Community Organiser – Freelance role

Western Forest are looking for an experienced Community Organiser who can mobilise and accelerate the development of three urban to rural corridors. We are particularly interested in community organising approaches that identify and develop local leaders, build collective power and support community-led action.

Western Forest is England’s newest national forest, spanning Gloucestershire, the West of England and Wiltshire. Launched by government in 2025 with £7.5 million in funding, our mission is to create a thriving landscape connected by trees – for nature, farming and communities. Western Forest delivery is split into three pillars: Forest Creation, Forest Action and Future Forest.

Forest Action is our people and place focused pillar where we aim to give communities agency in shaping their region to make it greener, more resilient and a better place to live, work and play. We have created three urban to rural corridors across our area:

• Bristol to Bath
• Swindon to Braydon Forest (in partnership with Woodland Trust and Great Western Community Forest )
• Tewkesbury, Cheltenham and Gloucester (Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust and CPRE Gloucestershire )

These corridors will focus Western Forest’s community organising efforts on places that are expected to experience significant growth and development over the next 30 years, while also strengthening connections between the forest and our urban centres. Our approach aims to be rooted in community priorities, bringing people together to shape the nature rich spaces that matters most to them and ensuring that future green and blue infrastructure investment reflects local needs.

We are seeking someone with a strong background in community organising. This role is not primarily focused on consultation, engagement or communications. It is about building relationships, developing community leadership, listening to communities and supporting people to take collective action around opportunities for forest creation and greener, more resilient places.

This is a five-month role, beginning in November and ending in March.

We anticipate this being equivalent to around two days per week, although we welcome proposals that demonstrate an alternative approach to delivering the scope of work within the available budget and time frame.

For more information on the role and how to apply, please view the person specification.