Mural celebrates Forest of Dean writers

A new mural has been unveiled to celebrate Forest of Dean writers and to inspire the next generation of authors.

The artwork on the side of a former pub in Coleford features playwright Dennis Potter, poet F.W. Harvey and author Joyce Latham.

Artist Tom Cousins was commissioned by the Reading the Forest project, part of the Heritage Lottery funded Foresters’ Forest programme. The project aims to discover and share the rich ongoing literary heritage of the forest.

Roger Deeks, from the Reading the Forest project, said: "We hope the mural and its three authors will inspire young writers and raise awareness of the great literary heritage of the Forest of Dean."

The project team were joined by descendants of the authors to celebrate the unveiling of the work.

The Coleford mural is the second to be commissioned by the project. The first was also painted by Tom Cousins on the side of a former bakery in Cinderford. It features three artists from the town.

All three writers were chosen because of their strong connections to the area.

About the authors

• Dennis Potter was born in 1935 in the Forest of Dean and wrote many plays for television. Potter, who died in 1994, was born in Berry Hill, and lived most of his life in and around the forest. He is known for his TV dramas including Pennies from Heaven and The Singing Detective.

• Joyce Latham also grew up near Berry Hill and wrote several collections of poetry.

• F.W. Harvey was a World War One poet and is known as the "laureate of Gloucestershire." He spent most of his later life in Yorkley.

Reading the Forest is led by academics from the local University of Gloucestershire and residents of the Forest community.