More success for ‘Gloucestershire’s fastest growing business’
When it landed a major contract with a world-famous airline earlier this year we wondered out loud if it was Gloucestershire’s fastest-growing firm. That claim has just become even more convincing.
Dear reader,
Welcome to Monday’s edition of The Raikes Journal.
Today we flag a whole series of events again – looking forward through August into September and even breaching October. It’s not comprehensive, but it’s some of the highlights we’ve spotted.
We give another plug to Cheltenham Animal Shelter in our regular Monday Charity of the Week spot – mainly because it has a 100th birthday black tie ball on the horizon, which everyone is invited to attend and enjoy and which will help support the charity’s work.
And we also draw your attention to an expert article by Katie Duthie, a legal expert with one of our sponsors, Willans LLP solicitors, which focuses on the rising number of people disputing wills. Apparently those wanting a bigger share the estate of the deceased, or those looking to stop others claiming a share, are increasingly using DNA tests in the hope of winning their arguments.
But the main article revisits a company we’ve reported on a few times over the last two years, not least because we struggle to think of another in the county that is growing quite so fast. Its ascent is simply astonishing.
On another more personal note, this is the penultimate edition before I take two weeks annual leave, returning at the start of September.
Enjoy.
Best regards,
Editor | 07956 926061 | LinkedIn: Andrew Merrell | andrew.merrell@raikesjournal.co.uk
Charity of the week: 100 years of the Cheltenham Animal Shelter
We’ve featured this Cheltenham Animal Shelter before in this weekly slot, not least because it used to be the chosen charity of one of the founding fathers of The Raikes Journal, Willans LLP. But when an organisation is about to celebrate its 100th birthday, it’s surely worth acknowledging? On Friday 11 September it will celebrate with a drinks reception, black-tie ball and three-course dinner at Pittville Pump Room. Live music will come from Tux Fizz and celebrations will go on later into the night. All proceeds will go towards what the charity has been fighting for for all these years – helping support and give better lives to homeless cats, dogs and small animals. More here.
Why DNA testing is now being used to settle inheritance disputes
An article by a Gloucestershire solicitor shows just how far we’re prepared to go to settle the rising number of disputed wills - and how her firm helped decide DNA testing was a valid tool.
Using DNA testing to settle inheritance disputes might sound an extreme measure, but as the value of estates rises a growing number of us are finding once straight forward wills are being contested from all sides.
Individuals claiming to be related to the deceased and therefore able to make a claim on the estate, and others attempting to disinherit, are part of a growing trend.
It’s left lawyers reaching for science in their efforts to settle such ‘are they or are they not related’ disputes, and Cheltenham law firm Willans LLP has played a key role shaping the case law in this sensitive area.
“We’ve seen an increase in inheritance disputes in recent years, and the use of DNA evidence is no longer unusual,” said Katie Duthie, senior associate solicitor at Willans LLP, who has written an intriguing expert article on the subject.
“As family structures become more complex and genetic testing becomes more accessible, it is playing an increasingly important role in determining who is entitled to inherit.
“We’ve advised several clients whose cases have involved DNA testing, highlighting how advances in forensic science can provide clearer evidence where family relationships are disputed.”
As she says in her article, it’s not as straight forward as you might think: “Its use raises important legal, procedural, and practical issues.
“How does DNA testing in UK inheritance claims work, when might the court order it, and what does it mean for potential claimants and beneficiaries of estates?
All of which she answers in the article too.
You can read Katie Duthie’s full article here: The role of DNA testing in inheritance disputes.
Briefing notes…
💻💷💷 A tech firm founded by two Gloucestershire entrepreneurs has raised another £500,000 of seed funding to expand its AI-driven background screening platform beyond the education sector. Safehire.ai helps organisations make safer, faster recruitment and safeguarding-led decisions and used former military intelligence specialists to train its AI (artificial intelligence) technology. Co-founder of the London-based business, Simon Holden, a former school bursar, is based near Gloucester, and Sean Lumley, co-founder of cybersecurity platform CybSafe, is based near Stroud. The pair met during army training at Sandhurst.
🏘️🏘️🏘️ Fears small village will be ruined by 1,090-home plan: There are fears plans to build almost 19,000 homes in the Cotswolds over the next two decades “will ruin” communities, including a small village near Cirencester. Cotswold District Council has been tasked by the Government to come up with a plan for housing development in the district. And council leaders are in the process of considering a new local plan to meet this aim and provide a blueprint for housing, employment and leisure sites until 2043. More here.
🏘️🏘️🏘️ Hundreds call for plans for new town to be ‘ruled out’: Hundreds of people have signed an open letter calling for a controversial new 3,500-home town on the A417 to be “ruled out” of a council’s new blueprint for housing. Forest of Dean residents are calling on councillors to ditch plans for the houses at Glynchbrook, near junction 2 of the M50. The Forest of Dean District Council decided on June 30 to withdraw its draft local plan and work on a new blueprint, which will set out where more than 13,000 homes will be built over the next 20 years. More here.
Dates for your diary…
As we move into the holiday period and it feels like the What’s On calendar has gone blank, here are some dates for your diary stretching into October, starting with a short feature on a special event for property investors and landlords in September…
Cheltenham BID, Gloucestershire County Council and Cheltenham Borough Council’s ‘public realm update and engagement event’ at Hub8 MX on Tuesday 11 August from 5pm to 7pm. More here.
