GLOUCESTERSHIRE GATEWAY TRUST

  • Home
  • About
    • Vision
    • Meet the team
    • Community Partners
    • Publications
    • Our supporters and funders
    • Our story
    • Community Development Funding Criteria
  • News
    • News >
      • Competitions >
        • Poetry competition
      • Support Local
  • Blog
  • Gloucester Services
    • Growing Communities at Gloucester Services
    • Jobs
  • Resources
    • Food help and support
    • Support for older people during Coronavirus
    • The GEM Project
  • Get involved
    • Your community
    • Volunteering
    • Community hubs
  • loop
  • Contact
  • Home
  • About
    • Vision
    • Meet the team
    • Community Partners
    • Publications
    • Our supporters and funders
    • Our story
    • Community Development Funding Criteria
  • News
    • News >
      • Competitions >
        • Poetry competition
      • Support Local
  • Blog
  • Gloucester Services
    • Growing Communities at Gloucester Services
    • Jobs
  • Resources
    • Food help and support
    • Support for older people during Coronavirus
    • The GEM Project
  • Get involved
    • Your community
    • Volunteering
    • Community hubs
  • loop
  • Contact

All news stories

A taste of Gloucester

30/10/2019

 
It’s not everyday you get invited to Parliament, but yesterday, GGT and Gloucester Services were invited to showcase producers and talk about how we jointly support local communities as part of the Taste of Gloucester event.  The invite came from Gloucester MP Richard Graham, and gave local food producers the opportunity to talk to up to 200 MPs , ensuring they were well fed for their current challenges.​

Clare Skivington, GGT Community Support Manager said: “It was a great opportunity to talk about how a family business and a charity can come together to create something that has real and meaningful impact on the local community, environment  and economy. The most common comment was more people should be using this model – it’s brilliant."
Picture
Brian Iles from Gloucester Services, MP Richard Graham and Clare Skivington of GGT at the Taste of Gloucester event
Picture
Delicious fudge and truffles produced by Nailsworth producer Costello & Hellerstein, available in Gloucester Services Farmshops
Some of the delicious local producers stocked in Gloucester Services Farmshops that showcased their products included apple juice from Our Small Farm; Paul Elliot of Gloucester Biltong; truffles and fudge from Nailsworth based Costello & Hellerstein; and Hobbs House Bakery.

Brian Iles, Group Food Operations Manager at Gloucester Services added: “There was a lot going on in Parliament yesterday with the general election announcement but feedback was very positive from Richard Graham, his team and all of our local MPs, the Secretary of State for Agriculture and a broad spectrum of MP’s from further afield and many, many researchers who were keen to learn about us and our brilliant producers.
​

Around a 100 people or so were exposed to our story, our suppliers and Gloucestershire Gateway Trust and it was really positive to share with those who had been customers. They were all keen to share their experiences on site and it was unanimously a positive return for our food, our team and the way we are working together as a community.”
Picture
Paul Elliot of Gloucester Biltong sharing his story and produce with MPs
Picture
Tanya and Ian Greenfield from Our Small Farm, Wooton Under Edge, who harvest old varieties of apples from small, non-commercial orchards for their apple juice

Feeding our communities

16/10/2019

 
Picture
All over the country demand for foodbanks is increasing.  GGT has teamed up with Gloucester Services, the national FareShare food project, local allotment holders, GL Communities and other partners to create a new free food project.

Five days a week unsold food is collected and made available at locations connected to a community café or community food cupboard at its site. The donated food also supports the community cafés and is a great way to reduce food waste in business. 
       What can you do?
  • If you or anyone you know is struggling to put food on the table, contact one of our community partners who are always there to help and get you the right advice.
  • Do you have an allotment or grow more fruit or veg than you can eat? Contact a foodbank or one of our partners who can put it to good use in the community!
  • Foodbanks are a lifeline for many families - give an item or two when you see them collecting in the supermarkets.
  • Beat food waste by inviting neighbours or friends around for a meal, especially anyone who might be struggling.

Redwell Restock

On Thursdays, our community partner Together In Matson receives produce from Gloucester Services, Tesco and Morrisons, which volunteers and staff cook together and make meals that they then freeze ready for community members to collect. Bread, fruit and vegetables are always available for people
to take home to use themselves. Called the Redwell Re-stock, this service helps people restock their fridges and supplies them with food they may not otherwise be able to afford. Over the last year the demand for this service has risen.

Food, fun and pea soup

Providing food and fun, is a top priority for Play Gloucestershire. “Feeling isolated, being sedentary and missing out on nutritious meals  is not good for childhood wellbeing which is why we are so committed to our ‘food and fun’ approach in the low income communities we support” said Play Ranger Ben.

