Gloucester Services on the M5 is a motorway services area like no other. It has two aims: to make local, quality food accessible and affordable, and to inject investment back into the surrounding community. So, instead of the usual franchises and fast food outlets, visitors find a farm shop stocked with locally produced food, a butchery featuring Gloucestershire’s finest meat, and a kitchen serving home-made dishes, made from locally sourced ingredients. To achieve this, owner Westmorland works with over 130 local suppliers within 30 miles of the services as well as 70 producers from further across the South West.

The site’s partnership with the Gloucestershire Gateway Trust aims to bring long-term benefits to the surrounding communities. A proportion of Gloucester Services’ annual turnover which potentially could be £10m over 20 years will be invested by the Trust into local causes. In addition, the partnership has already seen more than 300 local people employed at the services.

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