Newent, in the district of the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire and has a small population of about 5,000 inhabitants, with another 1,000 or so taking into account the local villages surrounding the market town. Transition Newent will be 18 years this year (our first meeting was held in February 2008) and we are registered as a Transition group, no 145 (in 2009, I believe). We had some very strong and active years during our first five years, but these have gradually changed as time has passed. We are a strong network of like-minded people, who keep in regular touch with each other. Currently there are the following groups/activities.
TRANSITION NEWENT NEWSLETTER: Reaching a mailing list of 220, we have a regular bi-monthly newsletter, produced through Mailchimp. The TN newsletter promotes our local activities (Mend & Repair Cafe, local produce markets, supporting local projects such as Space to Grow – a Community Garden, promoting local food and local producers, as well as links to other Transition Network activities. It also contains information of activities in other local Transition groups (eg., T Forest of Dean; T Malvern Hills, Hereford in Transition; Ledbury Food Group to name some)
MEND & REPAIR is vey active. Meeting every third Saturday in the month, it offers a service to mend broken, damaged or worn out items which are repaired by our expert volunteers for a small donation.
NEWENT CYCLING GROUP: A strong group promoting cycling in the area. Weekly organised rides locally as well as further afield. Promotion of our local loop (Newent Loop) and on-going activity to get safe routes to our local city (Gloucester) for work and pleasure.