Welcome to Monday’s edition of The Raikes Journal.

We temporarily shelved a profile piece we had ready for today on an exciting, fast-growing county IT firm when we picked up the news that is our lead story below.

It’s easy to take Cheltenham Festival for granted. Every year the near week-long jump racing event in March brings thousands to the county to enjoy themselves.

The event is worth an estimated £270 million-plus to the county’s businesses, so how well the Jockey Club Racecourses does has a significant bearing on the county economically and how it’s perceived from outside too.

But horseracing in under pressure from all sides, and the business that owns the county racecourse and the festival had to cancel 13 of its events in the year covered by its latest financial statement – mainly due to bad weather. Rising costs were also a major issue.

So despite the handicaps how did it do? We take a look.

The edition also includes the usual charity of the week feature – a significant grant and partnerships at work – news of significant recognition for the expertise of the legal teams at one of our key partners, Willans, some dairy dates as well as some briefing notes.

The latter features a story about plans for where thousands of homes should be built in the Cotswolds, which county pubs are among the UK’s very best, an incredible year for engineering giant Renishaw and the financial momentum behind expanding family car dealership Warners.

Have a great week.

Best regards,

Andrew Merrell

Editor | 07956 926061 | LinkedIn: Andrew Merrell | andrew.merrell@raikesjournal.co.uk

Charities of the Week…

A major three-year initiative to tackle rising loneliness and social isolation in Stonehouse, Cinderford, Mitcheldean, Cam and Dursley is being launched thanks to a £900,000 investment from The Summerfield Charitable Trust. Building Connections: People, Place & Partnership will be delivered by three Gloucestershire-based charities – Forest Voluntary Action Forum, GL11 Community Hub and All Pulling Together. The initiative is designed around the idea that people need places, and places need people. By investing in both, the programme will help residents feel more connected, confident and able to shape what happens in their own neighbourhoods. These five towns and villages have been chosen because they show some of the highest combined risk factors for loneliness and isolation in Gloucestershire, and because of their potential. Read more here.

Briefing notes…

🍻 Nine Gloucestershire pubs have been named among the very best 500 in the UK by The Telegraph news newspaper. The pubs were among those picked from the UK’s 42,700 pubs. Those that made the list include The Pelican Inn, Gloucester, The Old Spot Inn, Dursley, The Horseshoe, Chipping Sodbury, The Salutation, Ham, The Jolly Brewmaster, Cheltenham, The Queens Head, Stow-on-the-Wold, The Prince Albert, Stroud, The Queens Head, Stow-on-the-Wold, The Farmers Arms, Lower Apperley and The Drillmans Arms, Cirencester.

🏘️🏘️🏘️ Revealed: Where 18,900 homes could be built in the Cotswolds: A new blueprint for almost 19,000 homes suggests major expansions to Cotswold towns and the creation of large villages over the next 20 years. Cotswold District Council’s new local plan, which will set out a long-term vision for the district, is being considered by councillors next month. It proposes the creation of 10 strategic sites which include 3,717 homes in and around Cirencester, 2,217 homes in Moreton-in-Marsh and 1,658 homes in Down Ampney.

📈 A final quarter trading update by Gloucestershire engineering giant Renishaw saw an 8.1 per cent surge in its share value. The Wotton-under-Edge-based business said revenue had reached £243 million for the quarter, a rise of 27 per cent on the same period the year before. All of which means profits for the year gone are likely to come in at higher than forecast, with overall growth hitting a new record. General revenue also rise by 18 per cent on the same period last year. Full year trading is expected to be in the region of £815m, a 14 per cent rise, with adjusted pre-tax profits up 31 per cent to £167m.

🚗🚗🚗 Car dealership Warners of Gloucester, which opened a new showroom in Cheltenham this month for its Chery franchise, has revealed it did so off the back of turnover rising to £29.8 million. Guy Warner, ceo of the family business, said “sales of Jaecoo and Omoda vehicles exceeded expectations” for the year ending 30 September 2025 “whilst the service and parts operations continued to perform robustly”. He said the refit of the Tewkesbury dealership to the new Citroën corporate identity was expected to provide a solid platform for the brand moving forward and the new Chery franchise was “an exciting opportunity”. Profit for the financial year after tax was down from £206,365 to £79,120.

Lawyers recognised as leading advisors to high net worth individuals

If you want to know who the best lawyers are for almost any specialism you can reach for independent guides like the one published by Chambers. It’s latest Chambers High Net Worth guide reveals three of the partners at one of the key sponsors that make The Raikes Journal possible, Willans LLP solicitors, have been listed for their expertise. Simon Cook and Paul Gordon, each singled out for a number of years as leaders in their individual specialisms, have been joined by Clare Cox. Cook heads up the wills, trusts and probate team at the Cheltenham-headquartered law firm. That team is also listed by the guide. Partners Rachel Sugden, Tom O’Riordan and Laura Stone are also singled out as ‘highly regarded’. Cox is a partner in the inheritance and trusts disputes team and Gordon a partner and head of litigation and dispute resolution. More here.

Diary dates…

Tuesday:

• The Growth Hub in Cirencester is due to stage ‘How to pitch your charity or social enterprise for investment’ from 10.30am to 12.30pm. More here.

Wednesday:

• Business networking group BNI Five Valleys is due to stage its latest event at The Old Lodge, Stroud, from 7am. More here.

• BNI Cornerstone (Cirencester) is due to stage its latest event at Roots & Seeds, Cirencester, from 9.45 am to 11.15am. More here.

Thursday:

• BNI Compass is due to stage one of its networking events at Patch at The Forum in Gloucester on Thursday, 30 July. 10am start. £10 cost. More here.

Friday:

• Gloucester Business Improvement District is due to stage its Connections over Coffee networking event at Gloucester Food Dock from 10am to 11.30am. More here.

• Talk Property Cheltenham, billed as ‘the property community around one table’. From 10am to 11.30am. More here.

The Raikes Journal is a community interest company. Everything you read is made possible by our incredible Founding Partners: QuoLux, Willans LLP, Gloucestershire College, Merrell People, our sponsors, our Founding Members and wonderful paying subscribers.

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Cheltenham Racecourse owner triumphs despite handicaps

With attendance at Cheltenham Festival down and 13 races abandoned, was heavy last year for Jockey Club Racecourses, British horse racing’s largest commercial body. But did it win financially?

By Andrew Merrell.

With attendance at Cheltenham Festival down and 13 racing fixtures abandoned across its courses nationwide the going was heavy during its last financial year for Jockey Club Racecourses, British horse racing’s largest commercial body.

Handicaps came not just from the weather impacting events, but from managing the UK’s self-inflicted challenges to its commercial engine – the increases in the National Living Wage and national insurance contributions.

Wages and salaries rose from £23.7m to £26m for the Jockey Club - and that’s just the permanent staff, not the army of temporary recruits it brings in for the likes of the Cheltenham Festival week in March that draws the eyes of the sporting world to the spa town.

That one four-day period of racing alone is estimated to be worth more than £274 million to the county’s economy – much of that across its pubs, clubs, restaurants and hotels – with the average spend by those attending nearly £600.

Costs overall increased by 3.1 per cent, from £140.4m to £145.7m. Among them increases in prize money to ensure the very best competed at its events.

And those rises cut into operating profit, down from £18.8m (2025) to £5m (2024) – the £18.8m being a rise on 2023’s £7.6m.

Nevertheless, despite the obstacles Jockey Club Racecourses crossed the line for its financial year ending 31 December 2025 with plenty to cheer about.

There are consistent references to ‘further growth’ in its annual report, just filed at Companies House.

“Aggregate attendance across the racecourses increased from 1,449,000 to 1,474,000, with paid attendance rising by 1.3 per cent despite 10 fewer fixtures being staged during the year, demonstrating the continued appeal of the company’s racing programme,” said Jim Mullen, chief executive of The Jockey Club Racecourses.

“Performance at the company’s major events remained encouraging, with strong attendance growth at the Aintree Grand National Festival (up 4 per cent), the July Festival (up six per cent), the Guineas (up 13 per cent) and the Christmas Meeting (up 18 per cent).

“Attendance at the Cheltenham Festival declined by three per cent, however investments into the race day experience at the 2025 Festival provided racegoers with an enhanced offering, laying the foundations for future growth.

“The company achieved strong demand across many of our major events and continued growth in media rights income.

“Reflecting this performance, the company’s turnover increased by 1.9 per cent to £236.7m (2024: restated £232.4m).

“Growth was driven primarily by higher media rights income, increasing from £62.0m to £63.6m (2.6 per cent uplift), reflecting pricing growth in revenues derived from online betting activity, supported by growth in sponsorship and non-racing income streams.”

And there was a particular focus on Cheltenham’s place in its current and future success.

It added: “The company has made encouraging progress in growing attendances and maintaining the appeal of its major events, and robust plans remain in place to build on this momentum.

“Investment in customer experience, particularly at Cheltenham, reflects the strategic importance we place on long-term growth in general admissions and on maintaining the quality of the racegoer experience across the company’s racecourses.

“A major milestone following the year-end was the announcement of a new exclusive twenty-year partnership with Levy, the sports and entertainment division of Compass Group UK & Ireland.

“This partnership creates a significant long-term investment opportunity for Jockey Club Racecourse Limited and will help transform the spectator experience across our racecourses.”

The business owns 15 racecourses in all, including Aintree, home of The Randox Grand National Festival, Epsom Downs, (The Betfred Derby Festival) and Newmarket (The Guineas Festival).

“The rebranding of Jockey Club Catering to Jockey Club Experiences reflects an expanded scope that now includes hospitality package sales and delivery, conferencing and events, and retail merchandising, alongside food and beverage operations.

“This partnership is an important part of our strategy to enhance the customer proposition and support long-term sustainable growth,” said Mullen.

A new blueprint for almost 19,000 homes suggests major expansions to Cotswold towns and the creation of large villages over the next 20 years.

Cotswold District Council’s new local plan, which will set out a long-term vision for the district, is being considered by councillors next month.

It proposes the creation of 10 strategic sites which include 3,717 homes in and around Cirencester, 2,217 homes in Moreton-in-Marsh and 1,658 homes in Down Ampney.

Civic chiefs say the plan is “absolutely vital” to curb speculative development. And it will provide for healthy, sustainable communities, with growth carefully planned to create lasting benefits for current and future generations.

The plan is underpinned by more than 40 studies and assessments and sets out where around 18,900 new homes could be delivered in the district by 2043.

The council aims are proposing a “stepped trajectory” to achieve this by which they increase their annual housing need over time.

They propose 420 homes to be built per year over the first five years. This would rise to 1,064 homes per year from 2031 to 2036 with 1,550 homes being built every 12 months during the final five years of the plan.

Planners say this is helpful, because the majority of the planned housing will come forward on large strategic sites which take longer to get up and running.

The local plan suggests 90 per cent of the housing target will be provided by the strategic sites.

And residents will get to have their say during a six-week consultation from August 24 to October 5, 2026, if approved by councillors.

The council says the local plan provides a framework based on local evidence to manage growth in a coordinated way, ensuring homes, jobs, transport, community facilities and environmental priorities are considered together, according to the council.

And it plans development in the most sustainable locations, protects valued landscapes, and sets ambitious standards for communities.

At the same time, they say it carefully balances the need for new development with the protection of the landscapes, heritage and distinctive character of the Cotswolds,.

Much of that development is proposed on ten strategic sites, allowing homes, employment, transport and community infrastructure to be planned comprehensively and sustainably.

Work on the plan follows significant changes by the Government to the way housing need is calculated, as part of a drive to build 1.5million homes across the UK between 2024 and 2029.

This new method was introduced almost two years ago and more than doubled the district’s housing target, – meaning the council can no longer demonstrate that it has a five-year supply of land for housing.

This has left communities more vulnerable to speculative, piecemeal development.

Council leader Mike Evemy (LD) said the plan was “absolutely vital” to stop speculative development and start building not just houses but sustainable, healthy communities.

“The council has been clear about the scale of the challenge created by the huge increase in nationally calculated housing need,” he said.

“But failing to progress a new local plan does not remove the pressure for development. Instead, it simply leaves our communities more exposed to speculative proposals and the council with the risk of costly appeals.

“It would leave us with less influence over where growth takes place, the quality of developments, and the infrastructure delivered alongside them.

“These are difficult choices, but avoiding them would not protect the Cotswolds.

“This is a plan we can stand behind. It is rigorous, it is considered, and it offers the best route to take control of our district’s future.

“It will deliver the affordable homes, jobs and services our communities need.

“It will protect the landscapes, heritage and character that make the Cotswolds such a special place to live and visit. And it will ensure we play a bigger role in tackling the climate crisis, while lowering energy bills through efficient new homes.”

What the plan would deliver

The proposed local plan includes:

Around 95 per cent of proposed development outside the Cotswolds National Landscape, with development within it restricted to smaller, less sensitive sites

Around 90 per cent of proposed development on strategic allocations, maximising opportunities to secure significant, coordinated infrastructure investment

Policies supporting the delivery of around 5,600 affordable homes over the plan period, including a 40 per cent affordable-housing target on qualifying sites

A greater proportion of smaller two and three-bedroom homes that better meet the needs of local peop

New and expanded education provision, including proposed new secondary schools at Moreton-in-Marsh and south of Preston, alongside transport improvements, health and community facilities, local centres, public open space and green infrastructur

New employment opportunities and land to support local businesses and economic growth, and

Ambitious climate policies covering net-zero-carbon new buildings, renewable energy, the decarbonisation of existing buildings and low-carbon heat networks.

Strategic sites

The plan concentrates growth in the district’s most sustainable locations, where services, jobs and transport links allow infrastructure and community facilities to be planned comprehensively.

Ten proposed strategic allocations would deliver 11,302 homes within the plan period at

Moreton-in-Marsh: 2,217 homes

Down Ampney: 1,658 homes

Preston: 1,368 homes

Mickleton: 1,238 homes

Fairford: 1,141 homes

New settlement south of Driffield: 1,090 homes (with the potential for more development in the longer term beyond 2043

Kemble: 1,020 homes

Cirencester: 613 east of Kingshill Lane (two allocations)

Cirencester: 585 homes south of The Steadings (with the potential for more development in the longer term beyond 2043)

Siddington: 372 homes

Backed by evidence

The plan is supported by a comprehensive suite of technical evidence and expert advice, covering matters including housing need, site suitability, transport, flood risk, landscape, heritage, ecology, viability and infrastructure.

Sustainability and climate change are embedded throughout, ensuring future growth is planned in a way that supports both communities and the environment and is ‘green to the core’.

The proposed plan also responds to concerns raised during the regulation 18 consultation in autumn 2025, including the protection of landscapes and heritage, support for the local economy, the need for affordable and smaller homes, health and community facilities, transport and infrastructure.

