About Us

The George undergoing renovation in 2023

The George undergoing renovation in early 2023

Our story

Our efforts to save The George began in early 2018, when the owners, Camphill Village Trust (CVT), announced plans to close the café and sell the building. After successfully persuading Forest of Dean District Council to list it as a community asset, we formed a Community Benefit Society and launched a campaign to buy the property and turn it into a mixed-use village hub.

More than 200 local people bought community shares. Many supported us with donations and offers of practical help. Thanks to a grant from the government Levelling-Up Fund, we were finally able to buy the building in October 2022.

Our aim was always to make The George a place where the whole community could come together and enjoy shared activities. In October 2023 we were thrilled to to be voted ‘New Voluntary Group of the Year’ at the Forest Voluntary Action Forum (FVAF) awards. The judges described us as ‘an uplifting social hub’, which gave us a real boost!

The future

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.

Supporters, sponsors and project partners

Many people and organisations helped us achieve our goal of saving The George and continue to support us today. We would especially like to thank the following:

The Community Ownership fund

Department for Levelling up, Housing & Communities

Gloucestershire County Council

Barnwood Trust

The Co-op Foundation

The Reach Fund

‘The Pub Is The Hub’

Forest of Dean District Council

Forest Voluntary Action Forum (FVAF)

Freeman Homes

‘The Pub Is The Hub’

St Peter’s Church