Perspectives change: Even Cheltenham believes in Gloucester now!
Once Cheltenham firms would’ve fought off any association with their neighbours down the Golden Valley, but how times change. Now they’re trying to sneak entries into the Believe in Gloucester Awards!
Dear Readers,
We hope your week is going well - and if you were able to benefit from the bank holiday on Monday you did so!
It was great to see a return of the Tall Ships Festival at Gloucester Docks over the three-day weekend - its first return since 2019.
One thing we’ve heard is that a large percentage of those who made the trip to the waterside festival had never set foot in the city before. Gloucester, it seems, has become a destination worth visiting!
That point takes us neatly to the lead story today - which is Raikes lending itself to fan the flames of excitement building around the return of an event started to try to restore pride in the city and spread word of what it has to offer - the Believe in Gloucester Awards.
Back when it started the thought of a trip down the Golden Valley to spend time in the city didn’t just not occur to some at the Cheltenham end, it might even have been enthusiastically resisted. Now Gloucester seems to have become a place those who preside in the Spa town cannot resist actively wanting to be associated with! As you’ll find out why if you read the story.
As with the Tall Ships Festival, the Believe in Gloucester Awards shows how times change, and we think it is a credit to everyone who has created that change and ongoing momentum.
Oh, and we’re not paywalling this edition as the Bank Holiday knocked out our Monday newsletter. We simply don’t want you to go without for any longer.
But please do remember, it is our Founding Partners, Founding Members and paying subscribers who are making this possible. If you are not one of them, please do consider it. You’ll be making this community interest company serving the county sustainable. More details about this are below.
Please do continue to bear us in mind for your stories and ideas. Contact andrew.merrell@raikesjournal.co.uk or telephone 07956 926061.
* Everything you read on The Raikes Journal is made possible by our incredible Founding Partners: QuoLux, Willans LLP, Gloucestershire College, Merrell People and Randall & Payne; our sponsors Hartpury University and Hartpury College; our Founding Members and all our wonderful paying subscribers. If you upgrade to paid too, you’ll be able to see beyond the paywalls we place on many of our second and third email editions of the week and that lock our archive after two weeks. You will be able to view our rolling Top 100 Businesses in Gloucestershire series, comment on our stories and you’ll be helping to make possible this community interest company dedicated to supporting the county, its businesses, charities and education and training providers — all for just £2.30 per week!! For commercial opportunities visit our About us page or email andrew.merrell@raikesjournal.co.uk.
Your briefing notes
🏆 In 2023 Ciara McGurk was officially launching her new luxury laundry brand, Tallow + Ash. Earlier this year she was Crowdfunding, seeking funds to help grow the business, which is based at The Laundry Lab in Gloucester, and develop its range of planet-friendly laundry shampoos and conditioners. Two months ago she revealed the campaign had actually hit its target in the first few hours - and then gone on to quadruple that amount and raise £1 million. To top it all off she’s now gone and won the Young Entrepreneur of the Year category in the 2024 Uk Start-up Awards. A massive congratulations, we think!
🛍️ If you live in Cheltenham and enjoy shopping it won’t have escaped you that Cavendish House has reopened. The former department store closed its doors in April leaving everyone wondering ‘what next?’ for the iconic building that fronts the town’s famous Promenade. But doors opened earlier this week, with nearly 30 pop-up traders forming a new indoor market. Wares range from plants, coffee and menswear to clothing, flowers, and more. The market is the brain-child of Gloucestershire businessman, Harry Khan of AB Properties, who took over the lease of the building.
🍽️ Social media reach is one thing, but social media reach from what people regard as a credible third party (like Raikes!!) - that delivers shockwave after wave of excitement through the cybersphere. And if you are an independent restaurant where reputation is everything, recieving a glowing review from one of the nation’s most famous food critics is gold. This is exactly what happened to Sam’s Montpellier. Jay Rayner, of The Guardian newspaper, admitted to being sceptical to the point of “sweaty-plamed trepidation” on arrival, but from the charm of the waitress to the dishes themselves Rayner waxed lyrical about what he experienced: “Behind the clatter and the groove, is a place serving dishes that deserve our attention, whatever the portion size.” Read that review here.
🎉 In January this year we were among the many that lamented the news that Roots Cafe and Community in Gloucester, was closing its doors. The Kingsholm cafe and social hub was ahead of its time when it opened its doors 10 years ago, creating a welcoming space for all and a centre for activities for all of Kingsholm and beyond. Now we are now among the many celebrating the news that the doors to the Alvin Street venue have re-opened with the Roots Refils shop - which previously operated from behind the cafe, now moving front of house too.
📢 Very good new for the business community in Gloucester, which has been limping along without a fully functioning chamber of commerce. City centre businesses have had Gloucester BID to fight their corner, give them a strong collective voice and help promote them to all - but for those outside the centre of the city there has been little on offer. Luke Lutman, of Pheonix Consultants, based at Jolt Studios in King’s Square, has been beavering away for some time to reinstate the chamber and has now gone public with the plan, built around a new tiered membership system. You can find out more here.
📅 Tuesday 4 June. A Young Professionals Networking Bingo Night. Randall & Payne is due to host this fundraiser and networking event from 5.30pm to 7.30pm at its Chargrove House headquarters, Shurdington, GL51 4GA. Find out more here.