“In winter, our fire pit always comes out and we do toast and jam or marmite, or we make soup in the holidays. There’s a legendary pea soup; even kids that don’t like peas love it. We also try to make nutritious but easy things they can try at home with their families.”
Picture

Monday is the Munchday

Another of our community partners All Pulling Together (APT) in Stonehouse run the Neighbourly Food Project, which also makes food collections from local supermarkets available to residents, uploading photos of deliveries to Facebook.  Volunteers from APT are also available to talk to people about any additional support they might need.  They also run a 'Munchday' every Monday when anyone can call in for a hot meal and a drink for a donation of £1.  

Also on a Monday, our community partner Fair Shares Gloucestershire runs a lunch club at Chequers Bridge Community Centre. Participants can help with the preparation and cooking, or set the table or wash up - there's a role to make everyone feel involved.
Picture

Playing with food

“During our school holiday play sessions we provide at least three free lunches a week for all of our playground visitors and on some days we feed more than 60 people!" said Dawn, Project Manager at our newest community partner The Venture: White City.
We like to encourage our children and young people to experiment with food, trying new tastes and textures, but we also do lots of training and skills development so that they are equipped to cook simple meals. These are great life skills for them to have. Food is also used for creative purposes. We use it to make food masterpieces like pizza faces that can then be cooked and eaten and we turn potatoes and carrots into people! This helps us to reduce waste as food that we cannot cook is used for art."

Best thing since sliced bread

10/10/2019

 
At GGT we're proud to be part of a food project that collects unsold food from local retailers and makes it available to people in the community that need it.

Our community partners also use any stock that they can to create meals for local residents, and as bread is often part of the collection, GGT Community Support Manager Clare Skivington joined the dots with a local supplier.

"We're proud to sell the delicious produce from Hobbs House Bakery in the Kitchens and Farmshops at Gloucester Services, but they're also really community minded.  
Picture
Picture
This week they welcomed us in to their kitchens and taught us some fantastic recipes to create with leftover bread.  The treacle tart went down particularly well!"

Jacky Edwards from GGT community partner APT said: "A great day.  We learnt some amazing ideas which we will certainly use for the APT Monday Munch Day meals, where  Stonehouse residents can join us for a cooked meal for a £1 donation."

Sandy Brammer from another GGT community partner GL Communities who helps to run the food project agreed: "The visit was amazing, and the food was superb. Who knew you could make soup with bread (not me) and the treacle tart was definitely a treat. It was a fantastic experience and I am really excited to show everyone what I have learnt, bring such delicious food to the community and be able to do it all from free surplus ingredients."

A huge thank you to Hobbs House Bakery for making this day possible, and thank you to our community partner Fair Shares for the great photos.
Picture
Picture

We won again!

19/9/2019

 
Following our success at the Business Charity Awards in May, we're beyond happy to announce we won big again last night, this time at the Third Sector Excellence Awards, firmly putting community development in Gloucestershire on the national map.

The partnership between Gloucestershire Gateway Trust and the Westmorland Family was shortlisted for the Corporate Partnership of the Year Award alongside high profile national business and charity partnerships including Center Parcs and Together for Short Lives, British Red Cross and Co-Op, and Asda, Fare Share and the Trussell Trust.  

Mark Gale, CEO for Gloucestershire Gateway Trust said: 
Picture
Picture
Picture
“We’re over the moon that this partnership award recognises that communities can use their assets to create something of  scale that has a lasting impact. The fact that a charity and a business both have a stake in Gloucester Services has differentiated us in a very competitive field of finalists. Most importantly, this success highlights a new approach that can be replicated across the country to unlock a whole range of community assets. Businesses and charities committing to long-term partnerships which value each other’s strengths could be an important new route for local people to realise long-standing aspirations to create positive long-term social benefit."

Amid its success, Gloucester Services has exceeded its charitable goals and created over 400 jobs, employed over 80 people specifically from ‘target’ local communities, and supported over 130 local producers within 30 miles. In the last 18 months over £700,000 has been reinvested into community projects and development activity in the target communities to support regeneration. Local residents help decide how future funding is spent through Gloucestershire Gateway Trust’s annual Community Survey and an additional £2.5 million will be committed to these communities over the next five years.

