Campaign reveals the scale of hospitality businesses under threat
A group supporting struggling Forest of Dean pubs has snowballed into a national campaign as the enormous number of hospitality businesses battling to stay afloat begins to become apparent.
Dear readers,
I hope you had a good week.
I wanted to use this space to appeal to businesses out there who value what The Raikes Journal represents and want to see it keep going by getting involved.
This is the crunch time of year when I need to round up a stable of partners to support Raikes for another year. If you want to come on board, please do let me know. The audience is growing; the number of subscriber is growing.
This is the only independent editorially led website and newsletter operation edited by a journalist in Gloucestershire. It’s not a marketing channel, a paid-for articles channel, a conduit for press releases or written by AI. We speak to real people and report what they tell us.
Your marketing on social media may reach a big number, but if you want anyone to know any more than just that I would argue someone has to write about you. The impact of a third party doing that can be massive.
I have a month to raise the necessary amount, so if you are interested in learning more please reach out to me via email andrew.merrell@raikesjournal.co.uk or telephone 07956 926061.
Have a great weekend.
Very best regards,
Andrew Merrell (editor).
Briefing notes…
💷📈🚗🏠 Council tax and parking charges to rise as county sets £700m budget: Residents will see a rise in council tax and controversial residents’ permit parking charges, 20mph zones after Gloucestershire County Council agreed its budget for the coming financial year. The Liberal Democrat administration’s plans for 2026/27 include a revenue budget of £698m to pay for services such as social care, roadworks, waste disposal and education. More here.
📖🏆 A Gloucestershire book store is one of only seven in the South West to be shortlisted in The British Book Awards 2026 Independent Bookshop of the Year awards. The Cotswold Book Room, a family-run business for 75 years in Long Street, Wotton-under-Edge, was taken over by Gideon and Cathy York in 2020. Winners are expected to be announced on Tuesday, 10 March at a ceremony in London.
🔷📱🔋⚽ One of Gloucestershire’s biggest ever business success stories: Yesterday’s paywalled lead story did rather well, so we thought we’d trail it here. It’s one of Gloucestershire’s biggest business groups, committed to combating climate change by influencing how we buy food, travel sport, diamonds and energy, and its turnover has just passed more than half a billion pounds with a gross profit of £100m-plus. All those companies were founded by one man, who retains sole ownership. More here.
Diary dates
Friday
🏉 Gloucester Rugby play Sale Sharks at Kingsholm. KO 7.45. Round nine of the Premiership Rugby Cup.
Saturday
The Music of Luther Vandross - The Candlelight Concert. Princess Hall, Cheltenham Ladies’ College. 7.30pm to 9.45pm. A tribute to the legendary soul singer with a candlelit performance. Doors open at 6:30pm.
Cheltenham Travel Festival: Cheltenham Racecourse, Prestbury. 10am to 5pm.
Stroud’s legendary Sub Rooms is due to host another of its bottomless brunches, from 2pm, at its central bar and kitchen. £30 a head. And in the evening, its Disco For Grown Ups from 8pm. 70s, 80s and 90s classics.
Sunday
Cirencester 10K begins and ends in Cirencester’s Market Place. Start at 9am.
More diary dates for next week…
Two clinics from accountants Randall & Payne are due to take place on Monday 23 February. First up, from 9am to 4.30pm, a free advice clinic with a Xero expert who can navigate you through the systems and try out the various tools so you can see for yourself if Xero would work better for your business. More here.
And from 1pm to 4.30pm the Shurdington-based firm is inviting you to solve your business or personal finance conundrums at another of free advice clinic. Issues up for discussion include management succession, dealing with accounting tax regulation to manage payroll and VAT. More here.
In more Randall & Payne-related news, also on Monday 23, Shaun Pegler, a partner at Randall & Payne, is due to deliver special one-to-one sessions to help you help your business grow. The Growth Hub, The Alliston Centre, Stroud Road, Cirencester. More here.
Gloucestershire College is due to stage a special Apprenticeship Open Evening on Wednesday 25 February 2026 from 5pm to 8pm at its Gloucester Campus in Llanthony Road. It’s free to attend. More here.
Willans LLP solicitors and Cheltenham Open Door (the Cheltenham headquartered law firm’s nominated charity for the year) invite you to join them for an evening of fun, fundraising and friendly competition in the run-up to the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Price includes two drinks and pizza buffet per person. Thursday 26 February at The Bottle of Sauce, Cheltenham. More here.
The Raikes Journal is a community interest company. Everything you read by us is made possible by our incredible Founding Partners: QuoLux, Willans LLP, Gloucestershire College, Merrell People and Randall & Payne, our sponsors, our Founding Members and wonderful paying subscribers.
If you upgrade to become a paid subscriber you’ll be part of this CIC too. You’ll help make us sustainable, be able to see past the paywalls, comment on our stories, and know you’re making possible the county’s only editorially-led platform dedicated to delivering quality journalism for Gloucestershire about its businesses, charities, education and training sectors.
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Campaign reveals the scale of hospitality businesses under threat
A group supporting struggling Forest of Dean pubs has snowballed into a national campaign as the enormous number of hospitality businesses battling to stay afloat begins to become apparent.
It started out as an effort to try to generate support one or two Forest of Dean pubs struggling under the weight of tax hikes and rate changes, but quickly went viral - attracting 500 members to date.
Organisers say the explosion in interest is a measure of the scale of the strain facing a sector worth several billions of pounds a year to the UK but running on fumes, with owners barely paying themselves and recruitment and investment frozen.
Those behind what is fast-becoming a significant pressure group only expect its numbers to grow, and hope that will help it force the Government to look again at what they consider to be punitive tax increases and an unfair playing field for their businesses in areas.
This week the group, which has named itself HOOP - Hands Off Our Pubs - held its first public gathering at Speech House in the Forest of Dean, drawing support the current High Sheriff of Gloucestershire, Julie Kent MBE.