Next steps

The proposed plan will be considered by the overview and scrutiny committee on August 3, cabinet on August 6 and full council on August 12, 2026.

Subject to approval, a six-week regulation 19 consultation will run from August 24 to October 5.

The council will consider the representations received and may recommend additional modifications for the inspector to consider.

The plan and all consultation responses are expected to be submitted to the Secretary of State in December 2026 for independent examination by a planning inspector during 2027.

Adoption of the Plan is currently expected around March 2028.

The council says submitting the plan before the end of December 2026 is important because plans not submitted by that deadline will need to follow the Government’s new plan-making system, potentially delaying the adoption of an up-to-date plan by several years.

Pleas have been made to Prime Minister Andy Burnham to provide the vital funding needed for a major upgrade of an M5 junction in Gloucestershire.

Highways chiefs have been working on a project to provide a new junction 9a to the south of Tewkesbury and re-reroute a section of the A46 between the M5 and the Teddington Hands roundabout.

Gloucestershire County Council (GCC) sees the “traffic busting” scheme as vital in solving the long standing issues by providing vital infrastructure to meet existing and future needs in the area.

The project was previously estimated in 2024 to cost between £740m and £930m and will also help with the creation of up to 25,000 homes at Tewkesbury Garden Communities and provide at least 100 hectares of employment land.

Liberal Democrat councillor Julian Tooke (Pittville and St Paul’s), who is responsible for planning and infrastructure at Shire Hall, made a direct plea to the country’s new Labour prime minister during a cabinet meeting this week.

“Our new Prime Minister has been very clear that he believes local communities should say what they want and be listened to,” he said.

“GCC, Tewkesbury Borough Council, Cheltenham Borough Council, Gloucester City Council have been very clear that they want Junction 9a and they want the Ashchurch bypass.

“So Andy Burnham, please listen, please do.

“You’ve also been very clear, Mr Burnham, that you want housing and you want infrastructure.

“Well, we believe passionately that housing and infrastructure should go together.

“We also know that words are cheap. But unfortunately, infrastructure isn’t, so we need funding for this.

“I feel so passionately about this. I really want a decision to be made as soon as possible so that we know where we are.

“Please stop keeping us hanging on. It’s not fair.”

Cllr Tooke said the investment is needed because it unlocks land for housing and new employment sites which would focus on advanced manufacturing and defence.

He also said it will strengthen a nationally important route which links the Midlands with the South West and “residents have been saying for ages ‘we want a bypass’.

“It’s about quality of life,” he said.

He went on to say now Reform councillor Vernon Smith’s previous Conservative administration spent £15m on the scheme.

“Since I got involved, I’ve said hang on a minute, we are spending a lot of money, can we be careful about how we spend money,” he said.

“And actually slow down if necessary.”

He said he asked officers to revise their recommendation to sign off another £2m. And instead they will cap spending on works for the project at £534,000 until the end of September when they should get a decision from the Government.

“We weren’t comfortable with that because this Government keeps us hanging on,” he said.

“We don’t want to spend more money unnecessarily. However, we cannot let this project grind to a halt.

“Hopefully we will get approval from the Government.

“If we haven’t got the approval from the Government, again, we will have to go back and seek approval and discuss it.”

Cllr Tooke said the funding is coming from the community infrastructure levy and thanked the councils in Tewkesbury, Cheltenham and Gloucester for their support.

Reform UK group leader Vernon Smith (Tewkesbury West) said officers and councillors spent years of hard work getting the Junction 9 scheme to this point.

“Since May 2025 the Liberal Democrats have given us nothing but dither and delay.

“Residents in Tewkesbury and Ashchurch need this project to relieve congestion, and they deserve an administration that can be trusted to deliver it.”

By Carmelo Garcia, local democracy reporter for Gloucestershire. carmelo.garcia@reachplc.com

*The Raikes Journal is the only independent news outlet in Gloucestershire approved to use the copy of the BBC local government reporting service. Why? Only independent, credible journalistically-led platforms that meet the BBC’s high standards win that permission.

A major three-year initiative to tackle rising loneliness and social isolation in Stonehouse, Cinderford, Mitcheldean, Cam and Dursley will be launched following a £900,000 investment from The Summerfield Charitable Trust.

Building Connections: People, Place & Partnership will be delivered by three Gloucestershire-based charities - Forest Voluntary Action Forum, GL11 Community Hub and All Pulling Together.

The initiative is designed around a simple but fundamentally important concept: that people need places, and places need people. By investing in both, the programme will help residents feel more connected, confident and able to shape what happens in their own neighbourhoods.

These five towns and villages have been chosen because they show some of the highest combined risk factors for loneliness and isolation in Gloucestershire, but also because of their potential.

The initiative will seek to ensure that every resident has somewhere to go, people to meet, and a reason to participate, reducing loneliness, strengthening and sustaining capacity for connection.

The initiative responds to challenges experienced across rural and semi-rural communities, where social isolation, limited transport and uneven access to activities and support can make it harder for people to participate in community life.

At the same time, each area has active residents, trusted local organisations and community spaces with the potential to do more when they have the right people, resources and relationships around them.

Building Connections has been shaped with communities rather than designed for them. It will build on existing strengths and create the time and capacity to listen, test ideas and respond at the pace of everyday life.

Its delivery model recognises that a welcoming building alone does not create a connected community; trusted people are also needed to reach out, open doors and help residents turn ideas into action.

David Owen, chair of trustees at The Summerfield Charitable Trust, said: “The Summerfield Trust is proud to make this landmark investment in Building Connections. The evidence is clear: people need places, and places need people. This programme brings both sides together in a genuinely transformative way.

“By supporting a community‑owned ecosystem across Cinderford, Mitcheldean, Stonehouse, Cam and Dursley, we are backing the residents, volunteers and organisations who hold their communities together. Their insight, their energy and their determination have shaped this proposal from the ground up.

“Our nearly £1 million commitment reflects our belief that every person deserves somewhere to go, people to meet, and a reason to participate. This is a long‑term, place‑based investment in the things that make life meaningful - connection, belonging and shared purpose.

“We are delighted to stand alongside FVAF, GL11 and APT as they help local people create the welcoming, resilient and inclusive communities they have told us they want and deserve.”

A community partnership facilitator will support work in the Forest of Dean, alongside Community Buddies in Cam and Dursley and Stonehouse and locally based partnership builders.

These roles will work at neighbourhood level: connecting residents with community spaces, offering one-to-one encouragement or personalised invitations, supporting volunteers and local leaders, and helping groups develop activities that reflect what matters locally.

Community Chests will place practical resources directly within the participating areas.

Over four years, £60,000 will be shared across Cam and Dursley and Stonehouse, while Cinderford and Mitcheldean will each benefit from £125,000.

Residents, groups and local organisations will be able to use this funding to test and grow neighbourhood activities through micro-grants and small-scale events, ensuring that local ideas can move from conversation to action.

The three partners will also learn together, sharing insight and measuring what changes for residents, volunteers, community buildings and the wider local system. This joined-up approach is intended to reduce duplication, strengthen local capacity and help successful ideas endure beyond the four-year investment.

Matt Lennard, chief executive of Gloucestershire VCSE Alliance, said: “Building Connections is a great example of what can be achieved when funders, charities and communities work together around a shared vision.

“This investment recognises that lasting change comes from trusting local people, strengthening local partnerships and building on the assets that already exist within our communities.

“We’re proud to support this collaboration and look forward to seeing the positive impact it will have across Gloucestershire.”

Building Connections is expected to benefit residents who are isolated or less likely to take part in community life, as well as volunteers, local leaders, community organisations and the buildings that bring people together.

“Its focus is not simply on increasing activity, but on strengthening belonging, confidence, relationships and the ability of local people to contribute to their communities.

Chris Brown, chief executive officer of Forest Voluntary Action Forum, said: “We are incredibly grateful to Summerfield Charitable Trust for investing in Building Connections.

“This funding will help communities across Cinderford and Mitcheldean to create more sustainable and welcoming spaces, strengthen local partnerships, and give more people opportunities to connect, contribute and belong.

“We passionately believe that power, decision-making and resources should sit as close as possible to residents and grassroots organisations, and this investment marks another important step towards building stronger, fairer and more empowered communities.”

By the end of the programme, the partnership aims to leave stronger neighbourhood networks, better-used and more sustainable community spaces, more confident volunteers and local leaders, and established ways for residents to influence local activity and investment.

Learning from the four communities will also help partners understand what enables connection to grow across other rural and semi-rural parts of Gloucestershire.

Jacky Edwards, chair of All Pulling Together CIC, said: “All Pulling Together are delighted to be part of the Building Connections project and are very grateful to the Summerfield Charitable Trust for making the investment possible.

“At APT we believe strong communities can be built when our local people have the confidence, skills and opportunities to shape what they need, where they live. We are excited to work alongside our residents and local organisations to strengthen our community.”

The investment forms part of The Summerfield Charitable Trust’s Connected Society theme and reflects its unique approach to strategic, community-led funding, as it spends out its funds.

Working with Gloucestershire VCSE Alliance, the Trust is supporting co-produced proposals that shift power closer to communities, invest in trusted local relationships and create lasting social change.

This press release was sent to The Raikes Journal by Prestbury Marketing in July 2026.

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I hope you’ve had a good week. Is it me, or does the change in the political climate into uncertainty, feel exciting? Or is that just hope?

Positive action came in the news that pubs are to get a business rate cut, one of the immediate wins dished out by our new prime minister. We cover some of that below.

But we go biggest on a story from the recent Driving Gloucestershire Investment conference at Patch at The Forum in Gloucester. This is the second conference I’ve attended this month at which lots of people got together to point out that working together is what we need to do to win as a county.

Perhaps nothing to date has made that point better than the potential of Together Gloucestershire, a digital marketplace putting vetted SMEs from the county in front of businesses and organisations with the very biggest procurement budgets to do deals.

Get this right and the remaining big businesses sign up, and small businesses do the same, the team behind the platform thinks an extra £550 million will be spent every year in the county.

Where they are currently helps point to just how difficult it is to turn that good will and big talk of working together into action.

But it doesn’t rule out that we can’t get there yet!

Have a great weekend.

Best regards,

Andrew Merrell

Editor | 07956 926061 | LinkedIn: Andrew Merrell | andrew.merrell@raikesjournal.co.uk

Burnham puts a smile on the face of the pub industry

This week new Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced a 20 per cent cut to business rates bills for pubs, social clubs and live music venues in England from April next year. The Covid-19 pandemic brought the pub and hospitality trade to its knees, with businesses taking out loans to survive. Then fuel prices rocketed, the costs of the minimum wage and national insurance went up, those loans were called in.

Mark Terry-Lush, co-founder of Gloucestershire-headquartered HOOP (Hands Off Our Pubs) which has been calling for Government support, said this week’s news was welcome.

“Credit where it’s due, the tone from Number 10 (Downing Street) has changed, and £1,100 back in a landlord’s pocket is £1,100 they didn’t have yesterday. But let’s not kid ourselves. This is a down payment on a debt the sector is owed, not a settlement.”

Terry-Lush called on the business rates saving to be extended to include restaurants, cafés and hotels who get nothing under the scheme.

HOOP, which was founded in the Forest of Dean, calls for a cutting of hospitality VAT to 10 per cent, a reform of business rates, and a closing the supermarket alcohol loophole. It’s not alone. #VATsTheProblem, a campaign to get VAT cut from 20 per cent to 10 per cent across pubs, restaurants, cafés, hotels, nightclubs and wider hospitality venues has so far gained more than 270,000 signatures.

Briefing notes…

🎊 Chairman of Cheltenham BID, Alex Rose, has said the 945 responses from residents and businesses asked ‘what should be done to revitalise Cheltenham’s High Street and Promenade’ was encouraging. Key themes that emerged include: Fix the basics (paving, cleanliness, maintenance); improve visual quality (greenery, consistency, appearance); help restore vitality (shops, activity, vibrancy). Rose said the response showed “people are passionate about Cheltenham, its High Street and Promenade, its heritage and its future”. The BID will now work with the council and partners to make meaningful improvements.

📈 Unemployment rises in county but drops in Forest of Dean: The latest Department for Work and Pensions statistics show that the Forest of Dean has seen a reduction of unemployment by four per cent over the last year. The total number of jobseekers in that district is 1,295, down 60 from last year. But the number of claimants has risen by 11 per cent in the Cotswold district and 10 per cent in Tewkesbury to 1,100 and 1,445 respectively. In Stroud it’s risen by six per cent (85 more people) to 1,610 claimants. In Gloucester it’s up by 75 (two per cent) to 3195.

🛫 Skyborne, which describes itself as one of the world’s leading airline pilot training academies, is strengthening its leadership team by announcing three internal senior appointments. Neill Evans has become head of training at the Staverton-headquartered firm, Matt Yemm is now deputy head of training and Carrie Stringer is head of customer support. Lee Woodward, founder and chief executive officer of Skyborne, which trains pilots from many of the world’s biggest airlines, described the trio as “genuine, passionate leaders”. More here.

✈️ The BBC ran a story this week celebrating the choice of what it called ‘Coventry man’ Sir Frank Whittle being chosen to front a new set of Royal Mail stamps. Aerospace historians will know Whittle may have done a lot of work in Cranwell, but the first flight of the world’s first jet-powered aircraft, the Gloster E28/39, at the Gloster Aircraft Company factory in Brockworth in April 1941, forever cementing his connection to the county. Cheltenham’s Regent Arcade stands on the site of Whittle’s workshop too. One of the stamps pictures the Gloster Javelin FAW9. Quite rightly, it’s the First Class stamp. More here.

The Raikes Journal is a community interest company. Everything you read is made possible by our incredible Founding Partners: QuoLux, Willans LLP, Gloucestershire College, Merrell People, our sponsors, our Founding Members and wonderful paying subscribers.

Readers who upgrade to become a paid subscriber become part of this CIC too (from £2.30 a week). It helps make us sustainable, allows you to see past the paywalls, comment on our stories, and know you’re making possible the county’s only editorially-led digital magazine dedicated to delivering quality journalism for Gloucestershire about its businesses, charities, education and training sectors.

Raikes is the only independent website approved to use the BBC’s local Government copy. It recognises Raikes as independent journalism.

Subscribe now

Use it or lose it: Will the £550m marketplace for Gloucestershire close?

Despite the eye-watering prospect of its online market place delivering an extra £550m of spending with Gloucestershire businesses, and deals already happening, its owners have warned it could close.

A digital marketplace helping small and medium-sized Gloucestershire businesses do deals with organisations with major procurement budgets is warning it needs more support or it could close.

We trailed it on The Raikes Journal in 2024 – the prospect of an online marketplace putting SMEs in front of major firms and organisations with the biggest procurement budgets.

If it succeeds and helps those larger organisations spend just five per cent more of their budgets in the county the team behind Together Gloucestershire predict its marketplace will delivering an extra £550m spend in the county.