Sarah Dunning, Chair of Westmorland said: "We are absolutely delighted to win this excellent award. We were once again up against some strong competition. It’s fantastic to have the hard work of everyone involved in the partnership recognised with another great award this year. The partnership with Gloucestershire Gateway Trust is about investing in our community for future generations. It’s a very exciting time for Gloucester Services, now in its fifth year we are very proud of everyone who has played a part in helping to build this incredible place and those yet to be part of our story as we continue to build on all the great things that have been achieved to date together."

At Gloucestershire Gateway Trust we receive up to 3p in every £1 of non-fuel sales from Gloucester Services to invest in our local communities.
 
The Third Sector Excellence Awards were created by Third Sector to celebrate and honour the great work being done across the charity sector.  Over 300 entries were received for this year’s awards and the ceremony in London on 19 September was a sell-out event.

Food for thought...

2/9/2019

 
Food.  We all need it and it's at the heart of families and communities, but it can be expensive and foodbank services here in Gloucestershire continue to see increased demand.  Our GGT summer newsletter is dedicated to food in communities, from how local food projects, play schemes and our wonderful community partners are helping children and residents, to new developments at Gloucester Services.

Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust's Manifesto for a Wilder Gloucestershire is also included, as well as how The Nelson Trust is helping local women with body image and changing patterns.

Download your copy here or contact us for your free copy to be posted.
​
Picture
Newslines Summer 2019.pdf
File Size: 12843 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Picture
Picture
Picture

Community events this summer in Gloucestershire!

7/8/2019

 
 Looking for fun ideas and things to do over the summer holidays?  There's so much going on in our local communities in Gloucestershire.  This handy guide to events has been put together by the Matson, Robinswood and White City Community Partnership (you can download if the text is a bit small):
Picture
summer_events_guide_2019.jpg
File Size: 1881 kb
File Type: jpg
Download File

More great activities from our community partners at The Venture White City: 
Picture
Plus lots more from our other community partners on their websites - see the full schedule of activities from Play Gloucestershire and Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust.  Great reasons to get out and enjoy the summer and your community!

We made another shortlist!  Third Sector Awards 2019

1/8/2019

 
We're delighted to announce that the unique partnership between Gloucestershire Gateway Trust and Westmorland has been shortlisted in the Third Sector Charity Awards 2019.  In recognition of the success Gloucester Services on the M5, the partnership is shortlisted alongside some well-known competition, a huge achievement as over 300 entries were submitted to the awards this year.
Picture
Amid its success, Gloucester Services has exceeded its charitable goals and created over 400 jobs, employed over 80 people specifically from ‘target’ local communities, and supported over 130 local producers within 30 miles. In the last 18 months over £700,000 has been reinvested into community projects and development activity in the target communities to support regeneration. Local residents help decide how future funding is spent through Gloucestershire Gateway Trust’s annual Community Survey and an additional £2.5 million will be committed to these communities over the next five years.

The results will be announced at the Third Sector Awards on 19 September 2019.

Welcoming our newest community partner...

31/7/2019

 
We’re delighted to welcome our newest community partner – The Venture: White City – to the Gloucestershire Gateway Trust family of community partners. 

Based in White City, Gloucester, The Venture offers a great space for indoor and outdoor play for local children and families as well as lots of arts, crafts, creative play, sports and games.

As a community partner, The Venture will now benefit from the royalty agreement where up to 3p in every £1 spent at Gloucester Services is invested in local communities through GGT.
​
Dawn Barnes, Project Manager for The Venture said:  "We feel very privileged to have become a community partner of GGT. The funding provided gives us some stability, which both enables us to attract other funding and continue to provide much needed services for our local community. We look forward to the opportunities that this partnership will bring".

The Venture has a fantastic programme of events over the summer, follow them to find out more:


Facebook: @Ventureplay
Twitter: @VenturePlay
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
You can also read more about all of our Community Partners and how they support our local communities.

Communities come together to shape the future

11/7/2019

 
Last week Gloucestershire Gateway Trust (GGT) invited residents from communities across Gloucestershire have their say about where they live and to help shape its future. 

Over 60 people from communities including Matson, Robinswood, White City, Podsmead, Tuffley, Stonehouse and the GL10 area came together for the ‘Future Creating Workshops’.  They talked about what they love about their areas, what their dream communities would look like, and what can be done to make it happen.​
Picture
Residents talked about their favourite place in their Gloucestershire community
Picture
Residents also talked about what they'd like to improve
GGT ran the workshops for the second year running as part of the annual Community Survey it conducts in its target areas.  Residents unable to attend the workshops still have the opportunity to have their say, as a specially trained team from the local communities will be conducting surveys door-to-door and at community events and day trips over the summer.