Landlords struggling with Renters’ Rights Act to get a helping hand
Four months on from the introduction of the Renters’ Rights Act clarity is still being sought by landlords, investors, property owners, and developers. Experts from law firm Willans LLP will aim to address concerns of landlords, investors, developers and agents with a free in-person on 8 September from 4pm to 6pm at DoubleTree by Hilton Cheltenham-Cotswolds, Cirencester Road, Cheltenham GL53 8EA. More here on Friday July 31 edition.
WSP Solicitors’ Tapas Tuesday networking event – Tuesday, 8 September from noon till 2pm at Sebz Cafe Tapas Restaurant, Gloucester. More here.
Cheltenham Animal Shelter celebrates 100 years with a fundraising drinks reception, three-course dinner, black-tie ball and live music from Tux Fizz at Pittville Pump Room on Friday 11 September. More here.
The Property Forum’s State of the Nation event at The Shirt Factory, Gloucester, on Thursday 17 September, sponsored by Willans LLP solicitors and Hazlewoods. A panel featuring city MP Alex McIntyre will discuss housing, planning, regulation, and the wider economic outlook. 9am to 11am. More here.
The Property Forum’s Inspiring Women, The Tavern, Cheltenham, on Thursday 24 September. Sarah Bryars, vice chair and trustee of Friends of Westonbirt, will host with special guest Sophie Nash, programme manager for Forestry England. BPE Solicitors sponsors. More here.
Together Gloucestershire is due to stage its latest Meet the Buyer event at Hartpury University and Hartpury College on Wednesday September 30 from 10am to 3pm. This is your chance to meet the procurement team at Hartpury, position yourself as a credible partner and secure new contracts. More here.
The team from CyNam is due to stage Gloucestershire Tech Week (GTW) from 12th to 16 October. 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.
More success for ‘Gloucestershire’s fastest growing business’
When it landed a major contract with a world-famous airline earlier this year we wondered out loud if it was Gloucestershire’s fastest-growing firm. That claim has just become even more convincing.
Back in April we asked if this was Gloucestershire’s fastest growing business – more an attempt to get you to read the article than us being able to put our hands on our hearts and say the statement was true, even if the figures were pretty convincing.
Skyborne, which is headquartered at Gloucestershire Airport, had just won a major contract to train pilots for EasyJet, adding another household name to its portfolio of international airline customers.
The argument for giving it the title ‘king of growth’ were already compelling. Its financials described an upward trajectory befitting of the planes its airline pilots train to fly, with turnover rising from £13m in 2022, £17.9m in 2023 and £27.1m in 2024.
It was enough for us to also name it as a winner of one of our on-going Raikes Recognition Awards, which we give to Gloucestershire businesses, organisations and individuals achieving incredible things.
But it’s now published it latest annual report for the year ending 31 December 2025 and turnover shows no signs of levelling off just yet, with the figure reaching £41.6m. And profit before taxation came in at £4.9m, up from a £752,000 loss the previous year.
That’s growth of more than 53 per cent.
“We continue to see month-on-month growth in student enrolments and revenues,” said Lee Woodward (pictured below), co-founder and chief executive officer of Skyborne.
“Skyborne has secured long-term contracts with British Airways, Jet 2, Ryanair, FlyDubai, EasyJet and IndiGo.
“Over the past year, there has been an increase in the British Airways-funded pilot numbers and Skyborne is the preferred supplier to British Airways for this programme.
“The scale, robustness, and diverse nature of these contracts alone offer a high degree of safeguarding of our business.”
As well as the UK (the firm has invested millions of pounds into Gloucestershire, in terms of facilities at Staverton and accommodation in Cheltenham) the business has operations in Bournemouth Airports and Vero Beach Airport, Florida.
“In the US, there has been some over-indexing with regard to manpower in the post-covid (pandemic) consumer demand for travel, which has settled to a more normal position,” said Woodward.
“In addition, there continues to be challenges with regards to supply of B737 MAX and A320 NEO/CEO aircraft in the US, which is curtailing airline growth in the short-term. That said, airline yields are at record levels in certain businesses as consumer demand for air travel remains very strong.”
He added: “The group’s long-term strategy continues to be to grow the business through both organic growth of its existing sites and the acquisition and development of further sites as opportunities present themselves.
“In 2026, Skyborne will commence ATPCTP training for those pilots leaving the light aircraft environment to transition to airline operations.
“The group is also planning to launch a Part 147 Aircraft Maintenance Training academy at the Vero Beach facility.
“In order to facilitate the growth of student enrolments and the associated training, there will be a requirement in the next two years to purchase 32 more aircrafts (15 Piper 100i and 4 DA 42’s), as well as two more simulators.
“It is likely that the airlines are going to require more pilots in the coming years. There is the beginning of airline programmes for student pilots, some of which may well be fully sponsored.
“Skyborne continues to work with the airlines to develop innovative training solutions and to ensure that we retain the trust of the airlines and our customers.”
According to the Boeing Pilot and Technician Outlook Global air travel demand is outpacing economic growth as markets have remained resilient. Effective training and an adequate supply of personnel remain critical to maintain the health, safety and prosperity of the global aviation ecosystem.
Long-term demand for newly qualified personnel remains strong, as 674,000 new pilots, 728,000 new maintenance technicians, and 1,023,000 new cabin crew members will be needed to fly and maintain the global commercial aviation fleet over the next 20 years.
According to PAE.com, a US publication, data from the Bureau of Labour Statistics (BLS) shows the demand for airline and commercial pilots is projected to grow four per cent between 2024 and 2034, with an estimated 18,200 job openings each year.
A National Air Carrier Association (NACA) report maintains that pilot scarcity will affect travel options over the next decade, with a cumulative shortage of more than 28,000 pilots by 2030 (based on current trends).