Forest of Dean Community Consultation

In 2022, Wyldwood began a project funded by the National Lottery Community Fund called the Healing Programme.

Its aim was to develop new, creative ways to bring people together and renew some of the many connections that were broken during the coronavirus pandemic.

Building from our ethos of co-creation, this project needed to begin with a period of consultation across the Forest. This consultation had three distinct phases; direct, face-to-face, conversations at many of the public events and celebrations in the Forest during summer 2022, an online consultation promoted through Wyldwood’s channels, and a deeper stakeholder conversation at a community discussion evening in Autumn 2022. 

The full report, Forest of Dean Community Consultation, is available online. Click the button below to access the report. It is our hope that this report can be used by the wonderful artists, creatives, and voluntary and community sector organisations in the Forest of Dean to help us all work more effectively with the communities we serve.

My mental health means that I tend to become insular and not seek out other creatives. So anything that can bring people together would be great.
— Online consultation respondent
A teenage girl works carefully on a craft activity at an outdoor summer event.

Three findings from the Forest of Dean Community Consultation:

• People want to know what’s on

• People in the Forest want creative activities they can get involved in

• Access is more difficult in the Forest

The National Lottery Community Fund Logo, crossed fingers.

This project has been made possible with funding from the National Lottery Community Fund