Forest of Dean District Council is working alongside local businesses to encourage residents to ‘Shop Local’ this festive season to help the local economy and Forest of Dean communities to thrive. 

On Monday, 28 October 2024, at Cheltenham Magistrates Court, Mr and Mrs Phipps of The Paddocks, Coleford, pleaded guilty to felling a protected oak tree without consent from Forest of Dean District Council.

With millions expected to be thrown away in the UK at Halloween, Forest of Dean District Council is encouraging revellers to makeover, rather than carve, their festive pumpkins and squashes to preserve them in a bid to reduce food waste. 

Forest of Dean District Council has granted South Gloucestershire and Stroud College £39,453 of the council’s Shared Prosperity funding to deliver training on green skills and renewable technologies, with the first of three courses due to start in November 2024. 

With national Recycle Week (14-20 October) underway, residents in the Forest of Dean are being asked to support this year’s campaign by rescuing recyclable items from their rubbish bins to prevent them going to waste.