New Farmshop-Style Motorway Services Opened

Similar to the Cumbria-based Tebay Services, also created by Westmorland, the services take the form of a farm shop-style shop stocked with locally-produced food, homemade dishes and a butchery showcasing top quality meat from Gloucestershire rather than fast food chains or franchises.

Gloucester Services is located on the outskirts of Gloucester, between junctions 11a and 12 of the M5, and has been created in partnership with local regeneration charity, the Gloucestershire Gateway Trust.

The new site will employ 300 local people and plans to redistribute £10 million back into local community projects within the next two decades.

Mark Gale from the Gloucestershire Gateway Trust said, “This co-working between business and charity pushes the boundaries of social investment into new territory. The partnership has shown that by working together business and charity can sometimes generate more benefits than either could achieve on their own. Embedding the charity directly with the aims and ambitions of the business is game-changing stuff. Making communities more resilient and helping to make people more employable is the aim of both the charity and the services.”

Sarah Dunning, CEO of the Westmorland Family, who own and operate the services says, “Gloucester Services is all about community, from the 130 local producers supplying the shops and cafe to the communities in the surrounding area. Weaving a charitable element directly into our business plan is vital to the success of the services. Increasing the employability and skills of a local workforce will directly impact how successful the services prove to be. Working with Gloucester Gateway Trust is not just a charitable donation; it’s an investment in the local community. I believe that stronger communities make for better businesses.”