the Year – Peoples’ Champion – was decided by a public vote with almost 900 votes cast. The winners were crowned at a special evening, held at the stunning conference space at the impressive AccXel Training Centre, which was provided for free to FVAF by local construction company the KW Bell Group, who were the main sponsors of the event. Volunteer of the Year went to Les Cockle, volunteer fundraiser at Great Oaks Hospice whilst Forest of Dean Host Ukrainians and Ukraine Community Hub jointly picked up the Community Voluntary Group of the Year. Young volunteers were celebrated with Keira Stone, volunteer at disability group, Together We Can crowed under 16 years old Young Volunteer of the Year, whilst in the 17 – 25 years old category, Chloe Whatley and Jordan Terrel were rewarded for their tireless hard work volunteering at the Sea Cadets in Lydney. Lisa Tootell was crowned Outstanding New Volunteer of the Year for her amazing impact for the Girl Guides in the Forest of Dean and Hips Social were recognised for supporting the local community and investing in improving the local area. The winners were presented with an award, a framed certificate and £100 Amazon voucher, kindly provided by sponsors the KW Bell Group. Deb Cook, Volunteering Manager at FVAF said “So much of what happens within our community is because of people who give their time and energy for free. We think that recognising the amazing efforts of volunteers and organisations is incredibly important which is why we have been so pleased by the reaction of the local people who have supported these awards by nominating and voting.” Deb added, “It has been an incredible evening and we are so lucky and proud of the strength of the amazing voluntary sector we have in the Forest.” Master of Ceremony for the Forest Volunteer Awards was Kate Clark, BBC Radio Gloucestershire presenter who kept the guests entertained with her expert hosting skills. Award winners were announced by guest presenter; Roger Deeks (FVAF Trustee), Nicola Bird and Yvonne Bell (KW Bell and main sponsor), Sue Middleton (Verderer of the Forest of Dean), Andy Lewis MBE (PT2 Para triathlete), Neill Ricketts (Founder of Versarien and chair the Forest of Dean Economic Partnership). The celebration evening was made possible thanks to generous sponsorship for the following local organisations: KW Bell Group and AccXel Training Centre – main sponsors Hot Tubs Rock Versarien The Midcounties Co- Operative FOREST VOLUNTEER AWARD WINNERS: Volunteer of the Year – Peoples’ Champion WINNER: Les Cockle – Great Oaks Hospice Highly Commended: Hannah McGowan (FOD Hosts of Ukrainians Support Group), Martin Elsmore (The Golden Triangle Club), Steve Gregory (FVAF / Walking with Wheels) and Mark Jones (Community First Responder SWASFT) Community Voluntary Group of the Year WINNER: FOD Hosts of Ukrainians Support Group and Ukraine Community Hub Highly Commended: Together We Can, Newnham Archery Club, Dean Radio, The Friends of Longhope Church and The Rewild Project Outstanding New Volunteer WINNER: Lisa Tootell – Girlguiding FOD South Division Highly Commended: Sarah Maxfield – Berry Hill Memorial Institute Young Volunteer of the Year 16yrs & under WINNER: Keira Stone – Together We Can Highly Commended: Toby Niblett – Lydney Youth Hub Young Volunteer of the Year 17 – 25yrs JOINT WINNERS: Jordan Terrell and Chloe Whatley – FOD Sea Cadets Community Impact Award WINNER: HIPs Social Highly Commended: Recycle Shop CIC Newent and Wilde Earth Journeys

„Kuriame stipresnes bendruomenes Dino miškas“ Kas yra FVAF? FVAF reiškia Forest Voluntary Action Forum. Siūlome paramą vietos piliečiams, bendruomenės grupėms ir veiklai, kad jie galėtų daryti tai, kas jiems svarbiausia. Tai apima: pagalba ir plėtros patarimai mokymas informacija tinklo susitikimai palengvinantis atstovavimą savanorių verbavimas savanorių įdarbinimas ir parama Taip pat vykdome daug projektų su vietos bendruomene ir jai, pavyzdžiui, jaunimo asociacija „Forest of Dean“, „Šventinės veiklos kampanijos“, „Miško jaunimo muzikos tinklas“, „GEM projektas“, „Miško kompaso katalogas“, „Pasivaikščiojimas su ratais“ ir daugelis kitų. Išsamią informaciją rasite mūsų puslapyje Projektai. Sužinoti daugiau Hop onboard the DigiBus! FREE 1-2-1 training Coming to a town near you…the DigiBus will be stopping at locations across the Forest during June and July with trainers on hand to help you improve your digital skills. FIND OUT MORE NAUJAS Savanorystės žinynas Dar lengviau savanoriauti Dekano miške? FVAF sukūrėme visiškai naują bukletą, pavadintą Savanorystė Deano miškas. Tai nemokamas kai kurių savanoriškos veiklos galimybių, kurias galima rasti vietoje, katalogas. Netrukus pasirodys popierinės kopijos jūsų vietinis biblioteka arba bendruomenės centras arba spustelėkite toliau, kad atsisiųstumėte a skaitmeninė kopija. Atsisiųsti knygelę apie savanorišką veiklą Raskite artimiausią „Drop-in“ centrą DABAR ATIDARYTA „Community Building Drop-in“ centrai Užsukite ir pasikalbėkite akis į akį su bendruomenės kūrėju. Kiekviename įėjimo centre vietiniams gyventojams teikiama įvairi pagalba, patarimai ir patarimai. Pavyzdžiui; parama ir nuoroda į vietines tarnybas, naujų bendruomenių grupių susiejimas ir steigimas, žmonių palaikymas arčiau įsidarbinimo ar tolesnio išsilavinimo, pagalba patekti į skaitmeninį pasaulį ir parama įgyvendinti jūsų idėjas bendruomenei. Dino miškas jaunimo asociacija Jaunimo asociacija „Dekano miškas“ remia jaunimą iki 25 metų, kad jie taptų iniciatyviais piliečiais ir savo gyvenimo lyderiais. Taip pat remiame bendruomenių grupes ir organizacijas visame Dekano miške, kad pagerintume jų jau atliekamą puikų darbą, atlaisvindami vietos įgūdžius ir turtą, nesvarbu, ar tai būtų žmonės, vietos ar finansavimas. Komanda turi daug įvairių įgūdžių ir patirties dirbant su jaunimu ir mūsų miško bendruomenėmis, todėl galime prisitaikyti ir reaguoti į daugumą su jaunimu susijusių projektų ar užklausų. Dėl to Jaunimo asociacija įsitraukia į įvairius projektus, taip pat siūlo nuorodas į paramą ir paslaugas. Sužinoti daugiau Savanorių parama Jei norite savanoriauti Dekano miške, turime jums keletą dabartinių galimybių. Jei esate bendruomenės grupė, kuri norėtų savanoriškos paramos, galime jums paskelbti jūsų laisvą savanoriškos veiklos vietą. Jei jums reikia pagalbos ir patarimų dirbant su savanoriais, susisiekite Search Volunteer Opportunites Sekite mus Facebook Paskutines naujienas ir renginius reguliariai skelbiame Facebook paskyroje. Norėdami gauti naujausią informaciją, sekite mūsų Facebook puslapį Eikite į „Facebook“. Mūsų partneriai