But not even a year after it launched – and despite a successful ‘meet the buyer’ event helping secure deals between county SMEs and a major business with £7m to spend (plus other deals done, and more events plans), the team running the marketplace are warning it could close.

Adam Vines, one of the founding fathers and driving forces behind Together Gloucestershire was speaking at the Driving Gloucestershire Investment conference at Patch at The Forum in Gloucester on Friday last week when he was asked about its future.

“Use it or lose it,” he said, echoing the comment made by the audience by another Together Gloucestershire board member, Qing Lin from Transphere Intelligence.

In a debate chaired by media consultant and former editor, Ian Mean, Vines said the project was working well – the recent Meet the Buyer event fronted by major civil engineering firm WSP proved it – but said the key was support and that needed to keep coming.

It was a reminder to everyone there, and everyone who was at the previous week’s Green Skills event at the University of Gloucestershire just across King’s Square, that talking about working together (and they did) is one thing – unless we also need to act or opportunities will pass us by.

Vines said Together Gloucestershire was working, but was run by a team of volunteers who had day jobs.

Vines himself runs Lounge Design, a Cirencester-headquartered creative design agency.

And unless that team can get Together Gloucestershire over its tipping point and into a sustainable place they would have to make the difficult decision.

Getting more SMEs and more big organisations to sign up, was key, he said. There is a small subscription for some. Getting commitment from some organisations that might be expected to welcome an easy opportunity to spend locally was a challenge, he said.

“We have great relationships with partners like WSP, like HBD (the developer charged with driving the major Golden Valley Development near GCHQ).

“We are working with every district and borough council in the county. The Forest of Dean District Council has been really responsive, as has the Cotswolds, but the public sector otherwise is difficult. They are hard to engage with,” said Vines.

Quite how devolution will impact that situation is unclear. The process is now underway to merge our six local authorities and county council into one entity in the next two years.

“What we need to survive is more engagement – from SMEs, big corporations, local authorities and we are looking for ambassadors to champion what we do. But we are gradually building momentum,” said Vines.

Lin said: “We need to all pull together as one county, and there is a bit of a way to go to achieve that.”

Partners already actively involved in the project include St James’s Place, Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), Spirax Sarco, Cheltenham Borough Council, Gloucestershire NHS Trust, Renishaw, and Gloucestershire County Council among others.

The county council alone has a strategic procurement budget of £1.3m, but an overall budget of £698.4 million.

“Together Gloucestershire is more than just another business platform. It’s a movement,” said Vines.

“It’s about creating real economic opportunities for SMEs in Gloucestershire and streamlining the procurement process for large businesses needing strong and ethical partners they can depend on.”

The first ‘meet the buyer’ live event staged in May, also at Patch, was fronted by WSP, one of four delivery partners for Gloucestershire County Council’s highways department. Meetings took place on the day between SMEs present and decisionmakers at WSP and deals are understood to have been done.

WSP is working alongside three other major contractors, Ringway, Tarmac and M Group on a £29m contract and supporting a wider programme of highways activity with c.£100m capital spend.

Over the course of its four-year contract (starting in April 2025 - with an option of a two-year extension) WSP said it aimed to deliver £7.1m of social value to Gloucestershire, with more than 11 per cent of the contract value returning to the county too (a figure it exceeded in year one). It saw Together Gloucestershire as a great tool for making that happen.

Anna Wilson, a contract director for WSP, said: “We have not been involved in anything quite like this ever before. I was involved in another region in something similar, but without the filter, and it was not successful.

“Working with Together Gloucestershire has really been worthwhile because it has already made sure the companies fit our criteria and are relevant.”

Vines added: “You can be really good at what you do, but unless you can demonstrate it – unless that big business knows you are there and can solve their problem, that you tick all their criteria for what they are looking for from a partner – you’re just another person knocking at the door and they probably won’t come out.

“When you become part of Together Gloucestershire (TG) the buyer can see who you are, they can see what you do and get an immediate idea of your business - whether you are a B Corp or not, for example.

“The whole thing about TG is about bringing these like-minded, ethical businesses together. It’s about connections. Large organisations need networks and this is creating one.

“It’s the old analogy that ‘people buy from people they like and can trust’. We are creating a network they can trust.”

The next ‘meet the buyer’ event is scheduled to take place on 30 September at Hartpury University and Hartpury College. There will be opportunity to secure one-to-one meetings direct with procurement teams on the day. Visit the Together Gloucestershire website to find out more.

More here: A telling sign of the battles ahead for Gloucestershire? - more from the Driving Gloucestershire Investment conference.

The number of people out of work has dropped in one of the most deprived parts of Gloucestershire while unemployment has risen elsewhere in the county.

The latest Department for Work and Pensions statistics show that the Forest of Dean has seen a reduction of unemployment by four per cent over the last year.

The total number of jobseekers in that district, which according to the ONS was ranked as the most deprived Gloucestershire district in 2024, is currently at 1,295 down 60 from last year.

But the number of claimants has risen by 11 per cent in the Cotswold district and ten per cent in Tewkesbury to 1,100 and 1,445 respectively.

Stroud has seen 85 more people sign on which constitutes a six per cent rise to a total of 1,610 claimants. While in Gloucester there are 75 more claimants than there were last year up two per cent to a total of 3195.

The drop in claimants in the Forest of Dean has been welcomed by Labour MP Matt Bishop. He said the reduction in unemployment across the area is welcome news, especially the drop in youth unemployment.

“It’s positive to see local partnerships helping residents gain skills, access training and find employment,” he said.

“I look forward to seeing this progress continue, so we can ensure everyone in the Forest of Dean has the opportunity to secure good, stable work.”

James Skilling, DWP third party provision manager for Gloucestershire, Somerset and West of England, said: “Jobcentre Plus offices across Gloucestershire have continued to support persons back into employment through partnership working, with local authorities, training providers and employers.

“The Forest of Dean area has seen the greatest reduction of unemployment over the past year, within Gloucestershire, with a four per cent reduction of unemployment across all age ranges, including a reduction of two per cent for young persons aged 18-24.”

Jobseekers have been encouraged to check out the range of vacancies available on Find a Job, with more than 750 vacancies in the Gloucestershire area.

A UK Government spokesperson said that while it’s welcome that unemployment has fallen slightly, the reality is too many young people are still locked out of work.

“For too long, governments have paid for failure rather than invested in people’s success,” they said.

“We’re determined to turn that around by creating real opportunities for young people, reforming education so everyone has a clear path to a good job and providing the support people need to stay and get on in work.”

By Carmelo Garcia, local democracy reporter for Gloucestershire. carmelo.garcia@reachplc.com

*The Raikes Journal is the only independent news outlet in Gloucestershire approved to use the copy of the BBC local government reporting service. Why? Only independent, credible journalistically-led platforms that meet the BBC’s high standards win that permission.

Skyborne, which describes itself as one of the world’s leading airline pilot training academies, is strengthening its leadership team by announcing three internal senior appointments.

Neill Evans has become head of training at the Staverton-headquartered firm, Matt Yemm is now deputy head of training and Carrie Stringer is head of customer support.

Lee Woodward, founder and chief executive officer of Skyborne, which trains pilots from many of the world’s biggest airlines, said: “Skyborne is trusted worldwide to train the next generation of airline pilots, and our senior team play a critical role in generating a strong pilot pipeline.

“Neill, Matt and Carrie are genuine, passionate leaders, and I am confident they will continue helping our trainees reach their full potential.”

Evans and Yemm will oversee the delivery of flight training across Skyborne’s Gloucestershire and Bournemouth Airport sites.

Evans has more than 20 years in aviation training and air traffic services and is a highly experienced UK CAA and EASA senior examiner.

Yemm has a decade of experience as a flight instructor and first officer and began his career as a warfare officer in the Royal Navy. His background strengthens Skyborne’s professional pilot pathways, preparing trainees for a successful airline career.

Stringer will oversee trainee satisfaction and support processes for Skyborne across the US, UK, and India. A Royal Air Force veteran, she has spent the last six years at the academy, building extensive knowledge of Skyborne’s training operations, relationship management and business development.

Woodward adds: “We’re continuing to grow our global footprint but we’re not stopping there. We continually invest in our people, trainees and facilities, and that’s why 95 per cent of Skyborne pilots are in airline employment today.”

Skyborne graduates go on to fly for airline partners worldwide including British Airways, easyJet, Jet2.com, Ryanair, Envoy Air, SkyWest Airlines and IndiGo.

This press release was sent to The Raikes Journal by the 80:20 Communications on 20 July 2026.

* If you want to see your releases featured here, and included on our email editions, email the editor.

The Raikes Journal is a digital magazine and community interest company whose supporters believe, like us, that journalism about Gloucestershire is worth keeping alive. Everything you read on The Raikes Journal is made possible by our incredible Founding Partners: QuoLux, Willans LLP, Gloucestershire College, Merrell People, our sponsors and our Founding Members and wonderful paying subscribers.

If you upgrade to paid you will be able to see past the paywalls on our second and third email editions of the week, that lock all our archive after two weeks and lock our rolling Top 100 Businesses in Gloucestershire, the series that follows the financial fortunes of our biggest firms by turnover. You will be able to comment on our stories too. You’ll be helping make this CIC sustainable. Please do join us.

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Welcome to Monday’s The Raikes Journal.

It’s an edition given over to the fallout from the political upheaval afoot in our county, country and internationally – from the appointment of Andy Burnham as our new Prime Minister to the uncertainty of devolution now gripping Gloucestershire and the unstable international stage.

First, Malcolm Prowle, professor of performance management at the University of Gloucestershire, spells out his view on the impact of the UK’s incredibly unstable political environment. It’s not a very positive picture, but there is a silver lining.

A solution to better outcomes might just lie in devolution, suggests Prowle – the process currently gripping Gloucestershire’s attention as it hurtles towards the dissolution of its six local authorities and county council and towards elections for a new single authority in 2028.

Already businesses smell opportunity. Mark Terry-Lush of the Forest of Dean Economic Partnership spoke up on Friday at a conference on investment in Gloucestershire, challenging two of the county’s MPs to commit to the importance of ensuring the Forest of Dean is not forgotten in the upheaval.

Now the FEP has gone further and spelt out more formal plans below to hold our new county chiefs to account.

And then we look at how significant the impact of the political climate already is, both locally, nationally and internationally, for Gloucestershire.

At the same conference we mentioned above, Ruth Dooley, a senior partner at accountants Hazlewoods, also challenged Alex McIntyre, MP for Gloucester, and Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, MP for the North Cotswolds.

Would they commit to lobbying Government for the promised funds for Junction 9a of the M5, she asked?

News broke earlier this month that the Government could be about to retract its commitment to the new motorway junction, said to be key to economic prosperity in the north of Gloucestershire.

Neither McIntyre nor Clifton-Brown was forthcoming.

More on the conference later in the week. A positive vibe, a recognition that working together is the way forward and an overwhelming desire to do better for Gloucestershire, but also a sense of the pressures too. A sense that choices will have to be made – and it is those choices that will determine what get’s done and what get’s dropped, good or bad.

Best regards,

Andrew Merrell

Editor | 07956 926061 | LinkedIn: Andrew Merrell | andrew.merrell@raikesjournal.co.uk

Charity of the week…

A very special bench has been installed at Gloucester’s Phoenix Cafe at Abbeydale Sports and Community Centre. It’s the result of the efforts of city woman Mary Barnes who raised £2,000 from donations to make the bench possible. It is one of a growing number of seats being put in place across the UK, supported by the charity Legend on the Bench - launched by ex-Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea midfielder footballer Micky Hazzard. His nephew, Jay Lee Mead, took his own life in 2019. The benches signify the importance of a place to sit, to talk, and to listen. Each one carries the message ‘someone is always listening’, and a plaque with phone numbers for helplines including Samaritans, M.I.N.D, Suicide Prevention UK, Childline, and even the Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide charity. Barnes lost her partner, Paul Close, when he took his own life two years ago. A second bench, with money raised by another Gloucestershire woman, Jane Roberts, is also due to be installed in Stroud. Read more here and learn by Sunflower Suicide Prevent backs idea.

Political instability is holding back UK economic growth

As we welcome a new Prime Minister and Gloucestershire rushes towards devolution – a complete re-think of how our local Government is run – Malcolm Prowle looks at symptoms, causes and opportunities.

The UK’s long-term economic prospects are being undermined by persistent political instability, weak policy delivery and excessive centralisation, according to Professor Malcolm Prowle.

Prowle, professor of performance management at the University of Gloucestershire, says today’s appointment of Andy Burnham as the UK’s seventh new prime minister since 2010 is not a sign of a healthy governing system but a warning signal for investors, businesses, public services and communities across the country.

Prowle said: “So many different prime ministers in 16 years is not simply political drama – it is a serious economic problem. Growth depends on stability, consistency and long-term planning. The UK has had far too little of all three.”

Before the 2008 financial crisis, UK economic growth averaged around 2.5 per cent to three per cent a year. Since then it’s been closer to one per cent to 1.5 per cent, reducing tax receipts, limiting the scope for improving public services and leaving households feeling less secure, said Prowle.

At the same time, he argued, Britain continues to suffer from some of the deepest regional inequalities among advanced economies, with London and the South East pulling far ahead of many towns, cities and former industrial areas.

“The UK does not lack ideas for growth. What it lacks is a stable and effective system for implementing them. Policies are announced, revised, abandoned and relaunched, often before they have had any chance to work,” he said.

Policy areas should, argued Prowle, include skills, healthcare, green energy, transport and regional investment to support both growth and greater equality.

What of devolution – the political turmoil on a local level which will see Gloucestershire’s six local authorities and county council dissolved and replaced with one?

According to Prowle, without deeper devolution, stronger regional institutions and longer-term policy planning, Britain will struggle to escape its low-growth cycle.

You can read the full article here.

Businesses will hold new unitary authority to account with charter

Businesses in Gloucestershire are to create an economic charter of measurable commitments for the Forest of Dean to hold the county’s new-look single unitary authority to account and ensure the district is not forgotten.

The Forest of Dean Economic Partnership is to develop the charter through open consultation with businesses in the district over the coming months, staging sessions in its four market towns starting this autumn.

The resulting document will then be published ahead of next year’s May elections for the new single authority that will replace our current six local authorities and county council.

It’s not just about holding the new Gloucestershire-wide council to account, it’s about holding our new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, to account too.

In a speech in June, as he positioned himself for leadership, Burnham said he would deliver “good growth in every postcode and hope in every heart”.

And yet when the Secretary of State published the four-page statement last week explaining the decision for Gloucestershire the Forest of Dean only once.

Nicola Bird, chair of the Forest Economic Partnership, said: “Now the unitary is decided our job is to make sure the Forest of Dean is not simply part of the conversation but shaping it – and that one sentence in a Government letter becomes a set of commitments the Forest can hold the new council to.

