Tens of thousands of motorists are committed fans of this service spot – but the inspiration behind the service station is the real headline act
Gloucester Services & Farmshop(Image: Birmingham Mail)
Gloucester Services has been named the best service station in the UK, with drivers praising its food, atmosphere and thoughtful design. It’s a familiar stop for many travelling between Wales and the south of England – just off the M5 between junctions 12 and 11a – and it’s become known for being a cut above the usual motorway fare.
Consumer champion Which? asked more than 4,000 members about their experiences of using service stations across the country. Their responses covered almost 9,000 service station visits and helped Which? rank 90 service stations based on categories including prices in food/retail outlets, shops, food and drink selection, facilities, cleanliness, convenience and accessibility and outside space.
Gloucester services on the M5 received the highest customer score of 85 per cent. The services, which are part of the Westmorland Family, received five stars in almost every category. One visitor said: “If all motorway service stations were like Gloucester I’d be delighted to spend time at any. Glos is a pleasure, has great staff, nice food, a farm shop, a garden with a lakeside walk and dog walking. They deserve every success.” Another customer praised the services saying it was “head and shoulders above all the others that I’ve used”.
There’s a farm shop on site stocked with local produce, a café serving proper meals, and even a small lake behind the building. It’s run by a family business in partnership with the Gloucestershire Gateway Trust, a charity that supports nearby communities, and this year marks its tenth anniversary.
The top ranking was based on a mix of customer reviews, parking availability and EV charging points – and Gloucester stood out across the board. For anyone making the long trip across the Severn, it’s a popular place to pause, and its most recent recognition is based on data from reviews, parking spaces, and electric vehicle (EV) charging facilities. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here.
The highest ranking services in Wales are right down the chart, with Magor off the M4 coming in with 43% overall score from consumers. Sarn near Bridgend also scored 43% overall.
Gloucester’s story began when Mark Gale’s career trajectory took a remarkable turn after he joined one of the Government’s job creation schemes, never imagining that four decades on, he would be instrumental in pioneering an avant-garde fusion of local interests, rural enterprise, and astute commercialism.
In the 1990s, while working as a community worker in Gloucester’s Matson estate, Mark was grappling with developing a meaningful initiative that could foster sustainable improvement and long-term advancement for the area.
Deciding to look outward for solutions, he initiated an “impact assessment” to explore how the council estate-encircled Robinswood Hill, south of Gloucester, could be revitalised.
The southbound pool and grass roof over the services. Gloucester Services & Farmshop, Brookthorpe(Image: Birmingham Mail)
“The communities had lost their way,” Mark reflects, now a sprightly 61. “People were no longer using the hill for recreation while jobs and health continued to be a problem.”
That assessment pointed Mark back in the direction of the far-sighted, but improbably complex idea of developing land just a few miles further south for what was then called a “service station” on the M5, reports Gloucestershire Live.
Having noted Roadchef’s interest in this site back in 1994, Mark sensed its potential.
The challenge he faced next was securing investment partnerships and persuading farmers to part with their land.
Help arrived in the form of financial backing from the national Tudor Trust and contributions from the local Summerfield Trust.
Gloucester Services & Farmshop, Brookthorpe, Gloucester GL4 0DN.(Image: Birmingham Mail)
Mark persuaded the local farmers to sell by highlighting the potential benefits for the community, led the project through the planning stages, and then sought the ideal partner to realise his concept.
“We wanted to show that local communities can create a significant business, a business that would bring value to producers and customers as well as provide jobs and support for people who needed the help,” Mark explained.
Meanwhile, two hundred miles north at Tebay on the M6, the Westmorland family enterprise was already achieving similar success.
Their journey started in 1972 when John and Barbara Dunning, Cumbrian hill farmers, launched Tebay Services after the M6 sliced through their land.
They began with a modest 30-seat café offering home-cooked meals made from locally sourced ingredients.
The Dunnings didn’t see the M6 as the end of their farming livelihood but rather as an opportunity to embark on a new venture.
“It really was good timing,” remarked Sarah Dunning, now the chair of a company with six locations nationwide.
“We were thinking about the future and along came Mark with his slightly unorthodox, but very exciting idea.”
With Mark at the helm as the chief executive of the Gloucestershire Gateway Trust, a charity established to advance the service station project, and the Westmorland family contributing their commercial expertise, the site commenced operations in May 2014 on the northbound carriageway and opened southbound the following year.
The partnership enables the trust to benefit from a percentage of sales which go back into the community.
But it is not just about charitable donations; it is a more fundamental way of connecting business and community for the benefit of both.
“We both get more out of it than we could generate on our own,” Mark explains.
He highlights the local roots of the workforce: “There are 350 staff here, 98 per cent of them from Gloucestershire and 22 per cent from the target communities that kicked off this project.”
Inside the northbound services main catering hall under a grass-topped roof(Image: Birmingham Mail)
The service station breaks the mould with its unique “eyebrow” design and a verdant roof, offering an oasis amid the typical hustle of motorway stops.
Remarkably, there’s minimal signage within and none at all outside the main building.
Sarah notes the benefits of starting afresh: “We had an advantage building from scratch,” she says. “And we wanted to give a bit of calm. I think that’s what people want when they pull off the motorway.”
Visitors indeed find tranquillity, along with ample lavatories for large groups, complimentary showers, and even a duck pond for peaceful reflection over an eco-friendly coffee.
Within the generous confines of the building, 160 local vendors fill the shelves with an array of goods ranging from meats, cheeses, and seafood to baked goods, ice creams, and handicrafts.
The trust collaborates with several local charities such as The Nelson Trust, Play Gloucestershire, GL Communities, Fair Shares Community Time Banks, All Pulling Together Community Association in Stonehouse, and Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust.
Last year celebrated a decade since the inception of Gloucestershire Gateway Trust, with all associated local charity partners benefiting from direct grants sourced from the profits of Gloucester Services.
With the assurance of an annual contribution from the collaboration between Gloucestershire Gateway Trust and Gloucester Services, these charities can map out their futures and maintain their vital services.
Luxury sausage rolls and pasties on the southbound side. (Image: Birmingham Mail)
And what does everyone make of its success? “This site is twice as busy as Tebay and we continue to keep very firm sight of our social objectives and business objectives,” says Sarah.
The sentiment is echoed by Sarah who noted: “This was a project many years in the making and it is wonderful to see it up and running doing what it was designed to do.”
Mark, a past winner of UK Social Entrepreneur of the Year and a driving force behind community-focused businesses and collaborations, keeps his vision focused.
During visits, Mark insists: “Everyone who comes on a visit I make them walk up to the top and view the landscape from the Cotswold hills to the Severn Valley with Gloucester in between.”
“There are the people we are really serving. It’s a different way for business and charity to work together but it just works.”
Rory Boland, Editor of Which? Travel said: “The best service stations are a convenient pit stop with decent food and facilities, however our survey shows those are few and far between and that many services are not up to scratch.
“Poor facilities and extortionate prices for food and drink were widespread complaints, but most shocking of all was how drivers told us just how many services were unclean.
“To avoid disappointment, people should plan their route to avoid the worst service stations and look for alternative places to stop.”