During the 5 years of the Foresters’ Forest Programme and the preceding Development Stage, Forest Voluntary Action Forum (FVAF) have coordinated volunteering on the many projects included in the scheme. We have seen over 1,000 individual volunteers give their time, adding up to a staggering 40,000 hours. As the programme comes to a close, we are pleased that many of these dedicated volunteers will have the opportunity to continue volunteering on a great many of the projects that will continue under a variety of organisations. But we also know that there will some volunteers who find themselves looking for a new way to contribute to looking after the local area.
FVAF will continue as the dedicated organisation who support
volunteering and the voluntary and community sector in the Forest of Dean, with
advice, guidance, information, and training. Foresters’ Forest Volunteer
Co-ordinator Deb Cook will continue as FVAF’s Volunteering Manager and will be
available to help volunteers to find volunteering opportunities across the
district. If you have any queries, you can contact her on email volunteer@fvaf.org.uk or call 01594 822073.
As part of the
legacy of Foresters’ Forest, we are producing a Volunteer Opportunities Guide
for the Forest of Dean which will be available in print and online at www.fvaf.org.uk from early March. This guide
will share with local people the continuing
volunteering opportunities that have developed from this programme, as well as
the many other roles that exist across the district. We will be launching the
booklet at the Foresters’ Forest Final Celebration Event on 16th
March, so volunteers will be able to pick up a copy there.
FVAF will also be launching a new Volunteering E-Newsletter to
regularly share local opportunities and volunteering news. If you have not yet
subscribed, then please do here to stay connected. http://eepurl.com/hIoNM9