It's been two years in the making and now national coworking firm Patch is preparing to open its doors in Gloucester this January 2026.
Taking over 17,000 sq ft of space at The Forum, it has the capacity to host more than 100 businesses and 500 members within private offices, stylish coworking studios, dedicated desks and members' lounges, as well as meeting rooms and productions studios available for the public to book.
It officially opens its doors on Monday 5 January 2026, but SoGlos got a sneak preview to explore the stunning new space.
Visitors are welcomed by a friendly site team who sit in the entrance alongside a community noticeboard and small library filled with books on work, idea generation, innovation, creativity, sustainability, business growth and the art of gathering. There's also a kids' corner for little ones, too. A small meeting space is also publicly accessible for free events, pop-up florists or bakeries.
Once signed-in, workers walk into a spacious, airy lounge and coworking studio filled with light.
With seating for 50 people, it has the feel of a cafe with its ambient space and open-plan kitchen serving bean-to-cup coffee from Staverton's Ethical Addictions. There are Gloucester Brewery beers and kombucha cans in an honesty bar, too. It's Patch's most informal space which turns into an event space in the evening.
In side rooms, there are plenty of rentable lockers and 20 showers – a nod to the fact that the space was originally planned to be a gym.
There's a content creation studio with podcast equipment, a 22-seat focus studio with second screens, ergonomic chairs and booths for private video calls.
Workers can use printing facilities and borrow an 85in TV screen for displays or movie nights.
Boardrooms for groups of 10 are bookable by the hour, complete with AV screens and artwork on the walls of Gloucester Rugby's Kingsholm Stadium and the city's cathedral.
Patch Academy offers a flexible event studio space for panel discussions and talks as well as yoga classes and mum and baby groups.
The team hopes to see everything from wreath-making workshops to galentine's film nights taking over the space in 2026.
It's already reserved for a tech week for CyNam, when it will be filled with speakers taking over the entire ground floor of Patch.
There's a wellness lounge without any screens that can be used as an alternative space for coaching, therapy or interviews.
On the first floor is the main coworking studio with 60 seats and a fully-stocked kitchen. There's a boardroom, private offices for small start-up teams, from teams of two up to 16.
The light, bright and airy space has windows decorated with circles – to represent the cloisters at Gloucester Cathedral.
There's also a large resident area with standing dedicated desks along with booths for private conversations.
Workers can choose from making Patch a base one-day a week right up to unlimited use of the facilities.
Cyclists have access to a bike store, while motorists can use a 400-space car park that will be open in January 2026.
It's also dog friendly with dog bowls and treats dotted around the office space.
Founder of Patch, Freddie Fforde, said: 'We want Patch to be a lighthouse for local life. A front door of opportunity. Whether you're six or 60-years-old and it's the morning or night or week or weekend, you will be welcome here.
'We're going to be hosting knitting groups, baby yoga, a tech week with tech talks in March 2026.
'Whether someone is building a solo business or scaling the next Google out of Gloucester, this is a permeable space, from small to large.
'We are on the high street for a reason – to provide a front door to the city.'
The 37-year-old entrepreneur started out his career as a management consultant, moving on to tech start ups, before he had the vision for Patch.
He grew up in a single parent household and saw the sacrifices his mum made.
It made him determined to create a new business model where mothers can thrive.
Freddie said: 'I saw the working world repeat what happened to my mum, it's a scandal mothers are penalised.
'It made me want to create spaces that bring opportunities to people, so they don't have to commute.
'Of course, now Patch's audience is way wider than parents. We want to help revitalise Gloucester and be a place where people can come together.
'We want people to say 'Gloucester is fantastic' and that's the end of the sentence – no comparisons with Cheltenham or anything else.'
The new opening at The Forum is Freddie's sixth base in the UK, with other flourishing sites in Bournemouth, Chelmsford, High Wycombe, Twickenham and York.
He said: 'It's about giving people high quality spaces to thrive. The Forum is one of the best quality buildings in the whole of the UK and it was the only building I wanted to be in.
'I've made it my mission to create opportunity. It's about hope, opportunity and aspiration and I can't wait to see who turns up when we open. I believe we have created the most inspiring space in Gloucester.'
He's invested hundreds of thousands of pounds into the site and is proud to support independent suppliers.
All of Patch's handwashes are from MadeKind in Twickenham, furniture is from Cedars which promise a low carbon footprint for furniture by using recycled materials.
Handmade mugs come from Duchess China 1888 pottery in Stoke-on-Trent.
The Gloucester site supports local artists by showcasing their work including Stroud textile designer Clemency Calkin, Stroud printmaker Marcus Walters and Stroud artist Alice Brisland capturing colourful Gloucestershire scenes. The artwork also creates a creative, fun and energising working environment.
Freddie said: 'We're not a big corporate machine, we are very thoughtful in our approach.
'We are not here to extract money. We are investing in the city and we have to earn people's trust.
'Every customer is a gift and if we lose sight of that, it's game over.
'Hospitality is an art form. It's hard work but gives everyone job.
'Event users create magic – we just help with that.'
He's thought of every little detail, with a curated soundtrack featuring sounds of Oasis and Pink Floyd floating through the office space.
Prices start at £109 for four days a month of desk space, charged by the hour for flexible working, right up to £300 for unlimited use.
New businesses can get 50 per cent off rates from January to March 2026 if they sign up before Christmas.