“Success will not be measured by governance structures. It will be measured by whether a young person in Cinderford has greater opportunities, whether a business in Mitcheldean can grow with confidence, whether manufacturers in Coleford can recruit the skilled workforce they need, and whether investment reaches every part of Gloucestershire – not just the obvious growth corridors.

“The next Prime Minister has promised good growth in every postcode. We say: ‘excellent’; we’ll help you keep that promise, and we’ll measure it. GL14 to GL18 are postcodes too.”

According to the FEP the Forest of Dean is home to around 3,800 businesses, more than 90 per cent of which are micro businesses employing fewer than 10 people.

Manufacturing is the district’s largest industrial employer.

Its visitor economy alone is worth £400 million annually.

It is also an area where the average salary is 11 per cent below the England average.

“When the (Forest of Dean) district council goes, the Forest Economic Partnership will be the independent voice that speaks for them – and the charter is how we will turn the promise of growth in every postcode into something the Forest can measure,” said Bird.

What the charter will cover…

The final commitments will be shaped by Forest businesses themselves, but the consultation will focus on the areas where the gap between the Forest and the rest of the county is widest:

• skills, pay and career pathways west of the Severn;

• recognition of the visitor economy as a strategic sector;

• practical support that reaches micro and small businesses in every market town;

• protecting economic development capacity for the Forest through the transition; and

• a guaranteed Forest business voice in the new council’s economic structures from day one.

FEP would report publicly on progress against the charter each year, beginning with the shadow authority in 2027.

Businesses that want to help shape the charter or join the FEP can register their interest at foresteconomicpartnership.co.uk.

The Raikes Journal is a community interest company. Everything you read is made possible by our incredible Founding Partners: QuoLux, Willans LLP, Gloucestershire College, Merrell People, our sponsors, our Founding Members and wonderful paying subscribers.

Readers who upgrade to become a paid subscriber become part of this CIC too (from £2.30 a week). It helps make us sustainable, allows you to see past the paywalls, comment on our stories, and know you’re making possible the county’s only editorially-led digital magazine dedicated to delivering quality journalism for Gloucestershire about its businesses, charities, education and training sectors.

Raikes is the only independent website approved to use the BBC’s local Government copy. It recognises Raikes as independent journalism.

Subscribe now

A telling sign of the battles ahead for Gloucestershire?

When Ruth Dooley asked two of the county’s MPs what will become a Junction 9A - crucial to Gloucestershire’s economic development plans they didn’t sound too confident of its delivery.

Devolution may well deliver bigger and better for Gloucestershire in the long run, but in a turbulent political world is a major blow to one of the county’s biggest economic drivers a sign of what’s to come?

Tewkesbury Borough has for years been Gloucestershire’ most effective wealth creator. In the county’s joint core strategy it is home to 75 per cent of Gloucestershire’s employment land.

To continue that growth, which has seen it out perform not just every other area of the county but almost every other local authority areas in the UK, it needs a new motorway junction.

And as far as anyone knew that was all agreed by Government. Junction 9A, just south of the existing Junction 9 for Tewkesbury was a done deal – until this this month, when it suddenly looked like the Government had changed its mind, putting into question such detail as plans for 25,000 new homes for the county.

Ruth Dooley, a senior partner at Hazlewoods accountants began the Driving Gloucestershire Investment conference at Patch in Gloucester on Friday by asking Alex McIntyre, MP for Gloucester, and Sir Geoffrey Clifton Brown, MP for the North Cotswolds, whether they would continue lobbying for the key infrastructure project.

“There is a suggestion that the funding for the much-needed Junction 9A – needed to support the 25,000-home Tewkesbury Garden Community – is not going to come. Which will make it really difficult for that part of the county?” said Dooley.

McIntyre, “I spend a lot of time lobbying Government for investment into the county. And the Government will be asked to consider hundreds of challenges.

“But we have to increase spending on defence and we will have to look at other decisions in order to do that. And that will involve looking at things already committed to.

“That will be one of the challenges Andy (Burnham) and his new Chancellor will have to look at first.”

He added: “Defence of the country has to come first. I have been visiting RAF bases recently and the stories they tell me are concerning. We have to tighten our belts.”

Clifton-Brown: “There is very little money at the moment. On of the big challenges Andy Burnham will face is how to fund investment on defence properly.

“But the threat is growing. The priority of Government is to defend the country.”

In the audience listening was Richard Stanley, the Liberal Democrat leader of Tewkesbury Borough Council of Tewkesbury Borough Council.

Did he think the plans for the junction (crucial not just for the ongoing investment and expansion but for relieving the mounting pressure on Junction 9 from the housing and retail development on the Ashchurch side of the M5) were dead?

In short, “no”. Stanley believes the new junction is part of the argument in favour of more spending on defence and points to Tewkesbury-based American-owned engineering giant Moog, which has significant defence customers and is involved in the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter programme.

In 2023 it opened a 209,000-square-foot aerospace headquarters costing £40 million just yards from Junction 9 branding it a ‘factory of the future’. It needed good access to the M5 to continue to thrive and its staff homes in which to live.

And with that Stanley followed McIntyre out of the door to lobby on just that point.

This wasn’t the only topic of conversations at the event of course, which was staged by Gloucestershire Business Insights and which saw a number of panels take to centre stage.

As we said above, there was a positive vibe, a genuine concern for the future, recognition that working together is the way forward and an overwhelming desire to do better for Gloucestershire. But there was also a sense that choices will have to be made – and it is those choices that will determine what get’s done and what get’s dropped, good or bad.

We will report more from the Driving Gloucestershire Investment conference later in the week.

The UK’s long-term economic prospects are being undermined by persistent political instability, weak policy delivery and excessive centralisation, according to Professor Malcolm Prowle.

The professor of performance management at the University of Gloucestershire warns that the appointment of the seventh new Prime Ministers since 2010 is not a sign of a healthy governing system, but a warning signal for investors, businesses, public services and communities across the country.

Today (20 June) Andy Burnham became the latest occupant of 10 Downing Street, following David Cameron (2010-2016), Theresa May (2016-2019), Boris Johnson (2019-2022), Liz Truss (2022), Rishi Sunak (2022-2024) and Sir Kier Starmer (2024-2026).

Professor Malcolm Prowle said: “So many different Prime Ministers in 16 years is not simply political drama – it is a serious economic problem. Growth depends on stability, consistency and long-term planning. The UK has had far too little of all three.”

Before the 2008 financial crisis, UK economic growth typically averaged around 2.5% to three per cent a year.

Since then, growth has been far weaker, often closer to one per cent to 1.5per cent. This has reduced tax receipts, limited the scope for improving public services and left households feeling less secure.

At the same time, Britain continues to suffer from some of the deepest regional inequalities among advanced economies, with London and the South East pulling far ahead of many towns, cities and former industrial areas.

Prowle said: “The UK does not lack ideas for growth. What it lacks is a stable and effective system for implementing them. Policies are announced, revised, abandoned and relaunched, often before they have had any chance to work.”

Professor Prowle identifies several barriers to stronger growth, including: unpreparedness when new governments enter office, over-centralisation in Westminster and Whitehall, departmental silos, short-term Treasury funding, and a political culture that rewards immediate announcements rather than long-term delivery.

He argues that major policy areas such as skills, healthcare, green energy, transport and regional investment can support both growth and greater equality.

But he points out these policies require consistency, coordination and patience.

Professor Prowle concludes that without deeper devolution stronger regional institutions and longer-term policy planning, Britain will struggle to escape its low-growth cycle.

He calls for a more radical approach to English regional government, giving elected regional bodies the powers and resources needed to drive economic development locally.

Professor Prowle said: “Unless the UK changes the way it governs itself, it will remain trapped between ambitious growth targets and a political system that repeatedly gets in the way of achieving them.”

This press release was sent to The Raikes Journal by the University of Gloucestershire on 20 July 2026.

* If you want to see your releases featured here, and included on our email editions, email the editor.

The Raikes Journal is a digital magazine and community interest company whose supporters believe, like us, that journalism about Gloucestershire is worth keeping alive. Everything you read on The Raikes Journal is made possible by our incredible Founding Partners: QuoLux, Willans LLP, Gloucestershire College, Merrell People, our sponsors and our Founding Members and wonderful paying subscribers.

If you upgrade to paid you will be able to see past the paywalls on our second and third email editions of the week, that lock all our archive after two weeks and lock our rolling Top 100 Businesses in Gloucestershire, the series that follows the financial fortunes of our biggest firms by turnover. You will be able to comment on our stories too. You’ll be helping make this CIC sustainable. Please do join us.

You can do that for just £2.30 a week - or £1.80 a week if two or more people sign up at once.

I hope you’ve had a good week.

I spent this morning (Friday 17 July) at the Driving Gloucestershire Investment event at Patch in Gloucester, staged by Peter Allison’s Business Insights team.

The day started with an excellent conversation between Ruth Dooley, a senior partner at Hazlewoods accountants and former boss of GFirst LEP, and two of the county’s MPs - Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown and Alex McIntyre.

As you would imagine, a day after the decision was made that Gloucestershire’s six local authorities and county council will be dissolved and forged into a new single authority this was the topic of conversation: wide-ranging, enlightening and thoroughly interesting.

I’ll be writing up some of what I hear for Monday’s edition.

In the meantime we take a look at the news about Premiere Kitchens’ investment that broke this week courtesy of Prestbury Marketing. You may have seen the press release (put out as a new story elsewhere), but we’ve lifted the bonnet on the story a little, describe what we saw, and why the business is able to make such incredible strides.

This story is part of our Raikes Recognition series, which singles out and showcases businesses and individuals in the county doing great things.

The sponsors who make that and this whole independent news operation happen - the only independent, journalistically-led news operation in Gloucestershire - also give their view. A massive thank you to Willans LLP solicitors, QuoLux and Gloucestershire College.

Enjoy. And have a great weekend.

Best regards,

Andrew Merrell

Editor | 07956 926061 | LinkedIn: Andrew Merrell | andrew.merrell@raikesjournal.co.uk

Briefing notes…

💷 A £1 million investment will allow a Tewkesbury precision engineering firm to better serve its customers in the counter-drone systems, cybersecurity hardware and submarine markets. Geometric Manufacturing employs 100 staff across three sites. The investment has come via the £400m-strong Midlands Engine Investment Fund II through its appointed fund manager, Frontier Development Capital. The firm has invested £6m over the last six years, including in staff training. It also runs its own degree apprenticeships scheme. Turnover has doubled in the last four years. It predicts a further 50 per cent turnover growth in the next two years and creation of six new apprenticeship roles a year.

🌲🌳🌲🌳 The Forest Economic Partnership (FEP) has announced it will create a Forest Business Charter – a set of clear, measurable commitments for the district’s economy that the new Gloucestershire unitary council will be asked to adopt, and against which its performance will be publicly reported. The charter will be developed in open consultation with businesses across the district, including sessions in each of the Forest’s four market towns this autumn, and published ahead of the elections to the new shadow authority in May 2027. Nicola Bird, chair of the FEP, said it was important the Forest of Dean “is not simply part of the conversation, but shaping it”. More to come on Monday...

📢 This morning (Friday 17 July) saw Mark Terry-Lush of the Forest of Dean Economic Partnership and Forest of Dean and Wye Valley Tourism ask MP’s from Gloucestershire to make sure the Forest of Dean was not forgotten as the county rushes headlong towards becoming a single unitary authority following yesterday’s decision that Gloucestershire would become a single unitary authority under devolution. Terry-Lush put the questions at the Driving Gloucestershire Investment conference at Patch in Gloucester. We’ll be writing up some of our notes from the event for Monday’s edition. Excitement and anxiety surround what’s ahead.

💷 More than £2.6m was invested by Gloucester City Council during the past year to support 1885 households facing homelessness with accommodation and housing-related assistance. A report endorsed by the council’s cabinet this week shows that spending on homelessness prevention and support increased by six per cent compared with the previous twelve months.

🏘️🏘️ Gloucester-based housebuilder Newland Homes has announced the promotion of Tom Sheppard as managing director designate, a newly created role to support the continued growth of the business as a leading developer of zero-carbon homes in the South West. More here.

Ideas for the weekend…

Friday:

• Music festival Chalfest takes place all weekend at Chalford near Stroud. You may still be able to get in. More here.

• Cotswolds - People, Planet, Pint™: Sustainability Meetup: Find local inspiration and like-minded friends over a drink. From 6.30pm. More here.

Saturday:

• Stroud Record and CD Fair. Merlin Moosik brings its Record Fair to the Sub Rooms. A massive selection of New and Used Vinyl, CDs, DVDs and memorabilia from many sellers from 10am to 3pm.

Sunday:

• Gloucester Cathedral will host a series of concerts to celebrate its new organ after a £1.8 million refurbishment. Wayne Marshall performs an evening organ recital on Saturday 18 July 2026 followed by a free masterclass on Sunday 19 July.

Multi-million pound investment will create jobs as manufacturer targets growth

This week it unveiled a £5m investment in its Gloucester factory that will create jobs and drive growth. We look closer at Premiere Kitchen’s plans, and award it a coveted Raikes Recognition award.

Premiere Kitchen found itself popular on social media this week when it officially opened the first phase of a three-year £5 million investment programme as part of its continued growth.

Former High Sheriff of Gloucestershire, Julie Kent, MBE, helped mark the grand reveal of the new manufacturing equipment at the firm’s Gloucester headquarters and the story was widely shared.

The £3.25 million investment will give Premiere Kitchens the capacity to increase production and improve quality, further strengthening its position as a major supplier to the UK’s social housing sector.

We wanted to expand on the press release from Prestbury Marketing (that everyone else just went ahead and published) with a bit of journalism. We wanted to tell some of the story we had heard Premiere Kitchen’s managing director, Andy Barham, share before about the incredible turnaround in the firm’s fortunes under his watch, how he’s helped do that, and how many jobs it will create.

It’s such an impressive story that we’re making Premiere Kitchens the latest business to receive one of our Raikes Recognition certificates, part of a series of awards we give to mark outstanding achievement by companies and individuals in the county.

Trj Premiere Recognition

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Barham has been with Markey Group since 2007 and became managing director of its kitchen manufacturing business in 2014.

He was just about to unveil plans for growth when Covid-19 pandemic struck, and put everything on ice. It was a difficult time for the business.

Barham felt if he was to live up to expectations and achieve growth post-pandemic he had to be able to get the most out of himself, and promptly threw himself into a programme with Gloucester-based leadership development experts QuoLux.

He credits this journey as instrumental in helping him and his team transform the achieve those goals. Productivity rose from £120,000 per head to £175,000 – an increase of 45 per cent. And in two years to 2026 profitability more than doubled from £1.3m to £3.2m.

