2020: TWO MORE BOXES DECORATED IN BATH ROAD
That makes nearly 30 in all. All the way from the Suffolk Road roundabout to the bus stop outside the Norwood Arms. Along Bath Road, boxes - owned by Gloucestershire Highways, BT Openreach and Virgin - have been painted in a brightly-coloured flower design and carrying the Bath Road logo. It gives our local shopping street a stronger identity, and makes it a more attractive place to visit. We want people to use the shops - all the more important in view of the coronavirus disaster. What SPJARA has done, working with other community groups and the College, is to pay for brightening up the street scene. The utility box scheme is carried out by our fab. artist, Rhys Cowe. Here is his latest work: |
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AND HERE'S WHAT HE HAVE DONE IN PREVIOUS YEARS .......
Cassandra Phillips planting begonias in the Bath Road planters, July 2019
A newly decorated Openreach box outside the Norwood Arms
- since replaced with begoinas
The Bath Road improvements - Update - May 2019 The Bath Road is our local shopping area and we love it. But like all shopping streets, it's under pressure. So please help by using its facilities and services. As a local community group, we can also help by making the area look better. So SPJARA has supported improvements in the Bath Road for several years. In recent months: - we have completed the refresh of the utility boxes (23 in all). Our artist Rhys Cowe was working on them over the past few months. This work is supported by Cheltenham Borough - see below as well as by the Naunton Area Residents and Cheltenham Connect - we paid for the rebranding of the Shurdington Road (Norwood Arms) roundabout, a smart entrance to the shopping area - we replanted the planter opposite the Coop, refreshed the soil in both planters and planted 20 hyacinth bulbs - since replaced with begonias - the ten trees we planted in front gardens are a delight of frothy blossom at this time of year 
SPJARA team - Hugh Curran, John Paterson and Adrian Phillips - preparing the planter for a new box tree and bulbs
hyacinth bulbs, March
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Rhys at work - March 2019
above and below - the amelanchier blossom in the Bath Road (March 2019)
Norwood Arms roundabout
you can read more about this scheme on Gloucestershire Live www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk/news/cheltenham-news/bath-road-cheltenham-lot-more-2691454
Cheltenham College comes in on the scheme (May 2019)
Cheltenham College has very generously funded an extension of the Bath Road utility boxes scheme. They paid for Rhys to decorate four more boxes in front of the College buildings in the Bath Road. The design will is based on cedar cones, reflecting the giant cedars in the college grounds. The previously grafitti-covered box at the cross roads now sparkles in its new colours. ..... Following damage by a vehicle, the branding was repaired in July 2019. Each time this happens, funding has to be sought - from SPJARA and others. |
Cheltenham Borough Council funds the utility boxes scheme - November 2018
We have secured a grant of over £2,000 from the Council for the cleaning, repainting and new painting of many of the utility boxes in the road, 21 in all now. Some of the work will be done before Christmas, most next spring. The artist is the same one who did the scheme in the first place, Rhys Cowe. Look out for him in the months ahead. More about this as the work progresses. A PR event marked the making of the grant to SPJARA, Naunton Area Residents and Cheltenham Connect - see photo below. For more about the Council's grant scheme, see www.cheltenham.gov.uk/news/article/2203/community_groups_benefit_from_30k_pot_of_funding
We have secured a grant of over £2,000 from the Council for the cleaning, repainting and new painting of many of the utility boxes in the road, 21 in all now. Some of the work will be done before Christmas, most next spring. The artist is the same one who did the scheme in the first place, Rhys Cowe. Look out for him in the months ahead. More about this as the work progresses. A PR event marked the making of the grant to SPJARA, Naunton Area Residents and Cheltenham Connect - see photo below. For more about the Council's grant scheme, see www.cheltenham.gov.uk/news/article/2203/community_groups_benefit_from_30k_pot_of_funding
Cllr Steve Jordan (right) hands over the mega cheque to local residents' groups
THE "BACK STORY" ON WHAT'S HAPPENED IN THE BATH ROAD
The Bath Road is our very special shopping street, full of independent traders, great shops, restaurants, pubs and cafes. We love it and want it to thrive. That means keeping it looking great.
So that's why you may have noticed that in the past two years, lots of small environmental schemes have taken place in Bath Road, under the auspices of Connect Streets - a partnership that includes SPJARA. We have planted trees in front gardens (there's no room on the pavements), decorated 19 utility boxes with colourful designs inspired by the Victorian tiles in the butchers shop, installed several planters, mounted an art work on the Exmouth Arms wall and "branded" the roundabout with the Shurdington Road. Also the council have erected a new direction finder opposite the Post Office - the first of its kind outside the town centre. You can watch a brilliant video about the utility boxes here: www.yourewelcome.to/explore/story/bath-road-cheltenham or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nv79tuCqjQA.
The Bath Road is our very special shopping street, full of independent traders, great shops, restaurants, pubs and cafes. We love it and want it to thrive. That means keeping it looking great.
So that's why you may have noticed that in the past two years, lots of small environmental schemes have taken place in Bath Road, under the auspices of Connect Streets - a partnership that includes SPJARA. We have planted trees in front gardens (there's no room on the pavements), decorated 19 utility boxes with colourful designs inspired by the Victorian tiles in the butchers shop, installed several planters, mounted an art work on the Exmouth Arms wall and "branded" the roundabout with the Shurdington Road. Also the council have erected a new direction finder opposite the Post Office - the first of its kind outside the town centre. You can watch a brilliant video about the utility boxes here: www.yourewelcome.to/explore/story/bath-road-cheltenham or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nv79tuCqjQA.
blossoming amelanchier in Bath Road - March 2017
Two planters planted up by Roots and Fruits, watered by Co-op staff - decorated box and mural behind
Enamel mural by local artist Sue Brown on the Exmouth Arms wall
A BT Openreach box in its new colours