Mark Gale, CEO of GGT said: “The Community Surveys give us amazing insight to our communities, encourage people to come together and make life better, and also informs GGT funding. We added Together In Matson and The Venture: White City as community funded partners as a direct result of what residents told us, and now both receive £20,000 a year from GGT, alongside our six other community partners.”​
Picture
Residents of Matson, Robinswood and White City share their ideas
Picture
Residents get to work in creating their dream communities
The 2018 Community Survey also highlighted that despite the ups and downs of community life neighbourliness is still strong, so GGT launched the LOOP Project to build on that spirit and to support communities in making new connections and sharing their skills.

Mark said: “Many of those who took part in the 2018 survey did say they didn’t feel able to influence local decisions, this a great chance to share thoughts as the results of the survey will be shared with local councillors, community groups and decision makers.”

Matson resident Sandy said:
"I think as a resident the future creating workshops are a great way to get your voice heard and to have the possibility of instigating positive changes."

Another resident at the workshops talked about changing mindsets: “If we all took a minute to pick up some rubbish, tidy a hedge or help a neighbour, we’d be even prouder of where we live.”  
Picture
What would your dream community look like?
Picture
Residents of White City, Gloucestershire, talk about their ideas
Professor Mary Brydon Miller from the University of Louisville added “I come to Gloucester each summer to help facilitate the Future Creating Workshops and train the local survey team. Gloucestershire Gateway Trust, Gloucester Services and the work they are doing together is growing a worldwide reputation for Gloucester and their community driven development work. I have spoken about this work in the USA, the Philippines, South Africa and Europe and I know many other organisations across the world are now independently looking to learn from the experience of this project. There’s no doubt it is a trail blazer showing how communities and business can work together for mutual benefit.” ​
Picture
Professor Mary Brydon-Miller facilitated the workshops
Picture
More residents shape their dream communities

Canvas for Creativity - GGT supports the Wearable Art Competition

21/6/2019

 
Last Friday Gloucestershire Gateway Trust were among a huge crowd gathered at Gloucester Cathedral to watch the grand final of the Wearable Art Competition, organised by Art Couture Painswick (ACP).

Mark Gale of GGT said: "We were delighted to provide support for this project at the outset to help it get off the ground.  I'm sure this creative trade route through Gloucestershire is going to grow and grow!"

Sarah Dunning, Chair of GGT business partner Westmorland was also proud to be on the panel of judges for the competition:

"It was an amazing experience to judge the Wearable Art Competition.  It was full of talent, wild ideas and people having a wonderful time in the dramatic  setting of Gloucester Cathedral.  It was a real privilege to be part of the judging panel."

Jules Ellison of Make it Studios in Stroud was Open Category Winner, with her earth protector entry 'Pollywood', inspired by lawyer Polly Higgins and the campaign 'Stop Ecocide: Change the Law'.

Read more about the entries, winners and impact on Gloucestershire with our blog from the competition creators coming soon....
Picture
Bodypainting entries wowed the crowds at Gloucester Cathedral
Picture
Wearable art entry for the 'Robotics' category
Picture
Local Gloucestershire schools took part in the competition
Picture
Jacqui Gale (left), Sarah Dunning (centre) and Mark Gale (right) with the Robot 'oversize' entry
Picture
Competition Open Category Winner 'Pollywood'
Picture
Picture
Picture

GGT supports local school poetry competition

23/5/2019

 
Earlier this week, Gloucestershire Gateway Trust were delighted to support a poetry competition, run by Gloucestershire Libraries for local schools.  The winners and runners up were welcomed into a presentation evening at Gloucester Services, where they read their poems to a delighted audience of parents and teachers.

Steve Birt, Library Assistant who organised the competition told us: "We were looking for a reason to welcome children back into our libraries after Christmas, and decided to run a competition for the schools based around Robinswood Hill.  We had entries from Harewood and Robinswood Schools, but Moat School really ran with the competition and submitted lots of entries."

Popular topics were the Polar Vortex, Brexit, and the children's aspirations for 2019 - which included at least one promise to be nicer to siblings.

With the competition running in Gloucestershire Gateway Trust's target communities, we were delighted to donate the prize money.  The overall competition winners were 11 year-old Natalia and 8 year-old Liam, both from Moat School, who took home the top prize for their school.

Head of Moat Primary School, Alison Walker said: "The children who entered are all going to get together and decide what they'd like to spend the money on for the school.  We're very proud of them all."

Steve concluded the competition by saying: "Anything that grows children's interest in reading and writing is a wonderful thing."

