WE like to express huge gratitude and thank everyone who has helped fight for our Forest, from tiny tots to grandparents. Now the Government has officially announced there will be no sell off, we can all congratulate ourselves in the knowledge that thousands of us have made history.

We heard that the policy advisors and politicians in the corridors of Whitehall and Westminster were taken aback by the strength and size of our protest, but to us it was only natural that we should oppose such a considerable threat to our cherished home and to keep the freedom we have enjoyed all our lives.

We stood united, people from all walks of life, of all political hues and none, and people with many diverse interests. There was no way we were prepared to give up, and our strength and resilience won through. We won due to our determined and peaceful protest, and although the battle was fought nationally as well as locally, there is no doubt that we in the Forest of Dean played an essential part in overturning a Government proposal that only a tiny minority here supported. The Bishop of Liverpool, who chaired the panel which visited our Forest before anywhere else, has said that his experience meeting Foresters and seeing the Dean, was a formative influence in the panel's thinking.

When news first emerged that the Government wanted to sell our woodlands, we immediately took action. It wasn't the first time we have had to fight against private interests trying to take our woods, and HOOF's work won't be over until we have been assured that we won't need to battle any more.

Although it is too early to say, in many respects the Panel's recommendations may leave us in a better position than before the sell-off proposals were announced. If the Government takes the Panel's good advice, we could see our Forest grow bigger rather than shrink, and we could see the stewards of our Forest, the Forestry Commission, evolve into an organisation working closer with our communities and being protected from political interference. There are also commendable ideas regarding wildlife, improved access and conservation.

We at HOOF have been calling for new legislation to protect our Forest for future generations, and the idea of a charter, with guardians accountable to parliament, not just ministers, is a positive proposal.

We still need to safeguard our future by making sure there is sufficient funding and resources from the Government, to ensure communities in the Dean can play a part in upcoming decisions, as well as ironing out some grey areas and uncertainties in the Panel's report.

The panel has listened to the people, and the Government has listened to the panel as far as its recommendation to keep our Forest and others publicly owned – Caroline Spelman, the Environment Secretary, has confirmed England's public forests will remain in public ownership.

But the next six months, while the Government deliberates on whether to accept the Panel's advice, will be crucial for us. The Government says it will issue a formal response to the report in January.

HOOF's objective – that our Forest must be managed on the public's behalf by a properly resourced Forestry Commission – has still not been conclusively resolved.

And so, while each and every one of us deserves a hearty pat on the back and to raise a toast to success, there are some finer points that need to be resolved, and we must continue our work to achieve the best possible result for the benefit of everyone who lives in and enjoys the Forest of Dean.

Thanks again. We will soon be announcing details of a celebratory event to which you're all invited.

– Hands Off Our Forest steering group.