Jason Babbage from J & S Babbage won 1^st Place for Best Loved Business in Chepstow & Forest of Dean on thebestof website.

The award was presented to Jason at The George Hotel, Aylburton on Tuesday, 8^th March 2011.

Following a recent introductory conversation and on behalf of my team, I would like to invite you to our event at

Cheltenham Racecourse, Prestbury Park, Cheltenham, GL50 4SH on Tuesday 8th June at 2pm.

This event will provide guidance and support for SME businesses aiming to “get ahead of the upturn”.

There will be presentations from local industry experts on Finance, International Opportunities and Employment as well as a networking area with trade stands where you can meet business people from our local area.

There will be refreshments provided on arrival.

Please email businesseventsglos@lloydstsb.co.uk to reserve your place.

The Forest of Dean Local History Society will be holding their 5th History Fair on Sunday 23rd May 2010 at Bells Hotel and Country Club in Coleford from 10am – 4pm.

Admission is £3-00 (Under 16′s Free)

There will be children’s activities run by John Putley from the Gloucestershire Archives. John will be asking the children to ‘Stand & Deliver’ making and decorating highwayman’s hats and masks plus making cardboard tube highwaymen Also activity packs to take home.

There will also be some short workshops (about 15 mins each one. Vicky Thorpe from the Gloucestershire Archives will be running a couple of sessions on Family history; Averil Kear will be running a couple on House History research and Cecile Hunt will be telling everyone how they can start with their research projects. If you would like some help with your research or have a history question about the Forest of Dean come and see us on the society’s help desk.

There will be variety of stands to browse at the Fair including English Bicknor Group, GSIA (Gloucestershire Society for Industrial Archaeology) , the Chepstow and Tidenham History Group, DAG (Dean Archaeological Group), Forest of Dean Family History Society and the Sealed Knot.

There will be a silent auction where there several quality lots to bid for including; a copy of the Victoria County History Vol V – Forest of Dean, Cyril Harts Industrial Dean, Fay Godwin’s The Secret Forest of Dean (signed by Edna Healey), a set of New Regards from the year 2000 to 2010 (10 copies altogether), a beautiful large paper weight, a large box of chocs and a framed photograph by Norman Hunt

Contact Cecile Hunt

01594 842164

The Bestof the Forest of Dean are holding one of their popular networking events on Tuesday the 30th March at the Farmers Boy Inn, Longhope – 6.30pm – 8.30pm.

Around 40 businesses will be attending the event and it promises to be another evening of relaxed networking in a fun and friendly atmosphere.

Mitcheldean Soap are the sponsors and will be represented by owner Sarah Gates who will give a short presentation on her business.

If you would like to attend or would like more information on this and future Bestof evenings please Email forestofdean@thebestof.co.uk or call Paul James on 01594 560604

http://www.thebestof.co.uk/local/forest-of-dean

Sara from Mitcheldean Soaps is looking for the following :

Was wondering if you could ask members is they had any cardboard boxes (adult shoe size box or above) they could spare me, I need them to cure batches of soap in! Also any old knives , spoons or saucepans would be great.

So, if you have any :

• Cardboard Boxes – Adult Shoe Size Or Above
• Spoons
• Knives
• Saucepans

You no longer need, please let Sara know on – 01594 542252

Many thanks!

The Miners Arms Whitecroft is the Most Loved small business in The Forest of Dean according to a massive nationwide search run by TheBestOf to find the best local shops and companies in towns and cities across the UK.

The results of the 2 week campaign reveal that The Miners Arms based in Whitecroft is the most loved business after 266 people recommended it.

The Miners Arms in Whitecroft is owned by Mario and Karen Constantinides who bought the business in 2007  With its stylish interior and freshly cooked gastro style food, this well known bar and restaurant has a welcoming atmosphere and is run by a well trained team who provide excellent customer service with a smile.

Mario says “It is fantastic to have received so many testimonials and see how much our customers appreciate the great food, choice of real ales and ciders that we have on offer and the welcoming atmosphere.  All my staff are highly trained, so we can provide that ‘personal touch’ meeting all our customers’ needs. We hope to bring a real centre of the community feel to the area so that locals and visitors alike, feel welcome. ”

The 266 recommendations bestowed on the public house included praise for its good service’, ‘friendly atmosphere’ and ‘delicious food, not to mention great live music!’.

“Mario and Karen are running a superb business, and should be rightly proud – but to be honest what’s been underscored again and again in this campaign is just how many fantastic local businesses there are in The Forest of Dean today.  These business owners and their staff are the life-blood of our economy and it’s tremendous that they’ve been shown so much love. We’ve been absolutely blown away by the response from the people of The Forest of Dean who wrote 100s of glowing testimonials in support of local businesses”, says  Paul and Sharon from TheBestOf The Forest of Dean, a comprehensive directory of The Forest of Dean’s best local businesses.

The ‘14 Days of Love’ campaign from TheBestOf generated over 138,000 testimonials from the length and breadth of the country.  More than 30,000 businesses drawn from almost 400 towns and spanning every business type – from hairdressers, tattoo artists, fitness instructors and bridal stores through to bouncy castles accountants, architects, solicitors – even dentists and funeral directors – all received nominations from adoring customers.

Nigel Botterill CEO of TheBestOf commented “Small business owners have kept our economy going over the last 18 months.  They employ millions of people, provide services that we all use and can have a massive impact on our quality of life – whether it’s delivering to customers out of hours, calling on older customers to check they’re ok or simply looking after their customers brilliantly.  In fact in our research one in five people say there is a small local firm they just can’t live without.  We wanted to give people the chance to throw the spotlight on these superb small businesses – and they have!”

The Top 10 most loved small businesses in The Forest of Dean are:

A full list of the top 20 most loved businesses in  and its most active recommenders or ‘Lovers’ can be seen at www.thebestof.co.uk/loveometer.  The Top 100 most loved local businesses across the UK are also listed as well as top 5 businesses by category.

For more information about the campaign, to interview someone from TheBestOf, or a business in the top 20 contact:

Paul & Sharon James

T: 01594 560604

E: forestofdean@thebestof.co.uk

W: www.thebestof.co.uk/forestofdean