The competition was judged by the Gloucestershire Poetry Society. 
Picture
The team from Gloucestershire Libraries who organised the competition
Picture
Competition winners Natalia and Liam, from Moat Primary School
Picture
Competition runner-up with Clare Skivington of Gloucestershire Gateway Trust
Picture
Competition winners and runners up with Head of Moat School, receiving their prize
Picture
Families enjoyed a presentation evening at Gloucester Services
Picture
Natalia's winning poem

Gloucestershire Gateway Trust and Westmorland win the Long-Term Partnership Award 2019 for Gloucester Services at the Business Charity Awards

22/5/2019

 
On 22nd May 2019 the unique partnership behind Gloucester Services on the M5 was awarded the Long-Term Partnership Award at the prestigious Charity Business Awards, hosted by Third Sector in a ceremony at the London Marriot Hotel.

The partnership between Gloucestershire Gateway Trust and the Westmorland Family was shortlisted alongside high profile national business and charity partnerships including Matalan and NSPCC, Innocent and Age UK and Nationwide and Shelter. Read the full shortlist.

Mark Gale, CEO for Gloucestershire Gateway Trust said: “The success of Gloucester Services has realised a long-standing aspiration by local people to create positive social change and regeneration within their communities.  We’re over the moon that this partnership award recognises that communities can create something of scale that has a lasting impact, and something that has really put Gloucester on the map.”
Picture
GGT CEO Mark Gale with Laurence King and Sarah Dunning of Westmorland at the Awards
Picture
Picture
Gloucester Services
Amid its success, Gloucester Services has exceeded its charitable goals and created over 400 jobs, employed over 80 people specifically from ‘target’ local communities, and supported over 130 local producers within 30 miles. In the last 18 months over £700,000 has been reinvested into community projects and development activity in the target communities to support regeneration. Local residents help decide how future funding is spent through Gloucestershire Gateway Trust’s annual Community Survey and an additional £2.5 million will be committed to these communities over the next five years.

Sarah Dunning, Chair of Westmorland said: “It's fantastic to have the hard work of everyone involved in the partnership recognised with this award. Embedding the charity directly with the aims and ambitions of the business has been of huge benefit to both. The partnership with Gloucestershire Gateway Trust is about investing in our community for future generations and we look forward to continuing to build on what has been achieved to date."

​Gloucestershire Gateway Trust receives up to 3p in every £1 of non-fuel sales from Gloucester Services to invest in our local communities.
 
The Business Charity Awards were created by Third Sector to celebrate and share outstanding partnerships between charities and corporate partners.

Everybody needs good neighbours

3/4/2019

 
Research by Gloucestershire Gateway Trust (GGT) finds that significant numbers of local residents value belonging to a community and believe in being good neighbours!

Some would have us believe that many communities today are broken but the second GGT Annual Community Survey carried out by a team of local residents in Matson and Robinswood, White City, Podsmead, Tuffley and Stonehouse found a that local people have a strong commitment to their areas and share in more than enough neighbourliness to go around.  

The results of the 2018 survey have now been published and key findings are:

WE ARE THE COMMUNITY AND WE WANT TO STAY HERE
In three of the communities over 90% of people interviewed said they liked living in their communities (Tuffley, White City and Stonehouse) with the others close behind.  Most planned to stay there, and between 69-84% said they felt part of a community.

WE’VE GOT SKILLS AND WE WANT TO SHARE THEM
In all the communities large numbers of residents reported that they had skills that they were willing to share with others White City (76%), Matson and Robinswood(74%) and Stonehouse (72%) scoring particularly highly.  Residents who were already involved in community events were significantly more likely to feel they could share their skills with their local communities.

DO RESIDENTS THINK THEIR VOICES ARE BEING HEARD?
In most communities less than half the residents surveyed felt that they could personally influence local decisions yet when residents were involved with local groups this doubles.

Mark Gale, Chief Executive of GGT confirms that: “The residents told us clearly that the best things about their neighbourhoods are the “People, Peace and Nature” and that we all need to come together to build on these valuable resources!”.
​
Mark added “Our local communities are strong and we all have contributions to make that can make life even better.  Everyone has a skill that can be of benefit to someone else – whether that’s making something, helping out, or even just being a good listener. We also believe that when people come together and do more of the things they decide are important or get involved in local residents’ groups or lobbying decision makers then they can get their voices heard.”
​
GGT has this month launched the “LOOP” (Looking Out for Others Potential) to encourage more residents to connect and share their skills and passions. GGT has also launched a new publicity campaign featuring five top tips that anyone anywhere can use to help to support their local community.
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture

Gloucestershire Gateway Trust shortlisted for Business Charity Awards

25/3/2019

 
Gloucestershire Gateway Trust and Westmorland have been shortlisted for an award in the Business Charity Awards for Gloucester Services. The entry demonstrates how a family business (Westmorland) and a charity (GGT) have worked together to create a business that has brought many benefits and social change to local communities.
Picture
Amid its success, the partnership has exceeded its charitable goals and created over 400 jobs, employed over 80 people specifically from ‘target’ local communities, and supported over 130 local producers within 30 miles. 