Honouring the county’s greatest living citizens
Today marks another deadline! On Thursday next week the county will come together to celebrate and honour the dedication of those who give their time to make this county an even better place to live and work. This is the annual Volunteer Awards, staged by Go Volunteer Glos, cancer support charity Charlie’s and the Gloucestershire VCS Alliance. Awards include Rising Star, Young Volunteer, Good Neighbour, Community Involvement, Trustee of the Year, Volunteering Experience, Lifetime Achievement and Volunteer of the Year and the event is due to take place at The Growth Hub, at the University of Gloucestershire’s Oxstalls campus, with BBC journalist Steve Knibbs presenting. If you want to go you need to book your tickets by the end of today, Thursday 30 May. You can do that here. Find out more about the finalists here.
Perspectives change: Even Cheltenham believes in Gloucester now!
Once upon a time Cheltenham firms would’ve fought off any association with their neighbours down the Golden Valley, but how times change. Now they’re trying to sneak entries into the Believe in Gloucester Awards!

How times change. When Gloucester launched an awards way back in the early 2000s to encourage a reemerging pride in the city, changing the views of its near neighbours down the Golden Valley too would have been considered a step too far.
Even when Gloucester BID announced it was bringing back the Believe in Gloucester Awards by popular demand this year there were still some nerves about just how engaged people would be. No one needed to worry.
Nominations have come pouring in, sponsors for each of the 15 Awards are in place and two heavyweight headline names jumped to back the event – Peel L&P, which owns designer outlet Gloucester Quays, and WSP Solicitors, which has offices in the city.
And as for what people in Cheltenham might now think of the near neighbour now, it does look like perceptions have changed considerably - to the point they now want a piece of what Gloucester has too!
“We have had about 260 nominations now, which is fantastic. It is great that so many want to be involved and talk about their businesses, events or charities,” said Emily Gibbon the manager of Gloucester BID, the collective of city centre businesses dedicated to promoting the heart of the county’s capital.
“And we have even had nominations for a couple of Cheltenham businesses which have tried tro sneak in too, which is really nice. We have had to say ‘no’, of course.”
Should you wish to put another name forward for one of the awards, the new deadline to do that by is June 14 (just make sure the nominee is within Gloucester. Even the outskirts is fine. Just not Cheltenham!).
Entries will then be considered by judges, slimmed down to a short list and put out to public votes again later in the year, but in the mean time the doors remain open – with Raikes happening to know that Regeneration, Customer Service and Heritage are categories judges are looking for even more entries.
Sponsor WSP is a firm that already had a healthy legal practice at its headquarters in Stroud, along with a history dating back more than 250 years, but opened another office in Gloucester in the early 2000s. When it made that investment it immediately and proudly began announcing its own belief in Gloucester – backing up the talk by throwing itself behind events it felt helped raise the city’s profile and pride. It is an attitude that persists.
Silas Miller, head of marketing and business development at WSP Solicitors, said: “When WSP Solicitors moved into Gloucester over 10 years ago, a primary focus for the business was on supporting and championing our city community.
“Throughout this time WSP have supported a whole host of Gloucester events and institutions including the Tall Ships Festival, Art in the City, Dragon Boat Festival, Gloucester Rugby, and Hartpury University.
“We also host regular networking events, support academic delivery at the University of Gloucestershire Oxstalls campus and fundraise for our charity partner, Young Gloucestershire who are based in the city too.
“Before the pandemic, WSP Solicitors was a staunch supporters of the original incarnation of the Believe in Gloucester Awards, sponsoring a variety of award categories over the years. Back for the first time since 2019, we are delighted to be on board as title sponsors for 2024.
“The awards are a true celebration of Gloucester, where many of us live and work and a real opportunity to recognise greatness in our city!”
Here are the awards again, in case you missed them. Plus links through to the website to volunteer the names of those you would love to see celebrated for their efforts making Gloucester special.
Ambassador of the Year, sponsored by the University of Gloucestershire
Young Ambassador of the Year, sponsored by King’s School
Business of the Year, sponsored by WSP Solicitors
Small Business of the Year, sponsored by Davies & Partners Solicitors
New Business of the Year, sponsored by Kara Hair & Beauty
Hair and Beauty Business of the Year, sponsored by The Local Answer
Food Business of the Year, sponsored by Gloucester Food Dock
Retailer of the Year, sponsored by Gloucester Quays
Bar or Pub of the Year, sponsored by Gloucester City Safe
Best Customer Service Award, sponsored by insurance firm Cass Stephens Insurance Ltd
Sustainability Award, sponsored by King’s Walk Gloucester
Heritage/Regeneration Award, sponsored by Gloucester City Council
Community Project/Organisation of the Year, sponsored by Gloucestershire County Council
Event of the Year, sponsored by security business GMS Group
Charity of the Year, sponsored by Eastgate Shopping Centre
As we said above, the date for nominations is no longer May 31 - it is June 14. Judges will meet in July to shortlist, voting for the finalists will be open to the public in August and September and the awards night itself due to take place on 20 November 2024.
You can find out more, and about how to enter the awards, right here.