Gallery

Christmas Lights 2020

Although the traditional Christmas light event was unable to go ahead this year, Cheltenham is still sparkling in a beautiful Christmas glow following the switch on of the town’s new festive lights.

The new Christmas lights, organised by Cheltenham Business Improvement District (BID), are accompanied for the first year with golden baubles hanging from the trees on the pedestrianised Promenade and gold powder-coated holly, reindeer, stars and harps adorning the lampposts, allowing people to feel festive throughout the day and night. Alongside the new additions on the Promenade, there is also a stunning new Christmas tree on Montpellier roundabout.

All photos taken by Mikal Ludlow.

BID in Bloom 2020

The BID supplied external baskets and troughs of flowers to 21 individual businesses this summer as they continue to brighten up the town until mid-October 2020.

The BID worked with PHS Greenleaf, who supplied and set-up the flowers and UBICO, who have been watering the arrangements daily with the aim of adding extra blooms to those provided by Cheltenham Borough Council in parks and gardens.

COVID-19 Social Distancing stickers

The Cheltenham BID team have been making weekly trips in to the town centre to offer 2 metre social distancing stickers to the businesses in preparation for when the town starts to slowly re-open.

  • Coventry building society, The Prom
  • Mister’s – Grosvener Terrace
  • High Street
  • Santander – High Street
  • Halifax – Winchcombe Street
  • Cheeseworks, Regent Street
  • Barclays, High Street
  • Spa Pharmacy, Montpellier
  • Virgin Money, High Street
  • Nationwide, High Street
  • Inside Santander

Light Up Cheltenham 2020

Light Up Cheltenham (brought to you by the BID) got off to a spectacular start on Saturday 1 February with thousands of spectators attending the opening night. The evening saw Spark! a street theatre drumming group put on a dazzling performance finishing at Imperial Gardens. Spectators were then able to take the opportunity to ride on the giant observation wheel or join a guided tour.

For information on Light Up Cheltenham please go to www.visitcheltenham.com/light-up-cheltenham

  • Spark! LED Drummers
  • Spark!
  • Cheltenham BID Light Up Cheltenham launch with Spark! the light up drummers picture by Mikal Ludlow Photography
  • The Observation Wheel
  • Holst and The Observation Wheel
  • HSBC
  • The Ivy Cheltenham
  • Cheltenham Town hall
  • The Queens Hotel
  • No 131 The Prom
  • The Promenade
  • The Brewery Quarter
  • Martin & Co and The Bank House
  • The Promenade shops
  • Neptune’s Fountain

Cheltenham’s Boutique Sale 2020

Sunday 26 January saw shoppers snapping up bargains at Princess Hall in Cheltenham Ladies’ College. Women’s and men’s clothing, shoes, bath and body products and jewellery were all on offer.

The businesses who took part were: Arkell & Wills, Beards, Bodega,Cocoa Couture, Jakeroo, James of Montpellier, Harris Rae, Keith Scarrott Shoes, Law & Co and Molton Brown.

Cheltenham’s Christmas late night shopping event

Cheltenham’s streets were filled with entertainment during its late-night shopping event on the 5 December from 5pm-8pm. The event saw many town centre shops open, including the area of Montpellier open until 8pm

    • Late night Christmas shopping around Cheltenham with entertainment. Lakeside School Choir Picture by Mikal Ludlow Photography – Licenced to Cheltenham BID for all uses

      Our Christmas Carol inspired Christmas Light Switch-on 2019

      This year’s spectacular event was inspired by A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens and saw three giant ghost puppets parade through the town eventually meeting outside The Queens Hotel where they met Scrooge and tried to change his ways. See full article.