​In the last 18 months over £250,000 has been reinvested into community projects in the target communities to support regeneration. Local residents help decide how future funding is spent through an annual Community Survey and an additional £1million will be committed to these communities over the next five years.


Mark Gale, CEO of GGT said:  "We're delighted to be shortlisted for the ground breaking Gloucester Services on the M5.  With our shared purpose and ownership, we're proud to deliver the vision of local residents, which has created jobs, opportunities and regeneration across our neighbourhoods."

​The entry has been shortlisted in the long-term partnership category, with the awards taking place on 22 May 2019.

When GGT met Richie...

21/3/2019

 
Gloucester Services is a pretty special place and attracts some high profile visitors, but yesterday the GGT team met the cutest celebrity going - Little Richie, the four week old lamb.
Picture


The team from GGT - including the GEM Project - were at Gloucester Services for a team building activity, making wicker lambs to accompany the infamous wicker sheep that previously grazed in Matson, and are currently residing on the Southbound site.

Richie popped in with his owners from St James City Farm who told us "Richie is quite a celebrity and has his own twitter account.  We're so happy to see him bouncing around as he was poorly for a little while and we weren't sure he was going to make it.  He's doing great now though!"

After meeting Little Richie - who also enjoyed meeting his wicker relatives - the GGT team got started on three wicker lambs with the help of Harriet from Artshape.   One has now gone back to the GGT office to be completed as the group found it so therapeutic.  The rest will be completed and added to with more lambs for the spring season by community groups and schools around Gloucestershire, and colleagues at Gloucester Services.

Watch this space to see the family grow and where they end up next!
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture

Bridging the Gap

13/2/2019

 
Picture
Gloucester Services is a great place to work (not least because of the great food) so it’s no surprise they can receive over 100 job applications every month.  Some applicants have no prior experience in catering, retail or customer service, whilst others may need a little more support around CV writing, interview skills and communication.
 
In January, GGT funded a three day ‘Bridging the Gap’ course with Charlton HR to help potential applicants to work on these skills, and guaranteed an interview for anyone successfully completing the course.
 
Six people completed part in the course and went on to be interviewed, three of which had developed their skills so well that they were ready for employment and were each offered jobs at Gloucester Services.
 
Participant Brian described his experience of the course: "Inspiring, motivational and worthwhile. Stand out service station and never been more excited to join a new company and the views are stunning… people doing the course were great too.”
 
Fellow participant Katie said her highlights of the course: “[the course] made me more confident, meeting the staff, visiting the site.  Really excited about the new job, can’t wait.”
 
Jason Dunsford, Head of Employment and Skills for GGT said: “We’re proud that people really got involved and completed the course, which will have helped them all to move closer to employment, but of course delighted that three of them now have paid jobs with a great employer as a direct result of Bridging the Gap.”
 
The course is open to anyone who is interested in applying for a job at Gloucester Services but feel they need some pre-employment training.
 
The next course will be held on 5th-7th March 2019 at The Phoenix Centre, Matson.  See the attached flyer for details as to how you can find out more.

btg_flyer_march_19_print.pdf
File Size: 481 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Gloucestershire Gateway Trust Winter Newslines

5/1/2019

 
Fitting for this time of year, our Winter newsletter is focused on the importance of our wellbeing, both physical and mental.

Packed with articles from all of our community partners, there is plenty happening in the local areas to help and support us all, throughout Gloucestershire.

We're also delighted to feature our first ever Business Matters section, including a column from Sarah Dunning of Westmorland.

You can download the newsletter here or contact us if you would like printed copies, or to join our distribution list for the future.  Enjoy!
Picture

New Matson Mural takes shape thanks to local school

4/1/2019

 
Matson is becoming well known for it’s amazing and artistic murals, and Gloucestershire Gateway Trust were delighted to support another, driven by Create Gloucestershire, which took shape in early December.  The mural was designed with the help of children from the local Moat Primary School, who got stuck in with mural artist Ollie of Gage Graphics, to bring the creation to life. 

