The story of Gloucester Services actually starts 200 miles north, at the Tebay Services in Cumbria. Back in 1972, Cumbrian farmers John and Barbara Dunning started the service station in collaboration with local bakers when the M6 was built through Lune Gorge. Amazingly, this is the only family run motorway service station left in the UK. The family now operate under the name ‘Westmorland Family Group’.
Decades later, the same family have set up a ‘sister’ service station between junctions 11a and 12 of the M5, just outside Gloucester and close to the Cotswolds. The family have worked with Mark Gale, CEO of the Gloucestershire Gateway Trust, who shares their sustainable passions and wanted to help make a green service station. Mark is a locally renowned social entrepreneur who has spent most of his life trying to sustainably regenerate Gloucestershire.
One idea of Gloucester Services was to create a sustainable income to put back into local communities, which with the help of the trust, they are doing. ‘A proportion of Gloucester Services’ annual turnover, potentially £10 million over 20 years, will be invested by the Trust into its partner charities, primarily into the local communities of Matson, Tuffley, Podsmead and White City and the Stonehouse/GL10 area.’
The service station is unlike others in that it sources its food produce locally, taking advantage of the abundance of quality food grown in the surrounding area. The incredible result of this is that there is no need for fast food chains in this service station, in fast there are no franchises of any sort as the family are fond of locally sourcing anything and everything! Food is locally sourced and home cooked in the on-site kitchen. This is imperative to the family business who want to remain true to the values that have been successful for over forty years.
The kitchen section of the service station serves lamb and beef from surrounding farms, chicken and eggs from local producers and even has a 24/7 quick kitchen for those passing through late at night! The menu is seasonal, so mince pies are served at Christmas and you won’t find pumpkin soup in April.
The farm shop section is equally delightful, with locally sourced meat in the butchers, locally pressed fruit juices and ciders on the shelves and a wide selection of artisan bread and cheeses. There’s also a selection of homemade pies. Yum! All of this amazing produce comes from within a 50 mile radius of the service station, though the vast majority from within 30 miles! This local sourcing helps to keep carbon footprint low and support the local economy.
This beautiful message expresses quite clearly how important farming, family and community is to them. ‘There is an old farming saying “Live as if you will die tomorrow. Farm as if you will live forever”. As farmers we understand the importance of working in partnership with the land around us and the impact we have on our landscape and communities. Because we live and work here it is important that we do it well and invest back into our communities because we, our families, our children and our grandchildren will live in this landscape and be part of those communities.’
Bizarrely, in the build up to the site being built, there was a negative backlash from environmental groups who felt that the whole idea was paradox. Supporting motorway transport felt like an encouragement to drive for these campaigners, but they were quickly hushed and their nonsensical argument was quashed. It was explained that the new motorway station in Gloucester would use 1/5th of the energy, would have electric vehicle charging points and the ability to have bio-fuel pumps in the future.
Catering and retail waste is recycled and used in the food garden next to the coach area, helping to grow more food and reduce wastage. Renewable energy technologies provide around 10% of the site’s needs. The roof is even part of the site’s major contribution to sustainable activities. It is made from a special type of sustainable wood and is covered in grass and other plants that are drought tolerant and sustained with natural rainfall. This means that from the distance the roof appears to fit seamlessly into nature!