      Photo credit: Mikal Ludlow
      Production team: Evenlode Production

      Father Christmas
      • Ghost of Christmas present
      • Ghost of Christmas past
      • Ghost of Christmas future
      • Scrooge
      • Main stage – BBC host Dominic Cotter. Father Christmas and Scrooge
      • The crowds on The Promenade
      • Cheltenham Christmas Market. The Promenade
      • t
      • Montpellier Street

      Cheltenham Paint Festival 2019

      Cheltenham’s paint festival is the latest addition to the Cheltenham festivals calendar which brings high-quality artwork from leading national and international street artists to the town centre. Come and take a walk through Cheltenham to experience these wonderful works of art. The BID sponsored the Siamese Cat by Samer on Albion/Winchcombe Street.

      BID in Bloom 2019

      BID in Bloom is back this year from the success of last year’s beautiful blooms.

      The BID has worked with Knightsbridge Nursery and UBICO to add 100 extra blooms to 22 businesses across the town centre, these are additional to those provided by Cheltenham Borough Council in parks and gardens.

      The troughs and baskets will be up from now until the end October, covering at least six festivals across the four months.

      Among the businesses involved are House of Fraser, in Regent Street, menswear specialists Horace Barton, Martin & Co on The Promenade, Cheltenham Martial Arts in Winchcombe Street and five bars and pubs – Montpellier Wine Bar, The Spectre, The Stable, Smokey Joes and Whittle Taps and many more.

      Cheltenham Street Chilli Fiesta

      Eight brave souls took part in the Cheltenham Street Chilli Fiesta 2019, Clash of the Titans chilli eating competition, to see who could eat the hottest chillies. The Street Chilli Fiesta took part on Saturday June 1 in Cambray Place.

      Cheltenham BID Awards 2019

      2019 winners and highly commended businesses joined Cotswold Life and Cheltenham BID board members to celebrate the second Cheltenham BID Awards at The Old Courthouse. Cotswold Life Business & Professional Editor, Tanya Gledhill welcomed guests and Cheltenham BID Director, Kevan Blackadder and Cheltenham BID Chair, Alex Rose congratulated all of the businesses for their contribution towards making Cheltenham town centre the lively and diverse place that it is. 
      #CLCheltBIDawards  Photo credit to Thousand Word Media.

      Click on the image to enlarge.

