A big Christmas Thank You to our Volunteers
On 4th December we held the second of our volunteer thank you events this year, this time at Whitemead Forest Park, inviting our active volunteers along with Project Leaders, to celebrate and thank everyone for their contribution!
To date our Foresters’ Forest volunteers have clocked up a very impressive combined total of more than 21,220 hours, delivering the programme’s 38 cultural, built, buried and natural heritage projects over the last two and a half years.
Over 100 volunteers attended our celebratory Christmas thank you event, sharing their updates during the evening about the some of the heritage work completed so far.
We heard how our work in the last six months has included launching a second Tramper, ‘Walking with Wheels’ mobility scooter, based at The Speech House Hotel. Scarr Bandstand volunteers described the time they have dedicated to organising and running their successful series of summer open air concerts at the bandstand’s woodland setting. Janet Marrott of 'Heritage Open Days' described how September's week long event was once again very popular. The Cinderford Fire Cadets shared their enthusiasm for helping clear the meadows for ‘Worcester Walk Community Project’, helping restore this tranquil setting within the Forest. ‘Reading the Forest’ project team finally shared how much work they have done this year running activities and events to encourage people of all ages to engage with the rich seam of stories set in and about our Forest landscape.
On the night, we awarded several volunteers for their significant hours of voluntary work (see photo below, featuring left to right, back row then front row: Cathie Moore, Simon Glover, Michael Butler, Roger Carter, Clive Elsmore, Ted Taylor, Rob Husbands, Linda Wright, Julie Robbins, Jon Allen, Sue Pawling). Overall, 28 volunteers received the green oak leaf badge for 50 hours completed and seven volunteers received the ochre oak leaf badge for 200 hours completed.
Rob Husbands received the highest level burnt orange oak leaf badge, along with the green and ochre badges, for completing 500 hours in total!
Local entertainer Dick Brice provided the musical entertainment
on the night, performing his much loved song, ‘The Land Between Two Rivers’.
Commenting on the event, Sue Middleton, Foresters’ Forest NLHF
Programme Manager said:
“It was lovely to be able to thank our volunteers who work so
hard on our projects, as we really couldn’t do it without them. Fortunately
they enjoy all the activities and events, learning new skills as they go, and I
hope they will continue to volunteer in the years ahead.”
Thanks also go to the Forest of Dean Camera Club who
volunteered their time on the night, providing all the event photos.