SIX facilities across the Forest of Dean are set to benefit from the council’s Community Asset Grant, totalling more than £80,000.

Recipients of the Community Asset Grants for 2025 include The Rising Sun, Wylderne Limited, Scarr Bandstand, Dean Heritage Centre, Soudley Village Hall Trust, and the Forest of Dean Gymnastics Centre.

The council said the money will support vital improvements and help secure the long-term future of the valued community spaces.

Cllr Sid Phelps, Cabinet Member for Property and Projects, said: “The Community Asset Grants provide a great opportunity to support well used community owned buildings, reduce energy bills and transform cherished local venues for future generations.

“I am delighted to see that the recipients of this year's grant are from a diverse range of local facilities. We want to ensure these important community assets can operate long into the future and the funding from the Community Assets Grant will help significantly with this.

“I look forward to seeing the funding used to safeguard and improve these facilities and for residents to enjoy them for years to come.”

The Rising Sun in Woodcroft was granted £6,073 for a project to purchase and install solar panels on the south facing roof, while Wylderne Limited was granted £6,646. This grant is for an energy efficiency project at the Wilderness Centre in Plump Hill, to purchase a de-stratification fan to blow rising warm centrally heated air back down into the room. They will also work to replace all windows with double glazed sympathetically designed alternatives, and to replace the fire doors.

Dean Heritage Centre was granted £20,000 for a project to install solar panels onto the roof of the library and coffee shop building, to reduce energy bills by up to 30 per cent.

Soudley Village Hall Trust also receives £20,000 to support the installation of solar panels onto the roof at Soudley Village Hall to reduce energy bills and help safeguard the building for future use.

A £20,000 grant goes to Forest of Dean Gymnastics Centre for a project to supply and install a roof-mounted solar photovoltaic system along with an external battery storage unit to store excess generated power.

Scarr Bandstand received £8,000 which supported a roof replacement that had match funding previously secured. The grant funded the groundworks, soakaway, plus minor remedial works caused by the build, like the replacement of a section of fencing, minor repairs to the existing concrete structure, and landscaping.

The Forest of Dean District Council were particularly keen to support projects that promote decarbonisation, improve energy efficiency, renewable energy installations, improving digital connectivity and conserve and enhance buildings of local and national heritage value.

In total, Forest of Dean District Council allocated £80,719 Rural England Prosperity Fund capital grant on the basis that all projects will be financially complete before March 2026. Scarr Bandstand has completed works funded by Forest of Dean District Council and further news on each project is expected soon.

More information about the fund is available online.