“I am sure that the leadership training throughout the organisation we invested in via QuoLux allowed us to take advantage of a change in dynamic within our market when a large competitor sadly fell into administration,” said Barham.

“The skill sets we had learned enabled us to scale up swiftly, whilst totally conscious of the change that caused within the businesses, allowed us to help colleagues through that and maintain control of commercial elements.

“This, coupled with a fantastic, vibrant ‘can-do’ culture built on an established set of values and a very clear purpose within the organisation.”

The impact of its latest investment will not just be on its output and customer service. It will allow it to create jobs too. Premiere Kitchens currently employs 140 but expects to create circa 20-30 new jobs by 2030.

It is understood Barham and his team have their sights set on 50 per cent revenue growth for Premiere Kitchens as a result of the current and pending investment.

Markey Group’s last published accounts describe a £41.7m turnover for the year ending March 2025, up from £32m the year before.

The latest investment at Premiere Kitchens also ticks many boxes for customers increasingly seeking partners who share their concerns for sustainability.

“We are completely focused on delivering the very best quality and service we can for any housing association, council or contractors’ budget and creating value for everyone in the supply chain from the end user to Premiere’s own colleagues,” said Barham.

“Add in our environmental focus that sees a biomass creating the facility’s heat whilst 1MW helps supply the electricity needed, we offer a very compelling value proposition for all our existing and potential customers.”

Premiere selected German engineering specialist Homag as its technology partner and its new manufacturing line resulting from the £3.25m spent includes an advanced automated panel cutting system and edge banding machine said to deliver exceptional precision, efficiency, consistency and significantly reducing waste.

All timber waste generated during production is now automatically transferred directly into Premiere’s onsite biomass heating system, providing heat and hot water for the facility.

Electricity is generated from one megawatt of rooftop solar panels.

“This investment isn’t simply about buying new machinery. It’s about ensuring we have the capacity, technology and quality standards to continue supporting social housing providers for many years to come,” said Barham.

“Demand for high-quality replacement kitchens continues to grow, yet relatively few major manufacturers focus on this market.

“We’ve built our reputation over more than 35 years by understanding exactly what housing associations and local authorities need, and this investment reinforces that long-term commitment.”

Kent said: “Premiere Kitchens demonstrates exactly the kind of innovative, sustainable manufacturing that Gloucestershire should be proud of.

“The company’s long-standing commitment to supporting social housing while investing in advanced technology is an excellent example of British manufacturing at its very best.”

Comments on Premiere Kitchen’s progress from the sponsors that make possible this series on brilliant Gloucestershire businesses and individuals…

Stewart Barnes, founder and chief executive officer of QuoLux, said: “We’ve been working with Andy Barham and many of his colleagues since 2021 across many of our programmes.

“We have witnessed at first-hand the meteoric increase in the performance of the business and the positive impact that leadership has had at all levels in the company, so much so that we featured it as a case study in our latest book, Realising Good Growth.

“Andy has consistently invested in people and now its time for new plant and machinery as per the business plan.”

Hifsa O’Kelly, partner in employment law and business immigration at Willans LLP solicitors, said: “Congratulations to Premiere Kitchens on this significant investment.

“This is great news for Gloucester’s economy, and what's particularly encouraging is that the company recognises that growth isn't just about investing in machinery and facilities – it's also about investing in people.

“Premier Kitchens’ focus on creating and guaranteeing careers within Gloucestershire, and not just jobs, demonstrates strong and effective leadership that is committed to retaining and developing talent, which is often the strong foundation of a successful and long-lasting business.”

A statement from Gloucestershire College said: “This investment is great news for Gloucester, demonstrating the strength and resilience of our local manufacturing sector.

“As a college, we’re committed to supporting employers with the skills and the talent pipeline they need to grow, and it’s always encouraging to see businesses like Premiere Kitchens continuing to create new employment opportunities.”

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Gloucester-based housebuilder Newland Homes has announced the promotion of Tom Sheppard as managing director designate, a newly created role to support the continued growth of the business as a leading developer of zero carbon homes in the South West.

The appointment reflects Newland Homes’ commitment to ensuring continuity of leadership while maintaining the values, culture and quality that have underpinned the company’s success for more than three and a half decades.

“David Foreman who co-founded the business in 1991, will begin to step back from day to day running of the company over the coming year while continuing to support the business strategically as executive chairman.

Tom has held senior positions at Newland Homes since 2011, progressing to design director, a role he has held for the past three years, and formerly planning director.

The transition period will see Sheppard working alongside Foreman and the wider leadership team to ensure the continued growth and success of the company, whilst maintaining its longstanding commitment to quality, sustainability and customer satisfaction.

“Newland Homes has built a reputation for quality, zero carbon homes that put the customers’ and communities’ needs at the centre of design and build, and so I’m honoured to be appointed as managing director designate to lead the company into the next chapter,” said Sheppard.

“I’m grateful for the trust that Foreman and the Board have placed in me with this appointment.

“Having spent the last 15 years helping to deliver Newland Homes’ vision through design and planning working alongside developments director Jeremy Drew, I am excited to have the opportunity to broaden my responsibilities and work closely with colleagues across all areas of the business.”

As managing director designate, Sheppard will retain a key role within Newland Homes’ design and planning team, an area in which he has made a significant contribution.

Over the next year, he will become increasingly involved in all areas of finance, commercial and operational aspects of the business.

Foreman said: “Tom has long been an integral part of Newland Homes and has played a major role in shaping the high-quality developments for which we are known. He understands our business, our values and our customers, and I am delighted to see him take this next step.

“This appointment ensures a smooth and well-planned transition as I gradually reduce my day-to-day involvement in the business.”

This press release was sent to The Raikes Journal by Vox PR Ltd on 17 July 2026.

* If you want to see your releases featured here, and included on our email editions, email the editor.

The Raikes Journal is a digital magazine and community interest company whose supporters believe, like us, that journalism about Gloucestershire is worth keeping alive. Everything you read on The Raikes Journal is made possible by our incredible Founding Partners: QuoLux, Willans LLP, Gloucestershire College, Merrell People, our sponsors and our Founding Members and wonderful paying subscribers.

If you upgrade to paid you will be able to see past the paywalls on our second and third email editions of the week, that lock all our archive after two weeks and lock our rolling Top 100 Businesses in Gloucestershire, the series that follows the financial fortunes of our biggest firms by turnover. You will be able to comment on our stories too. You’ll be helping make this CIC sustainable. Please do join us.

You can do that for just £2.30 a week - or £1.80 a week if two or more people sign up at once.

A major council shake-up has been confirmed for Gloucestershire as the government announces its decision on how the county will be run in the coming years, writes Carmelo Garcia.

Gloucestershire will move to a single unitary authority, replacing the county council and all six district and borough councils.

It is expected that elections to the new council would go ahead in May next year with the new structural changes then established in April 2028.

At that point the current county, city, and district councils will be dissolved.

The two alternative ideas for the county – to create a ‘Greater Gloucester’ or split the county into ‘East and West’ have now been ruled out.

Gloucestershire County Council’s Liberal Democrat leader Lisa Spivey said she was pleased with the decision.

“This is what the county council and three other councils supported and government have clearly listened to us when making the decision,” she said.

“Keeping Gloucestershire together means that we can focus on the things that really matter for residents – good quality services whether that’s roads, schools or health care, and growing our economy to offer opportunity for all.

“Liberal Democrats will be continuing to focus on ensuring that there is a smooth transition to the new council and that most importantly, we design services fit for the future and where residents, businesses and our communities are embedded into the decision making which affects them.

“I will be working closely with officers, councillors, and stakeholders across

Gloucestershire to make sure that we make the most of this reorganisation.

“This is not something we wished for, and the cost of delivering it is something I believe government should be funding, not Gloucestershire’s taxpayers. I will be asking government to stump up the money.

“There have been differing opinions on the models proposed amongst Liberal

Democrats, but we have a proven track record of delivering for residents and will continue to do so.”

Councillor Vernon Smith, leader of the Reform UK Group at Gloucestershire County Council, has also spoken out against the process stating nobody in the county “voted for this”.

“This reorganisation was imposed from Whitehall, and residents were never given a referendum on the future of their own local government. That is not how Reform UK would have done it.”

However, Cllr Smith added: “That said, of the options on the table, a single council for the whole of Gloucestershire is the least damaging outcome.

“It avoids carving the county in two, avoids duplicating chief executives, directors and administrative bureaucracy, and it matches what the overwhelming majority of residents who responded to the consultation actually said they wanted.

“But warm words about savings mean nothing unless they are delivered. Reorganisations of this kind have a habit of costing taxpayers a fortune in consultants, redundancy payments and rebranding before a single penny is saved.

“Reform UK will be watching every pound of transition spending like a hawk, and we will oppose any attempt to use reorganisation as cover for council tax rises or cuts to frontline services.

“The new council will start with a blank sheet of paper. In May 2027, the people of Gloucestershire will decide who writes on it.

“Reform UK will stand ready with candidates in every corner of this county, offering a council built on transparency, fiscal discipline and common sense rather than the waste and ideology residents have endured for too long.”

City council leader Jeremy Hilton said: “I am disappointed by the decision of the Labour government to create a massive single unitary council for Gloucestershire. 

“At 670,000 residents, it will be the third largest unitary authority in England. A council of this scale will inevitably be too big, too distant, and too remote from the communities it is meant to serve,” the Liberal Democrat said.

“For Gloucester, the consequences are profound.  For the first time in centuries our city will lose its own council, a historic institution that has shaped Gloucester’s identity, civic life, and democratic voice since the Middle Ages.

“This is sad news indeed. Our community risks losing influence over the decisions that affect us most, as Gloucester becomes just one part of a very large county wide authority.

“I fear for our civic leadership, especially the centuries old roles of the Mayor and Sheriff, which have embodied Gloucester’s heritage and given our city a proud and visible voice. 

“Their future is now uncertain within a giant unitary structure that may not value or preserve these traditions.

“Local identity matters. Local voice matters. Local accountability matters. A single unitary council risks weakening all three.

“Liberal Democrats in Gloucester will continue to battle for the city in the new local government structure. Our city deserves the best.”

However, Conservative group leader at Shire Hall Stephen Davies said: “This is great news for the people of Gloucestershire.

“One Gloucestershire is the only decision that makes sense financially but also creates the opportunity to create a new Council that will be able to deliver better services without wasting money on splitting the existing services.

“There is exciting potential for joined up local government in areas of planning, waste collection and disposal, housing and many more. Looking across the country I am relieved that we have not been treated like other areas and split up.”

All three local government shake-up proposals developed in Gloucestershire were considered by ministers after each received the backing of at least one council.

“The Government wants to see district authorities merged with county councils in England as part of their drive to simplify local government and create stronger local councils.

Gloucestershire County Council has been working with the six borough, district and city authorities over the last year to develop options for the ministers to review.

“All options involved merging the districts with Shire Hall and creating one or more unitary councils providing all of their services:

CHOSEN: A single unitary authority to cover the whole area represented by Shire Hall. If taken forward, this council would be made up of 110 councillors. The current district authorities in Gloucester, Cheltenham, Cotswold, Forest of Dean, Stroud and Tewkesbury will be merged with Gloucestershire County Council.

Another option involved creating a unitary council in the East made up of Cheltenham, Cotswold and Tewkesbury and another in the West composed of Gloucester, Stroud and the Forest of Dean. Under these plans there would be 58 councillors representing the West and 52 in the East.

A separate plan for two unitary authorities was developed by Gloucester City Council. This would involve a Greater Gloucester council with a separate unitary for the rest of the county.

This would have 52 councillors for Greater Gloucester based on 18 Gloucester City wards and new wards for surrounding parishes and 81 for the rest of Gloucestershire, based on two per county council divisions.

A single council was expected to save nearly £21m per year, with £164m in net savings over the next 10 years while two unitary councils would save just under £11m a year, with more than £55m saved in 10 years.

Over the last year, each of the councils held a debate over which option they preferred.

The ‘One Gloucestershire’ option gained the support of the County Council, Cotswold District Council, Tewkesbury Borough and Stroud District Council.Cheltenham Borough Council supported the East-West proposal while City Council leaders agreed to submit their Greater Gloucester scheme to ministers.

The Forest of Dean District Council voted against all of the above options amid concerns that the process will ultimately erode local democracy.

MPs in the county were split over their preferred option. Labour’s three MPs Alex McIntyre (Gloucester), Simon Opher (Stroud) and Matt Bishop (Forest of Dean) backed the East-West split option along with Liberal Democrat Max Wilkinson (Cheltenham).

Meanwhile, fellow Lib Dems Roz Savage (South Cotswolds) and Cameron Thomas (Tewkesbury) and Conservative Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (North Cotswolds) backed the single unitary proposal.

By Carmelo Garcia, local democracy reporter for Gloucestershire. carmelo.garcia@reachplc.com

*The Raikes Journal is the only independent news outlet in Gloucestershire approved to use the copy of the BBC local government reporting service. Why? Only independent, credible journalistically-led platforms that meet the BBC’s high standards win that permission.

My apologies for the late edition this week.

I was keen to speak to some of the business owners first whose apprentices received awards in the recent Honourable Company of Gloucestershire Anne Cadbury Apprentice Awards, an event that drew royal attention to the county and how we do things here.

When press releases about events involving the royal family go out its press office always gets first look, and you can guarantee those quoted will be the senior figures present. They did help make it all possible, after all.

But it’s the companies that are investing in apprentices, often some of our smallest but most dynamic (the kind without a budget for marketing), as well as the colleges they work with to deliver the training - and the apprentices themselves - who often offer the most valuable insight. Which I think is the case here too.

As you will see from the comments below, despite a push to raise the status of apprenticeships there remains the legacy to overcome left by our determination to make a degree post-school appear to be the only road to glory. And there remains another key challenge too.

Government says it’s in favour of apprentices and its figures might show numbers are rising, but they also show companies have been using their apprenticeship levy money to train existing staff rather than develop new talent. Investment in training in entry-level positions remains low - across the sectors.

Somewhere in the list of the many reasons we have more than one million young people struggling to find meaningful work is this point. Understanding it seems key to changing the way of things and unblocking not just a route to work and delivering hope but also growth.

Colleges are creating apprenticeship opportunities, young people are queuing up for them but businesses are simply not getting involved in any great numbers.

Some are, and some of the very best of those are listed below. Interestingly, it’s not only the apprentices that are growing. The businesses are too.