      • Winners, with Kevan Blackadder, BID director.
      • The Highly Commended award winners.
      • Newcomer of the Year, highly commended, The Cotswold Cheese Co
      • Newcomer of the Year, winner, John Lewis and Partners
      • Young Business Person of the Year, highly commended, Abigail Bowers from Keith Scarrott Shoes
      • Young Business Person of the Year, winner,Sylwia Mackintosh from Regency Chandeliers
      • Retail Manager of the Year, highly commended, Sarah Perrett from New Look.
      • Retail Manager of the Year, winner, Chantelle Stemp from Hotel Chocolat
      • Tea/Coffee Shop of the Year, highly commended, Huffkins, instore at John Lewis & Partners.
      • Tea/Coffee Shop of the Year, winner, Triple Two Coffee
      • Health and Beauty Business of the Year, highly commended, Charlotte Tilbury, in store at John Lewis & Partners
      • Health and Beauty Business of the Year, winner, Earl’s & Co, award collected on their behalf by Philip Jordan, deputy chairman of Cheltenham BID.
      • Independent Business of the Year, highly commended, The Square Pillow.
      • Independent Business of the Year, winner, Cheltenham Martial Arts
      • Professional Services Business of the Year, winner, Brite Recruitment.
      • Bar/Club/Pub of the Year, highly commended, The Botanist.
      • Bar/Club/Pub of the Year, winner, The Cotswold Inn.
      • Restaurant of the Year, highly commended, Kibou Sushi.
      • Restaurant of the Year, winner, Lumiere
      • Customer Service Award, highly commended, Helen Ashley from James of Montpellier.
      • Customer Service Award, highly commended, Cheryl Parker of Welcome Gym, award collected on her behalf by Richard Dare, Cheltenham BID board
      • Customer Service Award, winner, Emma Durrant from Montrose Boutique UK
      • Alex Rose, managing director of Beards The Jewellers and chairman of Cheltenham BID, Kevan Blackadder, director of BID, and Tanya Gledhill, editor of Cotswold Life Business and Professional.
      • Koj, Cheltenham BID board member
      • Goody bags for guests at The 2019 Cotswold Life Cheltenham BID Awards, at The Old Courthouse, Cheltenham
      • Kevan Blackadder, BID director, award winner Emma Durrant from Montrose Boutique UK, and Tanya Gledhill, from Cotswold Life Business and Professional.
      • Sophie Scarrott, Gracey Del-Nevo, and Abigail Bowers from Keith Scarrott Shoes.
      • Phil Cook from Cheltenham BID, and Kat Mabbott from Regent’s Arcade
      • Chantelle Stemp and Lizzy Maloney from Hotel Chocolat
      • Emma and Lee Durrant from Montrose Boutique UK
      • Sophie Harris and Karen Pollard from Brite Recruitment.
      • Alexandra Davison and SJ Griffiths from Cheltenham Wellbeing Festival.
      • Jack Martin, Chelsea Rixson and Rebecca Trist from The Botanist
      • Lisa Kowalski, Dustin Wise from L’Una Design, and Jess Goodwin from Marketing Cheltenham.
      • Kelly Ballard, Tara Sanchez from Marketing Cheltenham, and Terri Brewster from The Brewery Quarter
      • Chantelle Stemp from Hotel Chocolat is presented with Retail Manager of the Year.
      • Kevan Blackadder, director of Cheltenham BID, speaking at the presentation evening. Presentations evening for the 2019 winners and highly commended businesses of the 2019 Cotswold Life Cheltenham BID Awards, at The Old Courthouse, Cheltenham. 15th May 2019 – 15 May 2019 Picture by Andrew Higgins – Thousand Word Media NO SALES, NO SYNDICATION. Contact for more information mob: 07775556610 web: www.thousandwordmedia.com email: antony@thousandwordmedia.com The photographic copyright (©2019) is exclusively retained by the works creator at all times and sales, syndication or offering the work for future publication to a third party without the photographer’s knowledge or agreement is in breach of the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988, (Part 1, Section 4, 2b). Please contact the photographer should you have any questions with regard to the use of the attached work and any rights involved.

      February is lit-up in Cheltenham

      Hundreds of people saw the launch of Light Up Cheltenham with spectacular street theatre drumming group Spark! More than 40 businesses are being lit-up like never before for three weeks. The week included Cheltenham’s first ever Observation Wheel and a string of performers. Photo credit Mikal Lludow. Light Up Cheltenham ends 24/02/2019.

       

      Crowds delight at Cheltenham Christmas Lights

      Cheltenham’s Christmas Lights switch-on was hailed a huge success as thousands of people gathered in the town centre. A giant White Witch puppet standing more than 16 feet high enthralled the crowds as she travelled through the town centre on a chariot on Saturday. Photo credit Mikal Lludow

      White Witch in Cheltenham CHRISTMAS LIGHTS 2018 from Evenlode Films on Vimeo.

      Midsummer Fiesta

      Cheltenham BID was a Gold Sponsor of the community event, which involved a number of organisations including Cheltenham Borough Council, Hesters Way Partnership and Cheltenham West End Partnership.

       

      ‘BID’ is now in Bloom!

      BID in Bloom shows almost 100 baskets and troughs of flowers that brighten up more than 20 businesses across the town centre and will do until October.The BID has worked with UBICO, which runs the nursery in Old Gloucester Road, with the aim of adding extra blooms to those provided by Cheltenham Borough Council in parks and gardens.

       

      Cheltenham Chilli Fiesta -UK Chilli Queen

      Crowds came from far and near to enjoy the second Cheltenham Street Chilli Fiesta and brought the sunshine with them.

      Cheltenham Cocktail Week – a recipe for success

       

       

      Around Town…Jazz Festival & Spring Street Market

      May 2-7 2018 saw Cheltenham town buzzing with music, markets and sunshine.

      White Witch in Cheltenham CHRISTMAS LIGHTS 2018 from Evenl

      ode Films on Vimeo.