The mural covers two sides of the GL Communities building, and was developed to create a story of the local area, that brings together different partners, including Moat Primary, GGT, Robinswood Trust and the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust, and will also help visitors to find the building. 

​We wanted to create a beautiful piece of work that says something about Matson and Robinswood.  Artist Ollie was chosen to be involved because of his fantastic landscape and nature based murals, which we knew both Moat and GL Communities were keen to be the focus.  Ollie had a great time working with the children, who had some brilliantly creative ideas.  The design chosen was based around designs that the pupils at Moat Primary school created and has been warmly received by local residents.
 
Soozy Roberts from Create Gloucestershire said: 'It was so exciting to see the ideas of the children come together into the piece of work that Ollie completed, having input from all the different partners was so valuable in creating this lovely mural for everyone to enjoy and the wonderful comments from passers by were so lovely to hear'.
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture

A trip down memory lane with the memory cafe

28/11/2018

 
Memory Café’s are a wonderfully welcoming place for individuals with Alzheimer’s or any type of the dementias or other brain disorders, or mild cognitive impairment.

In early November, Gloucester Services hosted their own Memory Café, inspired by Team Leader Victoria Rowley from the Farmshop on Gloucester Services Northbound, as she regularly takes her grandfather to a memory café.

Victoria said: “ I wanted to give the carers a chance to relax, and enjoy a new environment. We had dancing, singing, and laughter. The wife of one couple who have been through some challenging times, said it was the happiest and most relaxed she has seen her husband in a long time. For the carers it was a real treat, a relaxing atmosphere, where everything was organised for them. It was a perfect afternoon for everyone.”
Picture
Victoria with her Grandfather at Gloucester Services
Picture
The team from Gloucester Services and Fair Shares
Picture
Memorabilia helping to bring back happy memories
Other colleagues from Gloucester Services helped out at the event, and the incredible food was prepared by the catering team and funded by Gloucestershire Gateway Trust.

GGT partner Fair Shares also brought along their ‘Chance to Chat’ cards, which give people topics to talk about and bought back memories of family holidays in caravans, cars they used to drive and stories of where they lived and travelled.  Guests were also entertained with music from Ross at Footlights.

The Memory Café were recently selected by Gloucester Services colleagues as the charity to benefit from any sales of 5p carrier bags, which has to date raised around £900. 
​

Gloucester Services Hotel - Public Consultation

14/11/2018

 
​Gloucestershire Gateway Trust and the Westmorland Family are inviting people to share their views on the proposed hotel development on the highly successful site at Gloucester Services Southbound.

The development is proposed in response to needs of existing Gloucester Services customers and presents an exciting new opportunity for further local jobs and support of local suppliers.

A public consulation website has been set up to give an overview of the plans and to give people an opportunity to share their views on the proposed development, until 26th November.  Gloucestershire Gateway Trust and the Westmorland Family will read and consider all responses and use them to help shape the proposals. 

Visit  
www.gloucesterserviceshotel.com to find out more.
Picture

Proof is in the locally sourced pudding: Annual Review launched

15/10/2018

 
Gloucestershire Gateway Trust proves social investment model with Gloucester Services can pay dividends for community projects as Annual Review 2017/2018 is released.

On 15th October 2018, Gloucestershire Gateway Trust launched their first Annual Review at M5 Gloucester Services, for the year 2017/2018.  The review highlights how the unique model of social investment between a family, a charity and a business has begun bearing financial fruit to support local community projects throughout Gloucestershire.

It's a little known fact that up to 3p in every £ of non-fuel sales at Gloucester Services helps support local communities through Gloucestershire Gateway Trust (GGT).  In addition to Community Development grants given to GGT's seven partners, other projects supported by the Trust include local arts and dance festivals, community cafes, beehives and Matson's infamous wicker sheep.
Picture
The Gloucestershire Gateway Trust team, joined by Sarah Dunning of the Westmorland Family, partners and other supporters at Gloucester Services for the launch of the 2017/2018 Annual Review
Read more in the Gloucestershire Gateway Trust's Annual Review 2017/2018.
Gloucestershire Gateway Trust Annual Review 2017/2018
File Size: 19842 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

NEWSlines Summer '18

15/7/2018

 
All the latest news from Gloucestershire Gateway Trust's community partners: NEWSlines Summer 2018.
Click here (or on the image below) to read all the latest news from Gloucestershire Gateway Trust's community partners - from Play Rangers and Scrapstore Robots to a Sober Parrot and much more.
Picture

Business booms...

