Following the success of last year, Cheltenham BID (Business Improvement District) organised Light Up Cheltenham for the second year. This year the addition of a giant observation wheel in the Imperial Gardens provided a unique view of the stunning town architecture. Over 40 buildings illuminated their facades with coloured lights, alongside landmarks such as Neptune’s Fountain. The event certainly does brighten up a traditionally cold, dull February, however, this months unseasonably warm weather, treated visitors to glorious sunshine as well as the breathtaking spectacle. To see photos by Mikal Lludow of the event visit the gallery at CheltenhamBID.

RRA is delighted to welcome a new member to the team, architect and conservation specialist, Lucia Milone. Lucia will be based in the Gloucester office at Elmbridge Court Business Park. Lucia brings 6 years post part III experience across a variety of sectors, is already a member of Cheltenham’s Architects Panel and has a particular passion for innovative house designs, small scale redevelopment and repairs and conservation to existing historic buildings. Outside of work Lucia is a member of Cheltenham’s local running club Almost Athletes and enjoys exploring new places both locally and internationally.

Huge Congratulations to our MD, Mark Powles, and all the delegates of the Quolux LEAD course who graduated this month. The ten-month course, especially for owner-managers, MDs and senior managers of small and medium sized enterprises, tackles the real-life, every-day issues faced by businesses. According to Mark, “one of the great opportunities the course offers is peer-learning from a whole variety of businesses, many of whom face the same issues but from a different perspective.” Pictured above are (left to right) Stewart Barnes of Quolux, Tim Boyd of New Wave Seafood, Carlwyn Coombes of Bence Builders Merchants, Steve Taylor of The Frocester Group, Mark Powles of RRA, Louise Williams of GRASAC, Phil Vickery of Raging Bull and Creed Foodservice, Dave Merrick of Optimising IT, Adam Welland of Barnwood Construction, Julia Russell of Bowland Stone, Dave Funnell of Stewart Golf, Andy Wiseman of Hobbs House Bakery and Jo Draper of Quolux.

As one of the founding sponsors, we are absolutely delighted to be involved with Fresh Art Fair at the prestigious Cheltenham Racecourse again this year and to be able to offer tickets to the event. The Art Fair is now in it’s third year and is recognised as the best UK art fair outside London. If you would like tickets please contact rpalmer@rraarchitects.com with how many tickets and which days you would like to attend. Look forward to seeing you there.

One of RRA’s previous projects has just come onto the market. This stately Ashlar stone villa enjoys fantastic views over Cheltenham from it’s idyllic location on the private Battledown Hill. Originally built circa 1860, RRA was employed in 2016 to extend the property and remodel the inside into a modern and highly functional, family home. If you would like to own this stunning piece of Cheltenham’s history it is on the market with Kingsley Evans.

RRA Director, Jonathan White, recently attended the opening of the University of Gloucestershire Business School and Growth Hub by Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Rt Hon Philip Hammond MP. The £20 million project represents the achievement of a long-held ambition for the University to break down barriers between the academic and business world. Accommodating the staff and students of the Business School alongside the University’s support services for business, the GFirst Local Enterprise Partnership and the Growth Hub is mutually beneficial for all parties.

RRA Directors, Mark Powles and Jonathan White, attended a fabulous evening of wine appreciation at Evans Jones Annual Wine Festival held at the Tivoli Wines Wine Library, Cheltenham. They thoroughly enjoyed sampling an extensive range of wines and some delicious South American street food supplied by Boxfresh Street Food, along with catching up with many familiar faces from leading local businesses. Our ‘Sancerre’ thanks to Evans Jones for the invitation.

Only 3 weeks after starting on site our Cheltenham town centre project is already taking shape with the foundations in and the walls almost complete. The scheme involves conversion of a Grade II Listed terraced residence into new office accommodation for The History Press. RRA Architects look forward to working alongside Cover Construction, Bevans Surveyors and Ward Williams Associates on another successful venture.