Best regards,

Andrew Merrell

Editor | 07956 926061 | LinkedIn: Andrew Merrell | andrew.merrell@raikesjournal.co.uk

Charity of the week…

More than 450 people took part in Longfield Hospice’s vibrant Run the Rainbow event at Frampton Court Estate earlier this month, which involved dodging (or not) clouds of colourful paint and foam to complete the 5k challenge. A lively warm-up was led by Pennie McKenzie, joined by Longfield’s mascot, Cuthbert the Cow, with many staying around post-event to celebrate with live music from D’Artagnan. Longfield Hospice paid tribute to the team of volunteers who made the event possible, including volunteers from local Rotary clubs and members of Stroud Camera Club. Ewa Pawlowska for Longfield Hospice said: “We are incredibly grateful to everyone who took part, volunteered, donated or helped make the day so special.” The efforts of all raised more than £11,000 towards the hospice’s free care and support services, including hospice care in the home and bereavement counselling.

Briefing notes…

🚙🚗🚚 Calls for funding commitment for M5 junction revamp: There are fears much-needed improvements planned for junction 9 of the M5 could be in peril as the Government slashes £700m from its roads fund to boost defence spending. More here.

💷🏗️ Lucozade Ribena factory expansion plans set for approval: Plans to expand and boost the efficiency of the Lucozade and Ribena factory in the Forest of Dean look set for approval. More here.

This weekend…

There are still a few tickets left for this weekend’s Chalfest, a musical gem staged in the Five Valleys. Headlining are Heather Small, Tinchy Stryder, Chesney Hawkes, BBC Radio 1’s Charlie Hedges, Dick & Dom and Discolicious featuring Woody Cook, alongside local favourites Casual 6. Five stages will be packed with entertainment, with 15-plus street food vendors, six bars serving everything from Clavell & Hind beers, Westons Cider and Woodchester Valley wines to handcrafted cocktails from Uncommon Distillery, plus a lively Comedy Tent and the much-loved KidsZone. Due to take place on 16 and 17 of July at France Lynch Pleasure Grounds, Chalford Hill, Stroud. Tickets here.

Spades go in the ground - but will the Golden Valley deliver on its promises?

Work has started on phase one of the much-trumpeted business park and housing scheme planned for land beside GCHQ on the Gloucester side of Cheltenham, the Golden Valley Development.

It’s a project first proposed almost a decade ago when Cheltenham Borough Council went all in, spending £37.5 million to acquire 45 hectares of prime land and began feeding the imagination of everyone and anyone watching with talk of a “Silicon Valley”-style development. It’s since approved a further £95m funding pot.

This, the council said, will be UK Cyber Central, underscoring the county’s growing reputation as a hotbed of all things cyber, highlighting the ecosystem of private businesses clustering in and around Cheltenham as a result of the Government listening post (GCHQ), and driving our economy.

Publicity continues to talk-up the expected economic impact. Apparently The Golden Valley will create 12,000 jobs, help grow Gloucestershire’s tech output to £2.7 billion and generate an additional £151 million in local spend.

Over time the business park became less and less about cyber as economic forces changed the narrative and the ‘tech’ became the preferred term for the proposed 1.25 million square feet of commercial space – for offices, teaching and research areas and hospitality.

The plans also include green spaces, a transport hub and a primary school and 1,000 homes. There has been criticism from some councillors about the ‘dilution of social housing commitments’ as the scheme has moved through planning and just how many of the homes will be affordable. The target was 40 per cent.

At the centre of that park is what the Golden Valley team is now calling an innovation centre (called IDEA), which is the focus of phase one and the transport hub (Router). Apparently IDEA is already 68 per cent reserved and expected to complete in early 2028.

The Raikes Journal is a community interest company. Everything you read is made possible by our incredible Founding Partners: QuoLux, Willans LLP, Gloucestershire College, Merrell People, our sponsors, our Founding Members and wonderful paying subscribers.

Readers who upgrade to become a paid subscriber become part of this CIC too (from £2.30 a week). It helps make us sustainable, allows you to see past the paywalls, comment on our stories, and know you’re making possible the county’s only editorially-led digital magazine dedicated to delivering quality journalism for Gloucestershire about its businesses, charities, education and training sectors.

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Royal recognition for Gloucestershire apprentices

Not everyone’s failing to invest in young people. The Honourable Company of Gloucestershire Anne Cadbury Apprentice Awards celebrate those businesses that are investing - and reaping the benefits.

For a nation whose businesses collectively continue to fail invest in young people starting out there is a group of county companies and further education establishments going against the grain, and producing a rich vein of talent and growth.

Determined to showcase the effort and talent and encourage others to see the benefits of investing in young people through apprenticeships is the Honourable Company of Gloucestershire and its annual Anne Cadbury Apprentice Awards.

And when it staged those awards last week at Gloucestershire College it had a rather special ally, with Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal arriving to meet the employers, their apprentices, senior staff and educators from Gloucestershire College, Hartpury College and Gloucester Cathedral.

“As a small company growing rapidly, to have one of our apprentices recognised for his effort is greatly appreciated and makes us feel everything is worth it,” said Gail Sutton, who helps her sons, Phil and Paul, run their growing construction firm Sutton BGL Ltd.

One of the Longlevens-based firm’s apprentices, Cameron Williams, was among those to be singled out as a winner.

“Cameron came to us straight from school, with not much in the way of GCSE results. With this apprenticeship he will gain a qualification where he can learn kinaesthetically.

“To see him learning, coming out of his quiet shell and becoming more confident and a very much valued member of our team, makes us proud.

“Our former apprentices who are still with us and the rest of our team working together to constantly learn and teach others, is what is making our company grow.

“We are a family business run by brothers Phil and Paul. They employ me for office works, their sister Lee-Stacey as a ground works supervisor, and Cameron, their nephew, as their current ground works apprentice.”

Williams is the firm’s sixth apprentice and its fourth with Gloucester College, which works closely with the business to make sure apprentices progress and the company and learner are supported.

“Communication is good, feedback keeps us up to date with what Cameron has completed in college or needs to complete on site.

“The assessors know the industry in which we work, which we feel helps a lot,” said Gail.

She added: “As a company taking on apprentices, we feel that too many industries have lapsed in proper training.

“This has resulted in a massive shortage of fully qualified personnel who actually know what they are doing.

“Taking on apprentices is rewarding. Seeing someone with very few qualifications or little motivation learning new skills, becoming part of a team and actually being paid is great.”

Gulley Electrical’s Wayne Mulhern also walked away a winner. The Barnwood-based business was founded in 2001, is run by Neil and Clare Gulley, has 33 staff and works nationwide.

“We’re really pleased for Wayne. He’s a really lovely guy and works really hard,” said Clare.

“He was a bit older than some apprentices when he came to us, but he knew what he wanted to do and he’s made it work for him and us.

“I think in recent times there has been a lot of emphasis on going to university, but we’re now seeing an increasing number who want to do apprenticeships and see it as a good route.”

In all 19 apprentices from across the county were recognised, the fourth annual cohort to receive prizes and grants from The Honourable Company of Gloucestershire.

The apprentices from Gloucestershire College are training in construction, trades, and engineering, the recipients from Hartpury College are completing agricultural apprenticeship and those from Gloucester Cathedral are training in stonemasonry.

The grants (believed to be in the region of £400) will enable the apprentices to purchase specialist tools and equipment to further develop their skills in bricklaying, electrical installation, carpentry, engineering, agriculture, and stonemasonry and progress their careers.

Gloucestershire College Apprentices

Katherine Adam – Carpentry (Fortem Solutions).

Callum Caster – Bricklaying (Mike Etheridge Construction).

Cameron Williams – Groundworks (Sutton BGL Ltd).

Joseph Harris - Electrical (Lockelec Ltd).

Liam Minter – Electrical (Safran Landing Systems UK Ltd).

Wayne Mulhern – Electrical (Gulley Electrical Ltd).

Preston Pitt – Engineering (Flowtech Fluid Power PLC).

Rayhan Vahed – Electrical (Midatt Ltd)

Mitchell Burton – Carpentry (Highgate Construction)

Noah Morris - Carpentry (K Dobbs Carpentry Ltd).

Hartpury College Agricultural Apprentices

Finley Anderson (R Beard and Son).

Aiden Taylor (Barnhouse Farm, Wholly Gelato).

Bailey Harris (Walton Fields Farming Ltd).

Reuben Alvis (R P Sainsbury and Sons Ltd).

Jesse James Hatten (PJR Farms Ltd).

Amelia Adams (Old Down Estates Country Park).

Gloucester Cathedral Stone Masonry Apprentices

Lucy Newlyn.

Lewis Evans.

Zak Nutting.

Matthew Burgess, Gloucestershire College principal, said: “We are immensely grateful to The Honourable Company of Gloucestershire for its continued commitment to supporting apprentices.

“Gloucestershire has a long-standing reputation for producing exceptional talent across a wide range of industries, and partnerships like this play a vital role in helping the next generation make the best possible start to their careers.”

Claire Whitworth, principal of Hartpury College, said: “Celebrating young talent is vital to building a strong pipeline of skilled professionals who will shape the future of agriculture and the rural sector.”

The Very Reverend Andrew Zihni, Dean of Gloucester, said: “Our stonemasonry apprentices are not only learning an exceptional craft but also contributing to the care of a building that has stood at the heart of Gloucestershire for more than 900 years.

“These grants are a meaningful investment in talented young people whose skills will strengthen our county’s communities, industries and historic places for many years to come.”

Michael Jones Warden, of the Honourable Company of Gloucestershire, said: “I was once an apprentice myself; it gave me an excellent basis on which to build my career and eventually brought me to Gloucestershire, to be responsible for Smiths electronic business.

“I feel apprenticeships are of high value for young people, to not only provide career-based skills but also essential life skills.

“In the short time since this award started, we have been able to help 65 apprentices, our aspiration is to expand the scheme to cover the whole of Gloucestershire.”

• Government figures show that while the take-up of apprenticeships has been rising the growth has been in companies investing in existing and often senior staff. Colleges will tell you that the take-up from young people is strong when they offer places too. The challenge is getting companies to create entry-level roles and training routes to work.

Plans to expand and boost the efficiency of the Lucozade and Ribena factory in the Forest of Dean look set for approval.

Lucozade Ribena Suntory Ltd wants permission from district planners to extend a warehouse at the Royal Forest Factory in Rock Lane, Coleford.

The factory was built in 1946 by H W Carter to produce Ribena as demand grew for the brand after it was first created in 1938.

Ribena became stablemates with Lucozade in 1957 through acquisitions and mergers and the site now spans 53 acres and employs more than 300 people.

It produces around one billion bottles each year and plans a £25m upgrade to install a high-speed line boosting capacity to 55,000 bottles per hour in 2027.

And Forest of Dean district councillors are due to consider tomorrow a scheme for a 10-bay warehouse extension which will facilitate the upgrade.

The proposed building will have a steel portal frame with light grey vertical metal cladding to the elevations and roof. It will have an eaves height of eight metres and a ridge height of 9.5m and will cover 3,078 sqm.

Consultants, working on behalf of the applicant, said in the planning application that Suntory is a successful Gloucestershire business and “one of the largest single employers” in the Forest of Dean.

“The owners continue to invest heavily in the site with the latest round of capital spend on infrastructure likely to exceed ten million,” they said.

“The proposal for a new warehouse allows the business to introduce a new production line, replacing two older lines in need of improvement.

“This will improve the efficiency of the factory and unlock future sustainability projects.”

The proposals have the backing of Coleford Town Council who say the “benefits of the development are considered to be significant”.

Gloucestershire Highways have no objections to the proposals as long as the scheme does not increase traffic, change the access arrangements or introduce any new road safety concerns.

A district council planning officer described the company as a “key employer” for the local area in their report and said that the scheme will “further facilitate the economic prosperity and support the existing business at the Royal Forest Factory site”.

“The proposal has been found to not result in unacceptable impacts on the character and appearance of the local area,” they say go on to say in the report.

The development management committee is recommended to grant delegated permission.

Councillors will consider the proposals at the meeting in Coleford on July 14, 2026.

By Carmelo Garcia, local democracy reporter for Gloucestershire. carmelo.garcia@reachplc.com

*The Raikes Journal is the only independent news outlet in Gloucestershire approved to use the copy of the BBC local government reporting service. Why? Only independent, credible journalistically-led platforms that meet the BBC’s high standards win that permission.

There are fears much-needed improvements planned for junction 9 of the M5 could be in peril as the Government slashes £700m from its roads fund to boost defence spending.

Gloucestershire County Council has been working on a project to provide a new junction 9a to the south of Tewkesbury and re-reroute a section of the A46 between the M5 and the Teddington Hands roundabout.

It is seen as a “traffic busting” scheme which will help solve long-standing issues and provide vital infrastructure to meet existing and future needs in the area while improving journey times.

The improvements, previously estimated in 2024 to cost between £740m and £930m, would also help with the creation of up to 25,000 homes at Tewkesbury Garden Communities.

The new junction would support jobs and investment by providing access to at least 100 hectares of employment land, with a focus on advanced manufacturing and defence.

And the project is seen as vital in improving connectivity along the Trans-Midlands Trade Corridor, a nationally important route which links the South West, Midlands and North East.

But Shire Hall chiefs are concerned about recent Government announcements on the need to focus funding on defence. And they are calling for a funding commitment from ministers for the major road project.

Liberal Democrat Councillor Julian Tooke, who is responsible for planning and infrastructure at the county council, said: “The Government has been very clear in its expectation that councils enable the building of more homes and has set ambitious targets. Housing has to come with improved infrastructure.

“The Government has spoken about the possible reallocation of funds to defence from infrastructure. We are very concerned that Gloucestershire’s need for improvements to junction 9 of the M5 and the A46 may get sacrificed.”

Vernon Smith, Reform UK’s councillor Tewkesbury West, said it would be a “betrayal” of the market town and “the whole of Gloucestershire” if the scheme does not get Government funding.

“Residents in Ashchurch have put up with gridlock, HGVs thundering past their front doors and unreliable journeys for over thirty years, and just as a solution is finally within reach, this Labour Government looks set to snatch it away,” he said.

“You cannot fund the nation’s defence by leaving our county’s most important road scheme to rot.

“The business case has been sitting on ministers’ desks gathering dust while our residents sit in traffic.

“Thousands of new homes are being forced on Tewkesbury without the infrastructure to support them; if junction 9 doesn’t happen, the garden town simply doesn’t work, and local people will pay the price every single day.”

The Department for Transport (DfT) will not comment on funding prospects for junction 9 at this stage.

The Government has confirmed an additional £15 billion for the Defence Investment Plan between 2026-27 and 2029-30.

And £60 billion more will be spent on defence over the next four years than if spending were maintained in line with plans set out in Spring Budget 2024.

Their Defence Investment Plan Funding explainer issued last month says departments have been asked to contribute 1p in every £1 of their capital budgets from this year.

And the DfT will be providing savings of up to £700m from its roads funding. The department will consult on reductions to the third road investment strategy and they could cancel the A38 Derby Junctions and A46 Newark bypass schemes, both of which are yet to enter contract and are not as far along as other road schemes.

