June's been quite the month, and before I forget - though I really won't forget - I thought I'd tell you about a super special party I was invited to a few weeks ago.On Friday 6th June (coincidentally my birthday!) approximately 275 rockers, movers, shakers, media, influencers and VIPs descended upon Blackfriars Priory in Gloucester City Centre to celebrate the launch of Rock The Cotswolds.
Founded by Oli Christie, of Neon Play, Cirencester, Rock The Cotswolds champions everything cool about this lovely area. Sure, we have some fine scenery, idyllic countryside and chocolate box villages, but we're not all tweed clad horse racing fanatics or the stereotypical red trousered snobs*. We have some truly innovative, creative, proactive people working within the Cotswolds, and its time to open everyone's eyes to this fact.
*I've no problem with either of these - embrace it, don't hate it.
There are fantastic companies designing and selling in some of the hottest global industries. There are hotels and restaurants galore. There are fashion labels that are recognised worldwide, and many a superstar who call the Cotswolds 'home'. This proves that not everything is centered around London, and you certainly don't need to escape to the big smoke in order to 'make it'. What Oli's determined to do with Rock The Cotswolds is to challenge those preconceptions, and make everyone realise that this is one of the best places to live and work in the UK.
The launch party toasted to the first selection of 'Rockers'; a hotlist of 75 people, businesses and events, which were picked from over 300 nominated in the previous months. You can see the full list on the website, along with all the trusty supporters - or 'fans' - that they've gathered along the way, but a few to mention are; 2000 Trees, Giffords Circus, Cheltenham Festivals, Superdry and Missy Malone. Oh and Cherry Press were responsible for the gorgeous invitations too.
The venue was not one I'd been to before - Blackfriars Priory - built in the 13th century on the site of Gloucester’s Norman Castle, it is the most well preserved medieval Dominican Priory in Britain. Only having recently reopened in 2012, it's now available for meetings, conferences, exhibitions, weddings and other private hires and events, like Rock The Cotswolds.
Drummers and circus performers entertained the guests as they arrived, and a quick red-carpet-style snap was taken as soon as you entered. (Tactical.. it's always good to get some nice 'before' photos. Everyone looks progressively worse as the night goes on, especially when there's a free bar!)
Cocktails and canapes were doing the rounds as people mingled, and explored the venue. There was a bit of celebrity spotting with Lawrence Llewelyn-Bowen, Phil Vickery and Adam Henson, and there was a lady with a very large, but very friendly snake round her neck.
Relish Events sourced all the fabulous food; I had an amazing pizza courtesy of Baz & Fred, whilst the chap scoffed a burger from a local butchers. Later in the evening ice creams from Dolcetti made an appearance, along with cheese from Simon Weaver and tasty Hobbs House Bread. Erm, I may have eaten a lot of cheese.. one hell of a lot of cheese. I had to soak up the alcohol somehow right? As a result, I'm laying off the Brie for a while. Please don't judge me.
Drinks consisted of Black Moth Vodka, Brennen & Brown Gin, Heritage Wine, Arkell's Beer and Cotswold Cider, cheerfully served by the folks from Cirencester's Somewhere Else.
We had live music from Duke, who are MASTERS of beatboxing. They use only their three voices and one guitar - no backing tracks, looping or sampling - which is mega impressive when you hear the sounds they come out with. If you've not seen them locally, you might recognise them from X-Factor a couple of years ago, where they made it to judges' houses.
Glowsticks and dodgy shades were dished out as the DJ, Luke Delaney, played some cracking tunes. We even bumped into the Hobbs House gang - it seems to have become a bit of a thing now, hasn't it? - and we all busted our best moves well into the night.
The bus home is a little hazy, but I think the launch of Rock The Cotswolds made for one of the most exciting birthdays yet.. 'Til next year?
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