Dates for your diary
Each quarter, the FEP hold a stakeholder meeting, offering our community a chance to connect with other like-minded individuals, showcase some of the Forest of Dean's exceptional businesses, charities & organisations, and focus on driving sustainable economic growth. Meetings take place at various locations in the district and typically from 5-6:30. They are completely free to attend and open to all, as long as you either live, play, or work in the Forest of Dean and want to see an economically thriving area, FEP is for you.
Upcoming events
Wednesday 17th September 5:30 - 7:30 PM, Venue TBC
Wednesday 3rd December 5:30 - 7:30 PM, Venue TBC
Past meetings
Innovation Awards Ceremony - 11th June 2025
On Wednesday 11th June at Lydney Town Hall we announced and celebrated the winners of our Innovation Awards!
Entries to the awards closed on the 31 May, was open to all businesses in the Forest of Dean, and had a £1,000 cash prize up for grabs. Find out more about the awards here.
Missed out this year? Join us for 2026!
12th February 2025
On Wednesday 12th February we headed to the Wilderness Centre in Mitcheldean for our first meeting of 2025. We were joined by sustainability experts offering support to local businesses who want to become greener but have no idea where to start. This was a great offer to our community ensuring the FEP are providing valuable support to the brilliant businesses of the Forest of Dean.
Find out more about the Wilderness Centre here - The Wilderness Centre
4th December 2024
We hosted Christmas drinks for our end-of-year round-up at AccXel Construction School! With a talented local singer, mince pies, and mulled wine, the festivities were in full swing. Hope to see you again next year for networking and Christmas cheer!
11th September 2024
Our September stakeholder meeting took place at The Wesley in Cinderford. We were joined by some of the most exciting businesses and organisations who are leading the way in sustainable construction and infrastructure, both within our district and beyond.
Our guest speakers included,
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Luke Freeman, joint Chief Executive of MF Freeman
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Hayley Selway, CEO of Two Rivers Housing
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Natalie King, Managing Director of AccXel Construction School
- Matt Dunkley, Construction Lecturer at Gloucestershire College
Read more about our stakeholder meeting here.
6th March 2024
The first stakeholder meeting of 2024 took place Wednesday 6th March at the Speech House in Coleford.
Our 3 speakers were…..
- Chris Griffiths & Louise Slade of DEEP
- Pete Marshall of Outsource Automations Solutions
- Peter Allison of Together Gloucestershire
Click here to read our full blog from the evening and to view the agenda click here.
12th June 2024
On 12th June 2024 FEP held our second stakeholder meeting at the AccXel Construction School in Cinderford. Our speakers were,
- Khady Gueye & Issachar Foster, The Music Works. Please get in touch to view the presentation.
- Mark Jones, Dean Radio. View the presentation here.
- Deb Cook, Forest Voluntary Action Forum (FVAF). View the presentation here.
- Paul Williamson, Forest of Dean & Wye Valley Tourism. View the presentation here.
- Rob Olins, Canopy Creative Network. View the presentation here.
- Natalie King, AccXel.
Click here to view the agenda and here to read Punchline Gloucester's article on the evening.
Business Events & Workshops
Forest Traders 
Whether you are an existing business, just starting out, or thinking about going into business, Forest Traders offer networking sessions to support you and your business. The networking workshops are at a different locations each meeting and take place monthly. Sessions take place morning and evening, but are pre book only. Email contact@foresttraders.co.uk or follow their social media pages for more.
The Growth Hub
The Growth Hub hosts a range of workshops and courses, run by local experts, to upskill you and your team in breaking down barriers to growth. Have a look at the upcoming workshops or click the link below to their website for more. To contact them, email The Growth Hub at forestofdean@thegrowthhub.biz.
Learn more