Location

Cheltenham
With a population of some 110,000 people, Cheltenham is now larger than Gloucester. A busy and attractive place, it became established in Regency times as a spa town. As a result, the rapid development of Cheltenham during the Regency period was focused very much on leisure and the pleasures of 'walking out', hence the wide Promenade, avenues and huge areas devoted to public gardens.

Today, Cheltenham continues its floral and tourism traditions. The town has won more Britain in Bloom awards than any other, and has become a cultural centre with an international reputation. Over 70 days each year are now devoted to festivals, including the Festivals of Literature and of Science, the Folk Music, Jazz and Fringe Festivals and, of course, the National Hunt Festival. These attract an estimated 300,000 people to the town each year and contribute an estimated £34m to the local economy.

Overall, it is estimated that over 460,000 staying visitors and 5.6 million day trippers visit Cheltenham every year, bringing in some £235m to the local economy and sustaining approximately 8,000 jobs in tourism.

Even putting tourism to one side, Cheltenham has a thriving local economy, with a GDP more than 25% higher than the national average. Key sectors are financial and business services (28% of GDP), manufacturing (18%) and construction.

Cheltenham's largest single employer is GCHQ, which has a staff of over 4,500. Other major employers include Kraft Foods UK, the Countryside Agency and Marlborough Stirling, all of which have their headquarters in the town.

Cheltenham has many, many schools and colleges. For extensive information on these, please go to the Gloucestershire County Council website. Useful information can also be found at the Cheltenham Borough Council website. Most of the factual information was obtained from that site.

Bishops Cleeve
Bishops Cleeve is a large village, just three miles north of Cheltenham. It is unusual in that much of the growth of the village has occurred not as a result of increasing employment in Cheltenham or other towns, but the arrival of large employers in (or on the outskirts of) the village itself.

In 1900, the population of Bishops Cleeve was just 400. Since that time, it has grown to more than 8,000 people, many of whom came as a result of the decision of Smiths Industries to create a base at Bishops Cleeve (buying the 300 acre Kate Farm) in 1939 and of Eagle Star (now Zurich) to build a new headquarters there in the 1980s.

Not least because so many villagers both live and work locally, the Bishops Cleeve community is very strong. It has a thriving Primary School and High School, busy pubs and shops (including a Tesco supermarket) and an excellent sports centre.

The Church of St. Michael and All Angels in Bishops Cleeve holds both Anglican and Catholic services and the village also has a Methodist Church.

The Local Authority is Tewkesbury Borough Council and further information and links can be found at bishopscleeve.com and gloucs.co.uk.