They will also explore limited reductions to as yet uncommitted roads funding. The Government says it remains committed to protecting funding for local authorities to mend potholes and repair their roads, protecting investment in rail infrastructure, including Northern Powerhouse Rail, and the proposals will not impact bus or rail services.

By Carmelo Garcia, local democracy reporter for Gloucestershire. carmelo.garcia@reachplc.com

*The Raikes Journal is the only independent news outlet in Gloucestershire approved to use the copy of the BBC local government reporting service. Why? Only independent, credible journalistically-led platforms that meet the BBC’s high standards win that permission.

I’m assuming most of you are flaked out due to the heat, wondering how to stay cool, bored with scrolling and open to the idea of something worthwhile to read. If so, you concentrate on staying cool and read on.

Strategy documents of any meaning from councils can sometimes seemingly take an age to produce and feel of little consequence.

What caught our attention about the one below that our main story focuses on is that businesses have bought into it, education and training providers have bought into it and councillors are fronting up in public about it - all openly enthusiastic.

Not since the days of GFirst LEP, the now-defunct local enterprise partnership, has there been so much singing from the same hymn sheet.

Who cares? One delegate told me the challenge is that “there’s no money around at the moment” and partnership working is the way forward. With prospects for young people tough, our economy flatlining, how to magic something out of the hat then?

The main story below focuses on a a plan to do just that and more - a road map to a £400m boost to the county’s economy: it outlines a strategy that could double the number of jobs in what we now call the green skills sector, and put Gloucestershire on a pedestal.

Which is why we’ve dedicated so much time to the report. Have a great weekend.

Best regards,

Andrew Merrell

Editor | 07956 926061 | LinkedIn: Andrew Merrell | andrew.merrell@raikesjournal.co.uk

A festival with a difference

Gloucestershire is famous for its festivals. Fighting for a place on the busy early summer calendar and fast-approaching is a music festival on a Five Valleys hilltop serious only about having a good time. Think music festival crossed with a mad village fete; think small British festival at its very best with that odd, an edgy mix of music, good food and family vibes, dedicated to providing one thing – good times. We’re here to tell you there are tickets left.

Headlining this year’s festival are Heather Small, Tinchy Stryder, Chesney Hawkes, BBC Radio 1’s Charlie Hedges, Dick & Dom and Discolicious featuring Woody Cook, alongside local favourites Casual 6. This is Chalfest also showcases 16-year-old Ambereye, making her festival debut after growing up attending Chalfest every year since the very first festival.

Five stages will be packed with entertainment, with 15-plus street food vendors, six bars serving everything from Clavell & Hind beers, Westons Cider and Woodchester Valley wines to handcrafted cocktails from Uncommon Distillery, plus a lively Comedy Tent and the much-loved KidsZone. Due to take place on 16 and 17 of July at France Lynch Pleasure Grounds, Chalford Hill, Stroud. Tickets here.

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Plan revealed to double job creation and boost Gloucestershire economy by £400m

Experts believe Gloucestershire’s Net zero target is not an unsurmountable challenge but an opportunity to transform the jobs market and deliver a £400 million boost to the county’s economy.

Businesspeople, academics, councillors, college and university leadership teams and assorted experts gathered at the University of Gloucestershire on Wednesday to hear how the county’s net zero commitment has the potential to transform its economic fortunes too.

This was the Gloucestershire Green Skills Conference and the roadmap that had everybody talking is the Gloucestershire Green Skills Strategy, a document outlining how the county’s legal commitment to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050 can become an economic catalyst.

It’s a catalyst, we are told, that could double job opportunities in the green skills market – with particular emphasis on construction, position the county as a leader in the sector, and generate an incredible £400 million boost to its economy.

Those who wrote the report and the businesses and academics on board all believe it’s possible, and they were there to front up and to explain why and what the challenges are, and the mood was upbeat.

Councillor Linda Cohen, who opened the conference and officially launched the strategy document, said: “Today we’re all taking another important step to working together and having the conversations that will help us to meet these challenges.

“We must have an entrepreneurial and collaborative approach we cannot wait for government or permissions, we have the talent, the expertise and the resources here in Gloucestershire, the starting bell has sounded, we will be the leading green skills county.”

A major part of piece of the jigsaw required to make Gloucestershire the “leading green skills county”, the buy-in not just from colleges, training providers and universities, was demonstrated by the presence of representatives from Gloucestershire College, SGS College, Cirencester College, the Royal Agricultural University and Hartpury University and Hartpury College.

Their expertise in food, farming, agritech, construction and even digital skills, all key to the strategy working. All areas which are a focus of its plan.

Pieces of that jigsaw yet to be fashioned were also discussed, importantly the need to change our mindset about so many things – from educating all ages about the opportunities in the county, turning people on to construction and apprenticeships and the incredible careers that direction could lead to, through to better careers advice and a campaign to reach primary school age learners to spread the messages to them too.

Dr Katerina Kantartzis, an associate professor of health and wellbeing, and deputy head of the school of education, health and science at the University of Gloucestershire, said: “Achieving Net Zero will not happen through tech alone. It will happen through people.

“They (people) will retrofit our homes, transform our agriculture, meeting challenges we don’t even know about yet.

“Many of the challenges we face are global, but the solutions begin locally.”

Dr Tanya Lawes, head of clean energy, agriculture, environment and animal care, and protective services at Skills England, said the strategy document dovetailed neatly with the Government’s Clean Energy Jobs Plan.

“The plan focuses on recruiting and training the right people with the right skills,” said Dr Lawes.

“The number of jobs supported by clean energy industries could at least double in every region of England as the sector grows from around 440,000 jobs in 2023 to support 860,000 jobs across the UK by the end of the decade.”

Successful execution of the strategy could be far-reaching, said David Owen.

Owen, the county council’s director of economy and environment and part of the panel from academia and the local authority that took questions about the strategy, said: “Gloucestershire has some of the most deprived areas in the country, and in a county which is otherwise considered wealthy that should not be acceptable.”

Government figures describe Gloucestershire as an affluent county but also recognise 12 of its neighbourhoods across Cheltenham, the Forest of Dean Gloucester as ‘highly deprived’.

Kenny Lynch, professor of development and community at the University of Gloucestershire, spelled out the potential transformative power of better cooperation between within the county.

“Between us we have about 16,000 staff and 45,000 students. That’s a massive potential if we work together,” said Prof Lynch.

Andy Bates said the solution to achieve more skilled staff was not simply offering more courses or training more people.

“We have seen the number of adults taking up our courses plummet. Some of those courses might even be free. They are usually focused on some element of retraining.

“The impression we get is it is because companies cannot spare the time for their staff to do that training.

“If I advertised another apprenticeship tomorrow you can guarantee it will be over-subscribed,” he added, arguing the appetite to train among the younger generation was strong.

“What I struggle to find is a business that will take that person on afterwards or during to support them.”

The Government push to drive apprenticeships has worked when you look at the headline numbers, but beneficiaries have often been existing senior staff. Opportunities for those starting out have actually been in decline.

Gloucestershire College is already well-positioned to help drive any construction green skills training, said Bates. In September 2024 it opened a £5.5 million sustainable construction training centre at its Cheltenham Campus to address what was already predicted to be a regional shortage of skilled workers projected to reach 6,400 annually by 2025.

What it needed was businesses to be incentivised to step up.

On the panel and involved in compiling the strategy document, written by Jon Hickman, was also Natalie King, managing director and principal of AccXel, the UK’s first industry-led construction school, headquartered in the Forest of Dean.

“Businesses still also need to hear from Government what its policies are so they know what skills they need to invest in. There are a lot of parts to join up. But I am very positive and excited by the prospect of what we’ve talked about today,” said King.

Gavin Murray, deputy principal at South Gloucestershire and Stroud (SGS) College, reminded everyone that the county already had a specialist green skills and technology training centre – SGS’s facility dedicated to just that at Berkeley, south of Gloucester.

It was a unanimous and convincing account from all on the panel of institutions on the front foot, bought into the green skills strategy.

The solutions might be ‘people’, but this was where the perceived challenges lie too in the county making the transformative plan a reality.

A speech by Dr Rachel J Wilde, a social anthropologist and associate professor at UCL who researches employability and transitions into work, subjected the strategy document to some critical analysis.

Comparing its projections to the results of research done nationwide, she spelt out that success rested on the need to engage better, communicate better, collaborate more and forge better partnerships. In particular, the need to understand what young people wanted.

And in a thought-provoking and eloquent speech that had his audience rapt Professor Matt Reed, of the University of Gloucestershire, suggested as much as well.

Teasingly playing up his academic credentials he introduced the room to ‘pluralistic ignorance’, the idea that individuals often privately reject a norm, sometimes passionately (for example, that climate should be out utmost priority), but publicly go along with it because they mistakenly assume everyone else supports it.

The result is a pervading perception of a community indifferent to climate change and the door to change closes.

“If we all communicated a little more honestly, and perhaps didn’t do so much twiddling with a thumbs on our phones so much, we might understand one another a little better,” he suggested.

Asked by a delegate what he would do to create the desired sense of urgency and change and protect progress against a populist party like Reform entering Downing Street and reversing any such momentum he said: “The antidote to populism is more democracy.”

In short, working together, talking together, sharing views and asking one another what the obstacles are that we need to overcome to see a clear path ahead.

How will such debates find the public consciousness without an independent, critical, media platform to hold everyone to account?

Raikes put the question via a digital portal to the assembled panel, but it did not have time to address it and many more questions.

But with so many different agencies, public and private bodies, businesses and educators and trainers backing the strategy document publicly this feels like it has momentum already.

Cllr Cohen said: “This is an important moment which will define the county’s economic and environmental future.

“The strategy will determine our energy and food security which is predicated on having a skilled green workforce. This is as much about farming, field and forests as it is about housing, roads and transport.

“We have committed to reduce the county’s emissions by 80 per cent by 2030 and to achieve Net Zero by 2045.

“To achieve this we’ll need to see a transformation of our built environment, energy infrastructure and transport, but this of course all relies on a skilled, locally based work force.

“There are huge rewards if we can get this right, not only to the environment but with a £400 million potential boost to the local economy.

“The green skills strategy gives us the blueprint to make sense of the complex and contested landscape and above all to bring together our unique portfolio of educational institutions to create a federated faculty including Gloucestershire, Hartpury and Royal Agricultural universities which will give us an unrivalled collaborative offering which will allow us to best deliver against industry demands for green skills.

“Government initiatives such as the Clean Energy Jobs Plan and the Warm Homes Plan support the proposed Green Skills Strategy 2026–2030, with £15bn of subsidies, incentives and low-interest loans for consumers to retrofit their homes to make them more efficient,” she said.

But the time to act was now.

“The current pace of workforce transformation falls significantly short of meeting nationally forecast demand.

“The Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP) identifies critical shortages in retrofit coordination, heat pump installation, and digital-green hybrid skills.

“Given the significant government targets and incentives for electrification of home heating and transport, this presents Gloucestershire with a significant opportunity to develop a significant number of new highly skilled jobs.

“We want to become a centre of excellence that will make Gloucestershire irresistible to green start-ups and established businesses and drive investment into the county.”

“The proposed strategy will promote innovative and supportive ways of engaging with the local construction sector which is dominated by small and medium enterprises (SMEs), to overcome structural barriers to training, primarily the opportunity cost of time off-site.

“At a time when the headlines are dominated by statistics about growing unemployment and, in particular youth unemployment, this is vital to give our young people and in fact older generations the opportunity to discover the rich and diverse range of jobs in the green skills sector.

“This is the opportunity to train or retrain to be able to enjoy a wonderfully fulfilling and sustainable career which benefits the community and the environment and puts Gloucestershire in pole position to become a destination county for young people and more experienced, skilled workers looking for an improved quality of life and to be in the heart of progression and innovation in the green skills sector.

“It is vital that we do this from the ground up. We need to start the conversations in primary schools about climate change, our environment, farming, house building, sustainable transport and the careers that follow.

“We need to be talking to pupils in year five and six before they move to secondary schools.

“We must continue to work towards a secondary school careers service that is integrated with every one of our schools and accessible to pupils.

“We need to be educating our teachers as much as our pupils while recognising the limits of what else they can accommodate within the curriculum and the part that employers must play in offering worthwhile work experience and school sessions.

“We must encourage girls to consider the trades – plumbing, electrics, building and engineering – we need equivalent numbers – the apprenticeship route to be as valued as a degree.

“Today we can help ensure the future security of our county. We have government funding for officer time to drive this project forward, together with agreement and endorsement across education and industry and with real ambition at the heart of the plan.

“I would end by commending the outstanding work of Jon Hickman (author of the Green Skills Strategy) who has worked so hard to deliver not merely a vision but a robust strategy which will underpin Gloucestershire’s future.”

A pioneering Gloucestershire citizen-led arts project welcomed leading arts figure, Sir Nicholas Serota CH, for a VIP visit this week.

Hosted by arts and cultural organisation Create Gloucestershire, the Chair of Arts Council England Sir Nicholas saw first-hand how the Matson-led arts project benefits the community when he met them at Matson Library. 

For Sir Nicholas - formerly director of the Tate and chair of the Turner Prize jury - it was his third visit to Culture Matson; testament to how Culture Matson is leading in ways which could inspire citizen-led creative projects nationally.

Founded and supported by Create Gloucestershire, Culture Matson has been established in Matson for almost a decade and the project will be celebrating its 10th anniversary next year.

Create Gloucestershire worked with local people to establish Culture Matson in 2017 with the aim of bringing together local citizens and organisations who want to create a more joyful, creative community.  

Culture Matson Creative Catalst Debbie Christie  said: “It was fantastic to welcome Sir Nicholas back to Matson and share our success stories with him, as well as considering how we’ll all meet future challenges in the creative sector.

“He’s been so supportive of Create Gloucestershire and Culture Matson and we’re sure that’s in part because we’ve shown how sustained, long-term commitment can make sustainable change happen.”

Over the years participants have included Hillside Primary School, community cultural organisation GL4, the Redwell Centre, Matson Library, Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust, Gloucestershire Gateway Trust, Glos City Homes, Matson Robinswood White City Partnership, Strike a Light and Read With Me, as well as individuals from the local community.

Create Gloucestershire also helps Culture Matson to manage its own funding through a ‘creative piggy bank’ enabling the community to spend it on the arts and cultural activities which matter to them most.

Culture Matson’s funding pot is called its ‘Sheepy Bank’, after Matson’s free-roaming sheep which graze on residential greens near Matson Avenue and Redwell Road.

Sir Nicholas was presented with his own ceramic ‘sheepy bank’, created by Jonathan Walker and the group working together. Projects supported through the Sheepy Bank include:

• Community celebration Matson Lantern Parade, which brought together local artists, families and schools who lit up the estate with their handmade lanterns.

• GAS Projects’ weekly after school creative club Art Busters.