The University of Gloucestershire has been a leading force for businesses to prioritise sustainability. This month the University, along with Interface Flooring, presented a two-part Masterclass in creating a culture of innovation and strategic approaches to improve sustainability. Part One involved guest speakers, including biophillic expert, Oliver Heath design, sharing their strategies and insights. Part Two was a workshop looking at practical opportunities, sustainability goals and co-creation of solutions. According to RRA Director, Jonathan White, the masterclass was both "inspiring and really thought provoking; sustainability is certainly something that all businesses need to prioritise and it is simply fantastic to have the opportunity to bounce ideas off other businesses to really examine the issues and what we can all do."

RRA’s Mark Powles and Rachel Palmer were delighted to be guests of the Frocester Group at the Principality Stadium to watch the 6 Nations Wales v England game. Both teams had ‘all to play for’ with England hot favourites to win. It seemed a foregone conclusion when England took an early lead but Wales fought back taking the points and setting the record for 12 consecutive wins; effectively keeping the competition alive for the last round. The great atmosphere in the stadium and on the streets of Cardiff made it a day to remember, we would like to say a huge thank you to the Frochester Group for the invitation.

Since NASA launched a competition to find a company which can develop an autonomous 3D printer to construct human habitation shelters on Mars or the Moon, the race to onsite printed buildings has gathered speed. Various structure printing solutions are in development but most involve enormous machinery which in themselves pose logistical issues. However, Apis Cor, a Russian company has developed a compact, portable arm based printer which can be easily transported and can be setup and running on site within 30 minutes. Although, currently limited to single storey structures, this opens up huge possibilities, particularly for quick and affordable housing. Apis Cor are now working on a way to print foundations and multi storey structures. The NASA competition winner will be announced in April 2019, we will keep you updated.

Springtime sees the re-emergence of the Japanese Knotweed shoots that can grow up to 10cm per day. Because of this rapacious growth Knotweed can cause immense damage to buildings. Lasting for an indefinite number of years and re-emerging each year, knotweed costs the UK economy £166 million per year for treatment and property devaluations. If you suspect Japanese Knotweed is on your property it is important to act quickly and speak to an expert about the best way to eradicate it.
For further information visit Bevans Chartered Surveyors blog which details more about the plant and what can be done to eradicate it.

Hereford Council wants to encourage local people to contribute to the development of a design guide for the centre of Hereford with the aim of improving the City thorough regeneration. The idea is that the Design Guide will be adopted as a Supplementary Planning document. The consultation is open until midnight on Monday 11th March. To visit the councils site and find out more click here.

8th March • Music in Quiet Places • St Marys Church Kington, Herefordshire
Herefordshire Historic Churches Trust and Hereford Cathedral School’s Music Outreach organisation have joined forces to create ‘Music in Quiet Places’, a programme of live choral music events in large and small church venues across Herefordshire.

9th March • Gift Wrapping • New Brewery Arts, Gloucestershire
Whether you wish to add to your existing skills or need to know the very basics of gift wrapping, our inspiring classes will teach you how to wrap your gifts perfectly.

9th March • Retro Rewind 2 • The Left Bank, Hereford
Time to pull on the flares, dust off the afro, sharpen the eyeliner pencil and crimp your hair - the 70s and 80s are back with all proceeds going to The CLD Trust.

13th March • Ladies Day • Cheltenham Racecourse
Adding a splash colour to The Festival, Ladies Day sees city girls become country girls and tweed become fashionably becoming.

16th March • St Patricks Night • Hillside Brewery, Gloucestershire
Come and celebrate St Patricks Day with an Irish Themed night – Irish music, Irish themed menu and cocktails!

16th March • LEGO Brick History exhibition • Hereford Museum & Art Gallery
Brick History takes famous moments from history and imagines them in LEGO bricks. There are models to make you smile, to make you think, and to inspire you to build a better world.

16th March • Library Tours • Gloucester Cathedral
Explore the history of the Cathedral library and discover the medieval highlights of its historic collections.

30th-31st March • Mother's Day weekend • Adam Henson's Cotswold Farm Park, Gloucester
Spread the love this Mother's Day weekend and bring Mum to the Farm Park free of charge with a full paying child or adult.

31st March • Arty Sunday • The Wilson - Cheltenham Art Gallery & Museum
Monthly family Arty Sundays are the perfect way for you and your little ones to explore your creative side together. Each session follows a theme and offers new and tactile processes.