       

      A Beautiful Celebration of Cheltenham

      Cheltenham Beauty Week started Saturday 21 April and went on until 28 April. It took in everything from fashion and products and well-being experiences across Cheltenham.

      BID Awards – A Night To Remember

      The first Cheltenham BID Awards were a great success at one of our newest venues, The Old Courthouse.
      The diversity of the businesses within the BID zone was shown in the winners. Across 10 categories, they included three restaurants, a bar, a menswear shop, a bath and body products shop, a podiatrist, a tattoo studio, a direct debit service and a designer kitchen shop.

      The biggest cheer of the night was reserved for Chun Kong, of The Mayflower Restaurant, who was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award for the huge contribution he has made to Cheltenham charities and organisations for more than 35 years. His award was presented by the Deputy Mayor of Cheltenham, Councillor Bernard Fisher.

      Another 13 businesses and individuals were highly commended for their contributions over the last year.

      Launch Of Cheltenham Beauty Week

      More than 1,500 people attended the launch of Cheltenham Beauty Week in Regent Arcade. The event was set up to promote the week, which runs from April 21st to 28th, at businesses across Cheltenham.

      A team from Hatherley Manor Hotel Spa completed 100 treatments during the day. Other participants were House of Fraser, who gave free makeovers, Martin & Phelps (wet shaves) and Monrose, who created 1940’s hairstyles with Victory Rolls.

      Spectacular Spark! launch Light Up Cheltenham

      Crowds were enthralled by spectacular street theatre drumming group Spark! as Cheltenham BID’s new event Light Up Cheltenham was launched.  Spark! played at The Brewery Quarter, the Promenade and the Quadrangle on Saturday evening.  As the drummers played, the new floodlights came on for the first time at The Municipal Offices, the Queens Hotel, Boots, the Brewery Quarter and the Town Hall.  Martin & Co, The Bank House, HSBC, United Services Club, Moo Moo and Fever nightclubs and three buildings in the Promenade, 131, Knight Frank and Cotswold Transport Planning are all lit in either magenta or cyan. Another highlight will be on Wednesday when the main buildings turn red for Valentine’s Day.

      Cheltenham’s Independents Sale

      Cheltenham’s independent retailers took part in a successful sale organised by Cheltenham Business Improvement District (BID). Around 550 shoppers snapped up the bargains at Cheltenham’s Independents Sale at Princess Hall in Cheltenham Ladies College on Sunday. Women’s and men’s clothing, shoes, lingerie and jewellery were all on offer.
      The businesses who took part were: Beards, Bodega, Boutique 3, James of Montpellier, Keith Scarrott Shoes, Sandra Dee and The Union Project. Customers were also able to add a little sparkle to their Sunday at The Cotswold Prosecco Company’s tuk tuk. Photography credit – Mikal Ludlow.

       

      Shops dress for success – 10 finalists

      Businesses of all kinds were encouraged to enter by using the hashtag #festivefacade on social media and there was a great response. The winner of the BID’s competition was gift shop Vinegar Hill on The Promenade. Judges were impressed by their winter scene featuring polar bears skating, sledging and generally having fun in the snow. Hotel Chocolat and jewellers Martin & Co were also commended for their displays in the competition . The other finalists were: Cath Kidston, James of Montpellier, Laura Leigh Hair & Beauty, Monrose, Neal’s Yard Remedies, Pia and White Stuff. Photography credit to Mikal Cudlow.

      Street Chilli Fiesta is hot, hot, hot

      Cheltenham’s first Street Chilli Fiesta was hailed a huge success.
      Crowds flocked to Cambray Place for the event, organised by Cheltenham Business Improvement District (BID).
      The highlight was the “Clash of the Titans” chilli eating contest, which saw 12 competitors out to prove they could handle the hottest chillis.
      Amy Dagger, of Tibberton, near Gloucester, saw off the competition to be hailed the winner.
      There were a wide range of stalls offering everything from chilli sauces to chilli art.