Apie FVAF Mūsų istorija Esame Savanoriškos tarnybos taryba ir Dekano miško savanorių centras. Mes teikiame pagalbą daugeliui iš šimtų savanoriškų ir bendruomeninių organizacijų rajone, kurios savo ruožtu gali geriau atlikti savo darbą vietos bendruomenėje ir jos labui. Nuo tada, kai susikūrėme 1994 m., sukūrėme reputaciją kaip skatindami, įtraukdami ir gerindami bendruomenės veiklą visame Deano miške. Tikime, kad taikydami bendruomenės vadovaujamus metodus leidžiame piliečiams ugdyti įgūdžius, atsparumą ir socialinį kapitalą, kad jie galėtų gyventi laimingesnį ir geriau susieti gyvenimą. Biuro paslaugos Darbuotojai ir patikėtiniai politika Prieinamumas ir tvarumas

Apie FVAF Apie FVAF Mūsų istorija Esame Savanoriškos tarnybos taryba ir Dekano miško savanorių centras. Mes teikiame pagalbą daugeliui iš šimtų savanoriškų ir bendruomeninių organizacijų rajone, kurios savo ruožtu gali geriau atlikti savo darbą vietos bendruomenėje ir jos labui. Nuo tada, kai susikūrėme 1994 m., sukūrėme reputaciją kaip skatindami, įtraukdami ir gerindami bendruomenės veiklą visame Deano miške. Tikime, kad taikydami bendruomenės vadovaujamus metodus leidžiame piliečiams ugdyti įgūdžius, atsparumą ir socialinį kapitalą, kad jie galėtų gyventi laimingesnį ir geriau susieti gyvenimą. Biuro paslaugos Darbuotojai ir patikėtiniai politika Prieinamumas ir tvarumas

Employment Skills Support Ready to take your next steps towards further education, volunteering or work? Go along to your nearest Community Hub for 121 conversations with our friendly Community Builders. They can help: Explore what matters to you Develop your CV Signposting to education, training and employment Consider volunteering opportunities Increase your confidence for online searches, applications, interviews Take up opportunities to get involved in your local community For more information please contact: community@fvaf.org.uk or 01594 822073

Work for us. We are passionate about nurturing talented, compassionate, community minded team players. Join our friendly and supportive team! We don't have any vacancies right now but check back soon! Trouble downloading the documents? Contact communications@fvaf.org.uk or 01594 822073

TRUSTEES' WEEK 2022 - Showcasing & celebrating trustees Next week (7 – 11 November) we will be taking part in a national celebration of charity trustees as part of Trustees’ Week 2022 . Ever wondered what a trustee does? Maybe you’d like to take on a trustee role but don’t know where to start. Across the week we will try and answers your questions by looking at what a trustee is, the benefits of taking on a trustee role and showcasing the fantastic impact it can have to local people and communities. Follow us on Facebook for daily tips and info and check our website for updates and links to useful resources. Are you recruiting trustees? Tell us! If you are an organisation of community group looking for trustees – this is the perfect opportunity to recruit! To advertise your trustee opportunities just send the info to communications@fvaf.org.uk by 5pm Thursday 10 November

Summer Holiday Activities & Food We’ve teamed up with Gloucestershire Cou nty Counci l and arranged a packed timetable of FREE fun! The HAF programme is open to all school aged children, who live in the Forest of Dean, and who qualify for free school meals. If funding allows, s ometimes activities are extended and offered to all children and young people across Gloucestershire through the Holiday Activities Programme (HAP). There's something for eve ryone - we've got sports clubs, cooking, crafts, play sessions an d so much more... You need to be registered to book | All sessions mus t be pre bo oke d REGISTER HERE For information or support with the HAF Spring programme contact: HAFParentEnquiries@gloucestershire.gov.uk or ring the HAF helpline on 01452 427960. BOOKING NOW OPEN! CHECK OUT THE TIMETABLE **PLEASE NOTE: You can only book 4 activities at a time - please wait 24 hours before you book again** For more information visit the Gloucestershire County Council website here