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

Forest Economic Partnership Innovation Awards Ceremony - 11th June 2025

Join our next stakeholder meeting on Wednesday 11th June at Lydney Town Hall where we will be announcing and celebrating the winners of our Innovation Awards!

This next meeting is a great chance to relax, meet old & new faces in the business community, and expand your network as we crown our award winners. Once the 2 successful businesses have been announced, we'll be sharing updates from FEP, including subgroup activity, and exciting opportunities and projects on the horizon. FEP are supported by some of the Forest of Dean's most vibrant businesses and organisations so there's always exciting opportunities for collaboration and connectivity. The bar will be open so book your FREE spot here 

Entries to the awards close on the 31 May, entry is open to ALL businesses in the Forest of Dean regardless of sector or size and is completely FREE. There are 2 categories to reflect the variety of our local businesses with a £1,000 cash prize up for grabs. Find out more about the awards and apply here. 

Past meetings

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,

• Luke Freeman, joint Chief Executive of MF Freeman

• Hayley Selway, CEO of Two Rivers Housing

• 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