• Mindful Clay ceramics workshops and The Ewe Space and The Children’s Centre.

• GL4 workshops at Finlay School.

Tracey Thomas, associate co-director at Create Gloucestershire said: “We’d like to think Sir Nicholas for his continued interest and support. It was lovely to welcome him again and to be reminded of his unwavering support for citizen-led creativity.

“Culture Matson is a working example of this, and we hope our experience inspires others as next year we celebrate ten years of convening Culture Matson and working in Matson.

“These are exciting times for Culture Matson, especially as Matson and Robinswood have been awarded funding through the Government’s Pride in Place programme.

“The support from Create Gloucestershire over the last decade has helped grow creative and financial power across the community and we’re excited to build on this in the future.”

This press release was sent to The Raikes Journal by Victoria Temple on 2 June 2026.

* If you want to see your releases featured here, and included on our email editions, email the editor.

The Raikes Journal is a digital magazine and community interest company whose supporters believe, like us, that journalism about Gloucestershire is worth keeping alive. Everything you read on The Raikes Journal is made possible by our incredible Founding Partners: QuoLux, Willans LLP, Gloucestershire College, Merrell People, our sponsors and our Founding Members and wonderful paying subscribers.

If you upgrade to paid you will be able to see past the paywalls on our second and third email editions of the week, that lock all our archive after two weeks and lock our rolling Top 100 Businesses in Gloucestershire, the series that follows the financial fortunes of our biggest firms by turnover. You will be able to comment on our stories too. You’ll be helping make this CIC sustainable. Please do join us.

You can do that for just £2.30 a week - or £1.80 a week if two or more people sign up at once.

No big long reads on today’s edition, but plenty of stories I hope will keep you interested.

It’s easy to look at the high-profile arts and community projects we are lucky to have here in the county and miss out the precious ones happening in those less fashionable areas.

Which is why we like the story about Sir Nicholas Serota, chair of Arts Council England and formerly director of the Tate and chair of the Turner Prize jury hanging out and enjoying himself in Matson. And not for the first time.

The Holly Gazzard Trust gets plenty of publicity and probably doesn’t need our help, but its latest partnership with Bridge Training also highlights a much-overlooked training provider doing great things in Gloucestershire and that deserves more credit.

And we run friend of Raikes, Ian Mean’s big interview with Cheltenham’s Borough Council’s chief executive, Gareth Edmundson about the Golden Valley Development. Expect social media to be swamped with PR even more than usual shortly as the spades finally go in the ground.

And for the main story we’ve picked some detail out that emerged in another tale altogether, and which spells out plans for a new boutique hotel for Gloucester, just one of two projects that promises to transform a forgotten area of the city centre.

Best regards,

Andrew Merrell

Editor | 07956 926061 | LinkedIn: Andrew Merrell | andrew.merrell@raikesjournal.co.uk

Former Tate and Turner Prize director and a Gloucester arts project

Sir Nicholas Serota, chair of Arts Council England and formerly director of the Tate and chair of the Turner Prize jury has highlighted the work of a little-known Gloucestershire arts project with his third visit. Sir Nicholas was the special VIP guest at a modest gathering hosted by the arts and cultural organisation Create Gloucestershire at Matson Library in Gloucester. His visit is said to have further underlined how the organisation Culture Matson is a leading light nationally when it comes to creating work that will inspire citizen-led creative projects. Founded and supported by Create Gloucestershire, Culture Matson celebrates its 10th anniversary next year. The partnership worked with local people to establish Culture Matson in 2017 to bring together local citizens and organisations who want to create a more joyful, creative community.  More here.

Your briefing notes…

💷 It’s emerged that the recent sale of Gloucestershire-headquartered independent estate agency Move to ‘proptech’ lettings platform Dwelly was made possible by Cheltenham law firm Willans’ corporate and commercial team. Peter Raybould, a partner at the Cheltenham law firm, advised on all aspects of the acquisition, working closely with Move founder George Tatham-Losh. Raybould guided the transaction through to a successful completion while protecting the interests of the sellers and ensuring a smooth handover of the business. Tatham-Losh described the support he’d received from the firm as “excellent”. Dwelly uses AI-powered systems to digitise operations like rent collection and maintenance. It already managed more than 10,000 properties.

💷⛳ Businesses and friends of the children’s charity the Pied Piper Appeal gathered for its annual golf day at Brickhampton Golf Complex on Friday, raising more than £16,000 for the Gloucestershire-based charity. Teams of four took to the Staverton course to compete for the Rob Freeman Memorial Trophy in a Stableford contest which saw the winning team emerge as RBC Brewin Dolphin, with 93 points. Winning team members were James Badham, Jack Richardson, Jon Treen and Alex Horton. The Nick Brody Trophy for best individual player, created in memory of the late Brody who died in December from MND, was won by Dominic Johns from Orbio.

Charity of the Week: 12 years on and Hollie Gazzard’s legacy continues to inspire

Twelve years after Gloucester hairdresser Hollie Gazzard was murdered at her workplace, the charity founded by her parents is joining forces with Bridge Training Ltd to launch a brand-new training hair salon in her name in the heart of her home city. ‘Hollie’s at Bridge Training Ltd’ is a collaborative initiative between the Hollie Gazzard Trust and Bridge Training Ltd — one of Gloucestershire’s leading alternative education providers — combining vocational excellence with a shared commitment to safeguarding and opportunity for young people. Located on Westgate Street, Gloucester, the fully equipped 12-seat salon will open to the public in September 2026, a professional-standard space that will operate as a working salon and a classroom, supporting young people to gain recognised qualifications in hairdressing and beauty therapy. More here.

Golden Valley Development to start by the end of July

Construction of Gloucestershire’s £1 billion Golden Valley cyber and technology powerhouse project in Cheltenham will now start within weeks.

In an exclusive interview with Ian Mean, Cheltenham’s Borough Council’s chief executive, Gareth Edmundson, answers key questions about the project which is set to attract millions to the Gloucestershire economy over the next 20 years.

Edmundson talks about how the local authority hopes to recoup £60 million of the £100m-plus it will invest in the project, how it will benefit local people and just how many jobs he expects to be created directly in the first 10 years.

You can read the full story here: Golden Valley - the latest news.

The Raikes Journal is a community interest company. Everything you read is made possible by our incredible Founding Partners: QuoLux, Willans LLP, Gloucestershire College, Merrell People, our sponsors, our Founding Members and wonderful paying subscribers.

Readers who upgrade to become a paid subscriber become part of this CIC too (from £2.30 a week). It helps make us sustainable, allows you to see past the paywalls, comment on our stories, and know you’re making possible the county’s only editorially-led digital magazine dedicated to delivering quality journalism for Gloucestershire about its businesses, charities, education and training sectors.

Raikes is the only independent website approved to use the BBC’s local Government copy. It recognises Raikes as independent journalism.

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New ‘high-quality’ boutique hotel coming to Gloucester

A property investor with a focus on Gloucestershire has revealed plans to turn a parade of historic listed Gloucester buildings into a boutique hotel, which could help transform an forgotten area of the city.

A property investor with a focus on Gloucestershire has revealed plans to open a “high-quality” luxury boutique hotel in the middle of Gloucester.

Charles Perkins, who already owns the Judges Lodgings on Spa Road close to Gloucester Docks and Quays has bought another listed building in the city to add to his growing portfolio.

The entrepreneur and investor now has more than 40 properties in his name, with the most recent addition being the Neptune Apartments collection of 12 luxury serviced apartments on Cheltenham’s Promenade, for £2.5m.

It was with the announcement of that last piece of news - that revealed Perkins as the man who had stepped forward to take over the successful business from founders and owners Jim and Mandy Hawkins - that the other snippet of news came to light.

And if his plans go ahead they could help create a new ‘hotel quarter’ for the city beside Gloucester Park, with another business also planning to a similar development in the next street - as well as a significant number of new flats.

“The business has also just completed the acquisition of 2, 3 and 4 Beaufort Buildings in Gloucester, a prominent Grade II-listed terrace in the heart of Gloucester city centre.

“Subject to obtaining the necessary planning consents, the buildings will be sympathetically converted into a high-quality boutique hotel, bringing another distinctive hospitality destination to the city whilst preserving an important part of Gloucester’s architectural heritage,” said a statement from Prestbury Marketing announcing the sale of Neptune Apartments.

The Beaufort Buildings, as well as Neptune Apartments, will be looked after by Matthew Beavis, recently appointed by Perkins as the new managing director of his portfolio, which is grouped together under the company name Judges Lodgings.

Two, 3, and 4 Beaufort Buildings are Grade II-listed Regency townhouses located on Spa Road in Gloucester city centre, opposite Gloucester Park and the cricket pitch, and until 2021 were part of the administrative base for Ecclesiastical Insurance before the firm relocated to Brockworth.

Ecclesiastical’s main offices were around the corner in Brunswick Road, a building owned by ASBG Global Ltd.

That business secured planning permission for a 36-bed hotel for the Brunswick Road building in October 2025 and it has just won planning for 66 flats as part of the scheme.

If everyone’s plans come off it will make a significant transformation of a forgotten area of the city centre.

Twelve years after Gloucester hairdresser Hollie Gazzard was murdered at her workplace, the charity founded by her parents is joining forces with Bridge Training Ltd to launch a brand-new training hair salon in her name — right in the heart of the city she loved.

‘Hollie’s at Bridge Training Ltd’ is a collaborative initiative between the Hollie Gazzard Trust and Bridge Training Ltd— one of Gloucestershire’s leading alternative education providers — combining vocational excellence with a shared commitment to safeguarding and opportunity for young people.

Located on Westgate Street, Gloucester, the fully equipped 12-seat salon will open to the public in September 2026. The professional-standard space will operate as both a working salon and a classroom, supporting young people to gain recognised qualifications in hairdressing and beauty therapy.

Beyond vocational training, the initiative carries a deeper purpose. The Hollie Gazzard Trust will work directly with Bridge students to deliver healthy relationships education, raise awareness of the warning signs of abusive behaviour, and equip and empower them with the knowledge and confidence to respond appropriately to domestic abuse disclosures from clients in a salon setting — helping young people build safer futures while creating a culture of care and awareness within the profession.

Hollie’s parents, Mandy and Nick and her sister Chloe, said: “Hollie was so passionate about hairdressing and beauty. She always dreamed of having her own salon. Nothing will ever take away the pain of losing her, but ‘Hollie’s at Bridge’ is an incredible legacy.

“We are so proud that she will continue to inspire and protect young people across our county — helping them follow their dreams while understanding how to keep themselves safe.”

Nikki and Mark Harrod of Bridge Training Ltd added: “We are honoured to be working alongside the Hollie Gazzard Trust on this powerful and meaningful project. ‘Hollie’s at Bridge Training Ltd’ will give young people not only industry-level training and qualifications, but confidence, purpose and opportunity.

“This partnership blends skills development with vital life education — creating a space where young people can thrive both professionally and personally.”

Members of the public will be able to book appointments and support the next generation of hair and beauty professionals trained under Hollie’s name from September 2026.

This press release was sent to The Raikes Journal by Skylight9 Limited Council on 3 June 2026.

* If you want to see your releases featured here, and included on our email editions, email the editor.

The Raikes Journal is a digital magazine and community interest company whose supporters believe, like us, that journalism about Gloucestershire is worth keeping alive. Everything you read on The Raikes Journal is made possible by our incredible Founding Partners: QuoLux, Willans LLP, Gloucestershire College, Merrell People, our sponsors and our Founding Members and wonderful paying subscribers.

If you upgrade to paid you will be able to see past the paywalls on our second and third email editions of the week, that lock all our archive after two weeks and lock our rolling Top 100 Businesses in Gloucestershire, the series that follows the financial fortunes of our biggest firms by turnover. You will be able to comment on our stories too. You’ll be helping make this CIC sustainable. Please do join us.

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In an exclusive interview with Ian Mean, Cheltenham’s Borough Council’s chief executive, Gareth Edmundson, answers key questions about the project which is set to attract millions to the Gloucestershire economy over the next 20 years.

*IM: What is the latest timescale for the Golden Valley project and when can people expect to see building work starting?

GE: “The good news is we are expecting building works to start very soon-all being well, we are looking at July.

“In terms of construction, the National Cyber Innovation Centre-the building named IDEA at Fiddlers Green-will be the first with the transport hub which is known as ROUTER. This includes a car park with more than 450 spaces, cycle facilities, new amenities, shops and eating places, e-bike charging, showers and lockers.

“We are aiming for this initial phase to be completed early in 2028. People will start seeing construction activity ramp up in the Summer.”

*IM: What is the overall financial commitment to the project by Cheltenham Borough Council and what do you estimate to be the return on your investment of public money? Have you any solid commitments yet by major companies?

“The borough council acquired the land for £39.5 million, and at the end of 2023 a further funding package of £104 million was approved.

“On our current forecast the council expects to receive about £60 million in the land receipts over time. So, if you look at the fact we purchased the land for £39.5million, the current projection is that the land receipt comes back at £60 million delivering a net positive on current projection once the full development is complete. Similarly, the further investment in the first buildings is also showing a net positive.

“This is taxpayers’ money and the council has always tried to be prudent. We have always wanted to use the project to support, enable and help to drive the local economy.

“I cannot obviously tell you the names of companies interested in the project but we now have multiples of interest in the first phase of the development, across government, academia ,industry and early stage companies”

IM: What does Golden Valley mean for the people of Cheltenham? Do they really understand what is going on and does the Cheltenham community need far more clarity on it?

“We are creating a more cohesive approach to our Golden Valley communications led by our community, local business and other stakeholder groups. As part of this, we have created a Golden Valley Advisory Board to bring all the partners together and offer increased oversight and guidance.

“The purpose is to pull together what I would call the broad education system to try and make sure that we have got a clear story and proposition.”

*IM: The Golden Valley site butts up to one of the poorest electoral wards in the country. So, are there going to be well paid jobs for local people?

“That is absolutely a core ambition and awareness of the project around them is key. Local people need to feel there are opportunities for them as some of those wards on the doorstep are in disadvantaged communities.

“I think we have a high degree of confidence that Golden Valley is going to be a success in terms of occupier interest but that has to be alongside inclusivity and ensuring opportunities for local people. Our social value promise is all about delivering real value, where it’s needed, to local communities”.

*IM: How do you see the whole of the Gloucestershire economy benefitting from the Golden Valley project?

“We already know that because of our concentration of cyber and national security technology businesses, people are travelling from all over the county to work in Cheltenham and the surrounding areas where we have concentrations of businesses.”

Over 10 years of the completed project, Gareth Edmundson believes there will be something in the region of 10,000 technical roles created at current salaries of around £65,000 and about 1,800 non-technical roles.

*Ian Mean MBE is former editor in chief of the Citizen and Gloucestershire Echo and editor of the Western Daily Press