Gloucester BID’s Board met on 22 October at Gloucester Quays to review ongoing projects, discuss priorities for the city centre and look ahead to the next BID term.
The meeting covered a wide range of activity across Gloucester BID’s three priorities: Safer City, Attractive and Vibrant City, and Supported and Promoted City. Discussions included business consultation ahead of the 2027–2032 BID term, city-centre safety, upcoming events, marketing campaigns and improvements to the visitor experience.
Planning for the future: Business consultation and ballot
With preparations underway for the next BID term, the Board discussed the guidelines for the 2027–2032 business plan. The importance of communicating the benefits of BID membership to businesses of all sizes was highlighted, ensuring that smaller businesses understand how BID-funded initiatives contribute to the wider city centre.
Business feedback will be an important part of shaping future priorities and ensuring Gloucester BID continues to respond to the needs of the business community.
Safer City: Supporting businesses and tackling crime
Safety remains a key priority, with Gloucester BID-funded City Protection Officers (CPOs) continuing to patrol the city centre seven days a week, responding to business concerns and supporting partner agencies.
Between July and September 2026, the team recorded:
- 2,093 store visits to engage with businesses and responding to call outs.
- 1,273 welfare checks.
- 608 incidents involving anti-social behaviour recorded.
- 766 engagements relating to street begging.
- 189 shoplifting incidents recorded.
- £5,932.01 worth of stolen goods recovered.
These figures demonstrate the continued role of the City Protection Officers in supporting retailers, assisting vulnerable people and helping to make Gloucester a safer place to work, shop and visit.
Partnership working remains essential. Weekly multi-agency huddles, monthly Safer Communities meetings and ongoing engagement with Gloucester City Council, Gloucestershire Constabulary and other organisations help address issues affecting the city centre.
The Board also received updates on the Night Safe Officers, Purple Flag accreditation, defibrillator maintenance and work to address anti-social behaviour hotspots. Businesses can also contact Gloucester BID to access SmartWater kits to help protect their premises and property.
Looking ahead, Gloucestershire’s (SABA) Week, running from 9–15 November, will provide an opportunity to raise awareness of retail crime prevention, ShopKind and the Ask for Angela initiative.
Attractive and Vibrant City: Improving the city-centre experience
Gloucester BID continues to work with partners and volunteers to improve the appearance of the city centre.
Updates included the maintenance of wooden planters, the collection of summer planters and regular meetings with Gloucester City Council and Ubico to discuss cleansing and environmental issues. Businesses and members of the public are encouraged to report problems through Fix My Street so that issues can be raised with the relevant teams.
The monthly Big Tidy Up initiative also continues, bringing volunteers together to help improve different areas of the city. Recent locations have included Blackfriars and Bearland and Quay Street, with further sessions planned.
The Board also reviewed the development of a new city-centre map, including its design, photography and content, to help residents and visitors discover Gloucester’s businesses, attractions and destinations.
Events bringing Gloucester to life
Events and festivals continue to play an important role in attracting visitors, encouraging people to spend more time in the city and supporting local businesses.
The Board reviewed Gloucester BID’s involvement in recent events, including Gloucester Goes Retro, Gloucester Day and the Gloucester History Festival, alongside plans for the coming months.
Upcoming events and campaigns include:
- Gloucester Christmas Markets in The Docks starting 7/8 November 2026
- Gloucester Lantern Parade and Light Switch-On – 14 November 2026
- Small Business Saturday – 5 December 2026
- Gloucester Folk Trail – 19–21 February 2027
- Gloucester Shanty Festival – 15–16 May 2027
The Board approved a proposed investment towards an event to encourage early evening footfall, subject to the event’s development. The initiative aims to support the evening economy and encourage people to explore the city’s hospitality venues, with timings designed to appeal to workers as well as other visitors.
Discussions also explored opportunities to animate the city between 5.30pm and 9pm, including the potential for Thursday evening live music between April and June.
Welcome to Gloucester Ambassadors: Helping visitors feel welcome
The Welcome to Gloucester Ambassadors continue to support visitors, promote local events and provide a friendly presence across the city.
During September, the team contributed 102 hours, including 40 hours supporting the walking taxi service during the Gloucester History Festival.
Ambassadors helped promote and cover Gloucester Day, Gloucestershire Pride, the Gloucester History Festival, events at the Folk of Gloucester, the Foodie Passport and Gloucester Goes Retro.
Feedback from visitors highlighted the value of the walking taxi service, particularly for people returning to car parks or hotels after evening performances who would otherwise have had to walk alone.
Gloucester BID is keen to welcome more volunteers to the team. Find out more and sign up at gloucesterbid.uk/ambassadors.
Supported and Promoted City: Driving awareness and spending locally
Marketing, promotion and business support remain central to Gloucester BID’s work.
The Gloucester Gift Card continued to support local spending, with £62,310 in sales during 2025–2026 and £54,040 spent at participating businesses.
Current and upcoming campaigns include the Big Pub Push, running from 19–25 October, Shine a Light Local in November and December, Small Business Saturday on 5 December and Love Gloucester in February 2027.
The Board also received updates on advertising partnerships with The Local Answer, Punchline and SoGlos, helping Gloucester BID promote the city and its businesses to local audiences.
Social media performance also showed continued reach across Gloucester BID’s channels. In September, Facebook recorded 270,700 views, Instagram reached 208,300 views and TikTok recorded 43,000 views. LinkedIn continued to provide a platform for business updates and engagement.
Keeping businesses connected
Regular business engagement remains a key part of Gloucester BID’s approach, giving businesses opportunities to share concerns, access information and connect with other organisations.
Upcoming opportunities include:
- Hospitality Meeting: 4 November 2026, 10am at Crimson Spire.
- Connections over Coffee: 27 November 2026, 10am at Khaya, College Street.
- Retail and Hospitality Meetings: 6 January, 7 April and 7 July 2027, at 9.30am.
Businesses can find upcoming events and register through the Gloucester BID Eventbrite page.
The BID also continues to share updates through its weekly e-newsletters, with a new monthly roundup available for businesses wanting a summary of key news, activity and opportunities.
Looking ahead
The October meeting reinforced Gloucester BID’s commitment to working with businesses, public-sector partners and community organisations to improve safety, enhance the city-centre environment and promote Gloucester as a place to shop, work, visit and invest.
With the next BID term approaching, engagement with businesses will be particularly important in shaping future priorities and ensuring that the next business plan reflects the needs and ambitions of Gloucester’s business community.
The next Board meeting is scheduled for 17 December 2026.
For the latest news, business support, campaigns and events, visit www.gloucesterbid.uk.