23/1/2018

 
Business booms for Services
Westmorland Limited, which runs Gloucester Services on the M5 as well as the Tebay Services in Cumbria, has announced increased turnover to £96.4m from £92.9m in 2016. Westmorland started to fund its commitment to Gloucestershire Gateway Trust, with a £0.5m contribution in the year.

More: http://www.nwemail.co.uk/news/Strong-year-for-Tebay-and-Rheged-owner-in-face-of-a-challenging-market-c1f64944-ad38-4082-9c20-4901cb4838dd-ds

GEM celebrates birthday

6/11/2017

 
GEM Project, managed by Gloucestershire Gateway Trust celebrates 1st birthday helping people facing barriers to work
The Gloucestershire GEM project, managed by the Gateway Trust, celebrated its first birthday with a large gathering at Pittville Pump Rooms in Cheltenham.

People representing the project’s 60 partners from the voluntary and community, business and public sectors heard how GEM (Going the Extra Mile) has already made contact with more than 500 people, helping them move closer to training or work through a range of initiatives and activities.

In its first year, GEM has:
  • Helped 108 people into work
  • Supported 20 people with self-employment or start-up businesses
  • Delivered 110 practice interviews
  • Helped 108 people with finding a job
  • Placed 150 on volunteering or work experience
  • Supported 231 people gain a qualification or move into education or training

There was praise for GEM’s successes so far from Cllr Roger Wilson, Gloucestershire County Council Cabinet member, Tom Mcculloch from the Big Lottery – one of the two main funders – business owners and GEM participants.

The independent evaluators of the three-year programme, which supports people facing barriers to training and work, reported that a lasting legacy will be the links made between all the partners through the GEM network.

For a full report of the celebration event, including video interviews filmed by Fair Shares’ Reyaz Limalia, see http://bit.ly/2hex6Pr

What is GEM?
The Going the Extra Mile (GEM) Project aims to engage with and support individuals in Gloucestershire dealing with circumstances that are potentially causing barriers to work and move these people closer towards education, training, volunteering or work, including self-employment.

GEM will reconnect people with their local services and ultimately help them achieve their desired work-based outcome through an individual personalised action plan. This programme is a unique partnership of community based organisations, managed by Gloucestershire Gateway Trust on behalf of Gloucestershire County Council.
Picture
The GEM Project is jointly funded by the Big Lottery Fund and the European Social Fund.
For more information, please visit www.glosgem.org

We listened...

4/9/2017

 
Over the 2017 summer, more than 730 people across the Gloucestershire Gateway Trust’s main communities took the time to answer a series of questions put to them by our dedicated roving survey team. In addition, more than 300 customers at the Gloucester Services were also quizzed.

Adults and young people in Podsmead, Tuffley, Matson, Robinswood, White City and Stonehouse were asked about their communities, what they liked and what could be better.

Now the responses have been pulled together for a report which will be used as a baseline for future annual surveys to track how the communities will change and benefit over the years to come thanks to community-led development supported by the Trust and funding from Gloucester Services.

The survey results will not only inform Gloucestershire Gateway Trust’s future investment and commitment of resources but also that of our partners. It has been a learning process to find out what survey methods work best and what areas we might improve on when planning how we gather people’s views next year.
From the feedback from local residents in all the communities, it is clear that:
  • Provision for children and young people is a common concern across our target neighbourhoods
  • Open access green spaces on housing estates are highly valued by local residents
  • Robinswood Hill is increasingly seen to be a jewel in the Gloucester City Environmental Crown and we need to encourage further nurturing of this asset
  • The more residents are connected with their neighbours and proactive community organisations, the more positive they feel about their lives and their communities
A common thread which emerged from all the communities was a high levels of community engagement and an interest in enhancing this even further.

Gloucestershire Gateway Trust’s commitments arising from the survey:
  1. Repeat this survey process annually to help us collectively assess the Trust’s impact
  2. Add the Redwell Centre (Together In Matson) as a new core strategic partner, which, as a result will receive £20,000 funding per annum until March 2022, in line with the six other core partners
  3. Investigate supporting residents and local partners in working with initiatives led by young people
  4. Consider supporting residents and local partners where they are working to preserve or improve open access green spaces and similar environmental assets
  5. Resource more social events and gatherings in 2018 which bring residents together whilst local partners develop long term strategies to sustain community ‘bumping places’ and improve neighbour-to-neighbour connections
Picture
<<Previous
Forward>>

Our Community Partners

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Gloucestershire Gateway Trust is a registered charity No: 1140440.
​Company limited by guarantee
No: 06857427
Copyright © 2021 Gloucestershire Gateway Trust.  All Rights Reserved.
Picture
Picture
Picture