The Raikes Journal

The Raikes Journal represents impartial, independent, unbiased reporting about Gloucestershire. Its mission is to establish and sustain a credible, trusted, independent, editorially led platform based on original journalism - with a focus on businesses, charities, education and training, free of pop-ups, unedited press releases, clickbait, advertorials and lists of stuff. It is not about firing as many uncurated stories as we can muster at you daily. It doesn’t race at you at 100 miles per hour and is not a feed led by algorithms. It’s a safe, trusted place to park up, enjoy the view, get some context, remember what it’s like to enjoy reading something, and get closer to your county and community. Raikes ran for a year in the Covid-19 pandemic to support businesses, help sustain community and fill the void left by the collapse of trusted regional journalism. It emerged again as a community interest company (CIC) at the start of 2024. By the start of 2025 our three weekly email editions are received by a new, valuable audience at the heart of the business community – and we believe, pound-for-pound, our email service out-punches any other. The Raikes Journal long ago passed 10,000 views a month from our three lead editions a week and our subscriber list (a real, honest, fat-free list!) continues to grow. Monday’s edition is always free. Thursday's and Friday's are often (but not always) part paywalled to help cover the costs of what we do. Raikes is made possible and kept on its toes by our subscribers, especially our paid-up member subscribers (who can comment on our stories and shape our direction of travel), our Founding Members and most of all by our incredible Founding Partners – all Gloucestershire businesses that partnered with us because they too see the benefit of Gloucestershire having a credible platform the county can be proud of. If you haven't already, please do think about joining us. Very best regards, Andrew Merrell. Editor and founder of The Raikes Journal: https://lnkd.in/dHaN4GJ

Below is a link to the latest edition of The Raikes Journal (sent to our subscribers on Monday) - the digital magazine focusing on Gloucestershire’s business community, its education, training, and third sectors. And speaking of education and training, that’s the theme of this edition. Regular readers might recall a story we did just last month about the challenges around skills and apprenticeships. We were lucky enough to speak to Andrew Bates of Gloucestershire College (one of the Founding Partners of Raikes) for the article, which took a look at just one sector - cyber, and the challenges it faced. This most recent edition takes us back there again. Partly because since that first article the Government has revealed its master plan to drive UK plc to greater growth and productivity. Its solution is apprenticeships. And because tomorrow (Wednesday 26 February) Gloucestershire College stages another apprenticeship open evening (the details of which are in the link). Many businesses, it seems, are still not engaging with apprenticeships; some schools, and some attitudes, are not changing fast enough. The smart ones are already onboard. We try and explain why we think that in the article linked below. But most of all we take a look at an institution that's ahead of the curve, and a deep dive into why many others think its teaching of cyber apprenticeships, and its degree-level apprenticeships in particular - right here in Gloucestershire - is so special. We hope you enjoy the read.

Below is a link to the full edition of The Raikes Journal, which our members received via email on Friday. It focuses in on a story many know already, that The Nelson Trust celebrates 40 years this year. What you may not know is how it beat off a major billion pound turnover business to double in size almost overnight. It’s a thread that came to light when we were lucky enough to interview the in-coming chief executive officer of the Stroud-based charity, Christina Line MBA, learn more about the incredible work the Trust does, and how it manages to punch above its weight as a force for change and champion of women. As we put the article together we asked a national organisation involved in the same work - delivering support and hope to those in the most desperate of circumstances - what makes The Nelson Trust special and why it is proud to partner with it. It's answer was illuminating. Oh, and we were delighted to say that as we peeled back the layers of the story we discovered another thread, a business helping the charity excel - which happens to be a very close friend of The Raikes Journal. You’ll have to read the story to find out who. We think it all speaks volumes about the calibre of all involved, the power of collaboration and good leadership - and about how all that is being cultivated right here in Gloucestershire. There are a few other stories too. Not least an update from Jane Roberts, the incredible campaigner of behalf of all those with ADHD, about an opportunity to work with Gloucestershire Community Foundation to help support young people with ADHD, and we wish the very best to Gloucestershire's Sophia McCall, shortlisted in a major awards as a rising star of the cyber sector.

This was the Thursday edition of The Raikes Journal, our digital email magazine for Gloucestershire that focuses on business, the third sector, education and training. All of our lead stories are original, relying on the publication's USP - independent, editorially-led journalism about the county. The lead linked below is about a business group that was in the top handful by turnover in Gloucestershire, and whose founder is fast becoming one of the most influential business leaders of the current era. Certainly the most high-profile. Turnover and profits have fallen considerably, but its ambition - to be a force for change in favour of a greener, more sustainable UK - remains as keen as ever.

