In 2007 a Young Commoners group was established. This group came about as a result of a successful commoning review meeting for young commoners.

A steering group got together and identified the three main areas of concern, these being;

• Raising the profile of young commoners and increasing their participation in commoning and decision making in the Forest
• The acquisition of back-up grazing to support their commoning activities
• Education

The Young Commoners group aims to support young commoners through regular meetings where they can have their say about commoning matters. As part of the Commoners’ Defence Association the young commoners will support and contribute to the association wherever possible, reporting back to committee meetings through its younger members.

The latest development has been the establishment of a Colts Council. This is a group of under 16s who are involved in commoning. The group plans to organise activities to support junior commoners including learning about commoning and social activities.