Dymock & Bromesberrow Workshop

We helped to promote and run a 'Future Energy Landscapes' workshop at Dymock Parish Hall. It was an excellent event with a lot of local knowledge in the room. We had a useful discussion, debated many questions, and shared the idea of Community Energy with everyone there. It was good to meet a new community and find out more about a beautiful area.

The Daffodil Line Bus, the Shop at Bromesberrow, and the local community pub The Beauchamp Arms all helped spread the word. Many thanks also to our brilliant Community Engagement Volunteer, Andy, for delivering leaflets and dropping posters at local venues.

The Centre for Sustainable Energy (CSE) is running three workshops in the Forest of Dean District. The first was with Westbury-on-Severn and Blaisdon Parishes in September 2025, and the third will be in Tidenham Parish later this year.

The project leader is Amy from CSE, and it's lovely to be working with her again. We are also working with FoDCAP and the Forest of Dean District Council Climate Team on this. It's a great team to collaborate with.

As well as sharing information about different types and scales of renewable energy, the workshop included adding local knowledge to a large hand-drawn map of the area, and thinking about where Community-owned renewable energy projects might work.

What was extremely interesting was to hear local views on nationally debated topics, such as the placement of small-scale solar fields and single, medium-sized wind turbines. The deliberations gave an insight into the reasoning and considerations to be made locally, in determining the optimal locations for potential renewable energy investigations.

However, the biggest takeaway from the session was confirmation of the residents' desire to keep things local; community projects delivering outcomes for the benefit of the local community.