As we look towards the launch of our next LEAD™ programme in April, here is a #ThursdayThought from one of our delegates when they finished LEAD™. In fact, Andy Barham went on to join our following 2 programmes, GOLD™ and GAIN™ and is now working towards his MBA based on his learning from the 3 programmes. Thanks for your kind words, Andy, it's been a privilege to be on your journey of personal and professional development and seeing the changes you have made in your leadership and to Premiere Kitchens For more info about LEAD™, please click on the link in the comments section. #InspireBelief #Leadership #BusinessDevelopment

The story linked below takes a look at the tale rushed out by some last week about a #Gloucestershire housing developer pointing the finger at a county local authority, suggesting it would be its fault if it missed a deadline for a vital £20 million of funding to make its development happen. It proved a political opportunity for Gloucester's MP too. It was a relationship breadkdown that played out in public - and on Valentine's Day to boot! Something didn’t sit right with us here, so we decided to do what we do at The Raikes Journal (the independent digital magazine for business, the 3rd sector, education and training in Gloucestershire that I edit) and try and understand it a little better so our readers are better informed. You can make your own minds up if we managed it! What it does show is there is more to the story than meets the eye - and the immense pressures and frustrations around trying to build anything of any scale in the UK, even in an area that needs it and when there are millions of pounds available. Here's hoping for a reconciliation very soon. The edition also takes advantage of our new status as an approved partner of the BBC, with stories taking a look a Cheltenham Tigers RFC's exciting plans to build a new stand and facilities, concerns from business as a car park faces closure in #Cheltenham, and we thank WSP Solicitors for inviting Raikes to its new office opening (very nice it was too). In the usual briefing notes we name the new ceo for Gloucestershire County Council, flag a forthcoming business event by cyber-focused CyNam which needs your help and we shine the spotlight on Gloucestershire College's apprenticeship open day (Feb 26).

What's the impact of Donald Trump’s move against business commitments to diversity, ethics and inclusion and should we be concerned in the UK? If not, why are some in #Gloucestershire too worried to go outdoors? Anxiety levels in some quarters are through the roof. We wanted to take a look at what that roll-back on DEI by big US firms with global footprints means for the UK (there are certainly plenty of those firms here in the county) and for UK firms committed to our own versions of DEI. Are we really about to reverse the general direction of travel - towards a more inclusive, diverse workforce, a trend towards a business model that understands having purpose delivers packback on the bottom line? That's the question the article from The Raikes Journal linked below tries to have, and it hopefully also gives those currently in a state of despair reason to be hopeful again. It's what Raikes does - talks to those in the know and gives them a platform to let you know what's what in Gloucestershire. Gemma Irvine of HR People Support Ltd, Richard Stevens of Pride in Gloucestershire, Rob Case of Randall & Payne LLP and Dr. Stewart Barnes of QuoLux™ - B Corp Certified.

The edition of The Raikes Journal linked below has just been sent out to our subscribers, but as it's headed-up by one of those stories that will go everywhere and fade fast we've posted it here too. It's the latest instalment of the saga of Julian Dunkerton and No.131 The Promenade - the hotel, bar and restaurant he owns with his wife and businesswoman, Jade (the founder of clothing label Holland Cooper Clothing LTD) - and whether they will ever be able to move forward with their business plans. It shines a light yet again not just on the trials and tribulations of trying to get projects through planning in good time, but also how a town might make the most of its listed buildings while also making them fit for purpose. No easy balancing act. The edition also includes a piece about the fast-growing insurance firm Marley Risk Consultants Limited moving its 50-plus staff into the county after finding the ideal offices here. Welcome to Gloucestershire!

There are few publications that I go out of my way to read every issue, but this is one of them! Congratulations to Andrew Merrell on a year of doing what he was born to do. I highly recommend subscribing for the free weekly issue, and the paid-for subscription is 100% worth the fee in my opinion! it gives you three issues a week, which is even more deep-dives into Gloucestershire business. BCorps and purpose-led businesses can subscribe via the B Local Gloucestershire referral link: https://lnkd.in/eB4k63pQ #Journalism #Gloucestershire #GlosBiz #Congratulations

The main story on the first edition of The Raikes Journal of the week, the digital email magazine I edit about #Gloucestershire, is something of a (birthday) party political broadcast on behalf of Raikes itself. It's about to pass its first birthday and I wanted to let you know how it's grown, give a feeling of its momentum, and to say thank you to a few people. From ground zero it passed 10,000 views a month off three lead stories a week some time back and currently has 700 active subscribers and growing. Pound-for-pound, this is the leanest, best-performing email database serving the county I've ever had a hand in. Who said independent local journalism was dead! In case you're not already a convert and subscribed to Gloucestershire's fastest growing digital platform for the business community, the third sector, education and training, there are other stories aboard the edition linked below too. They include the usual briefing notes for a Monday (and Friday) - an apprenticeship fair at Gloucestershire College this month, whether Julian Dunkerton will be holding his head in his hands this week or celebrating success for No.131 The Promenade, why Cheltenham Borough Council is consulting on licencing sexual entertainment, and why 100-plus leading organisations in the region are backing the Western Gateway Partnership. We continue our weekly spotlight on a county charity, turning the focus yet again onto The Nelson Trust, which is beginning its 40th anniversary celebrations - and we update those of you interested in river #pollution on a legal action focusing on the River Wye with its sights on a county firm. The success of the last 12 months of Raikes, which is a community interest company, has quite simply only been possible because of the support of its Founding Partners - Willans LLP solicitors, QuoLux™, Randall & Payne LLP, Gloucestershire College, Simon Merrell of Merrell People - sponsors like Hartpury University and Hartpury College, its founding members (those I can name include Prestbury Marketing & Consulting and Beechurst Serviced Apartments) and the growing number of paid-up subscribers who can see past our paywalls to read everything we do. They make what we do sustainable. Thank you. If you want to be part of Raikes, please do message me - or better still, sign up, subscribe, and give me your feedback. Help us make Raikes even better. Very best regards, Andrew Merrell.