Free Drop-In Event in Coleford

Date and Time: Saturday 24th October 2026, 10.00am - 3.00pm Location: The Main Place, Coleford, GL16 8RH Would you like to learn how to make your home warm, comfortable and more energy efficient?  Come and join us for a fun and informative event to learn all about using thermal

Introducing: Pioneer Shares

We recently launched our first share offer, with the support of Community Energy Go, and the specialist Simon Borkin of Commonly. The intention is to raise funding to support the development of our first rooftop solar projects, for example; template rooftop leases and power purchase agreements, planning costs, the costs

Our one year celebration!

Twelve action packed months were celebrated in style! "It has been fantastic working with the whole Forest Community Energy family over this past year. We have achieved so much with the encouragement and support of our team, members, and supporters. I thank you, each and every one!" Helen

At Chepstow Leisure Centre

The final public engagement event of the Future Energy Landscapes project was a stall at Chepstow Leisure Centre, just over the border from Tidenham Parish, and it went well. "We spoke to people, had some very engaging conversations, and lots of positivity for wind turbines, solar farms, community ownership,

Meeting our Member of Parliament

Earlier this month, we had the opportunity to sit down with our local Member of Parliament, Matt Bishop and his team. We met alongside Piers from the Forest of Dean Climate Action Partnership (FODCAP), and Simon and Emma-Jayne from the Forest of Dean District Council's Climate Team,

Thermal Camera Loan Scheme - news!

Forest Community Energy have taken over running the free scheme from the District Council We are incredibly proud to take the reins of this vital community resource. As energy costs and climate action remain front of mind for everyone in the Forest, keeping this scheme free and accessible is a

The Community Energy Model in Two Minutes...

To support the "Empowering Our Councils" project we have created a short, simple introduction to community energy that shows local councils how they can help provide the benefits to their communities in Gloucestershire. If you have two minutes to spare do have a look, let us know what

Kempley Parish Council Briefing

As a follow-up to the "Empowering Our Councils" event in July, it was great to meet the Kempley parish council and talk about community energy.  As well as giving our presentation we showed the new "Quick Introduction to Community Energy" video. We talked about a

Community Energy in Gloucestershire

Our Chair, Helen Jeffrey, and our wonderful Professional Advisor Emma-Jayne Williams attended and supported the "Empowering our Councils: Community Energy in Gloucestershire" event this month. There were people from all over the county, and also from our close neighbours. Councillors and Officers attended, as well as the

Considering plug-in Solar?

Big news for DIY energy fans: as of August 27, 2026, plug-and-play solar systems are officially 100% legal to buy and plug in yourself across the UK (thanks to some long-awaited regulatory updates). Before this shift, plugging solar panels straight into a standard wall socket fell into

Westmill Tour

Forest Community Energy Visits Westmill Community Owned Solar and Wind Farm In the last six months we have worked in partnership with the District Council Climate Team, the Centre for Sustainable Energy, and Forest of Dean Climate Action Partnership (FODCAP)  on the 'Future Energy Landscapes' project – an approach

Fun at the Fairs - Local Engagement

Wooolaston Carnival and Mitcheldean Festival We had a brilliant day at the Woolaston Carnival! It was full of fun activites, dog show, tug-of-war, stalls, tea & cake, motor parade and some fantastic live music! In one of our villages with no mains gas, and with a thriving community

Peoples Emergency Briefing film - Newnham

We helped support a screening last night at the Newnham Club. It was ultimately motivating in highlighting the urgency for more renewable energy in the Forest of Dean. There are more local screenings over the coming weeks. The film looks at what’s happening with climate and nature, and what

Empowering Our Councils

We ran a special evening event for our Town and Parish Councillors and Clerks in the Forest of Dean District to discover the benefits of  community-owned  energy, how to identify potential projects, and what the first steps are to start things moving. As local government reorganisation re-shapes the

Reporting on our first AGM

Another milestone achieved! We held our first AGM on Saturday and were delighted to welcome so many members, several of whom had not met each other before. As well as the official business of the meeting there were a wide range of useful conversations, including when we will be looking

Tidenham Parish Workshop

A huge vote of thanks to Amy and Emily from Centre for Sustainable Energy as the sun sets on the last of our three Future Energy Landscapes workshops in the Forest of Dean district. It was an interactive workshop for local people to explore community energy for the future in

New Date: Empowering Our Councils Event

This event has has been re-scheduled from 24th June 2026 because of extreme heat warnings. New date: Wednesday 15th July 7.00-8.30 at the Main Place, Coleford.  We are delighted to be running a special FREE evening event for our Town and Parish Councillors and Clerks in

At Much Markle

"Out of everything we are doing on Future Energy Landscapes, I think these are my favourite types of events. Getting the process out of a workshop setting and into the community. Talking to people about community energy. With cake." The last of the Dymock & Bromesberrow "Future

Octopus Energy Tech Summit 2026

"The top announcement in my book at yesterday's Octopus Energy Tech Summit: plug in home batteries! I want a pink one." Our chair, Helen, was lucky again to win a free ticket to the 2026 event in London: It was a very hot day at the

Our First AGM

Join us for our very first Annual General Meeting! We are looking forward to seeing everyone who can attend on Saturday 11th July 2026 10.30-12.00 at the Main Place, Coleford. We invite all our  members, supporters, and generally interested people, to come along; try out a thermal

People's Emergency Briefing

We will be supporting FODCAP who are running a screening of the People's Emergency Briefing film on Thursday 16th July, 18.30-21.00 at The Club in Newnham-on-Severn. Book your free place here: https://www.trybooking.com/uk/events/landing/116747 The film features footage

Community Energy England's Summer Conference

The theme of the conference in Birmingham was “scaling community energy” and there was lots of inspiration in the room, from talks on local energy networks and shared ownership models, to open space sessions and a networking lunch. There was also an update from Great British Energy and South West

POSTPONED Event: Empowering Our Councils

This event has been re-scheduled because of the extreme heat warnings!  We are delighted to be running a special FREE evening event for our Town and Parish Councillors and Clerks in the Forest of Dean District to discover the benefits of  community-owned energy, how to identify potential projects,

Forest Showcase Spring Food Festival

We had a wonderful time, on a beautiful day, at the Forest Showcase Spring Food Festival as part of the "From the Ground Up" section! It was the first time we using our new Event Shelter and big outdoor banner at an event - and it all went very

Event: Visit to Westmill

Workshops have been run across the Forest of Dean District exploring what kind of community-owned renewable energy generation projects people might like to see in their local area in the future, and where. These have included the parishes of Westbury on Severn, Blaisdon, Dymock, and Bromesberrow. Our final workshop