Feb. 21, 2026
All Things Cheltenham with guest Beth from Barking Buds plus Local Cheltenham News & What’s On | 22 Feb 2026
Cheltenham had a week that actually moved the needle: a High Street comeback, a bridge finally reopening, a heritage flashpoint over a beloved pub, and a wave of neighbourly action that makes the town feel smaller in the best way. We start with Topshop’s return to bricks-and-mortar inside John Lewis—why it matters for choice, fit, and service—and the A40’s Hambrook Bridge reopening after grueling repairs that hit local trade for months. Then we dig into the Bell Inn’s planned conversion and what it means when living history risks becoming a memory on Bath Road.
From there, community energy takes over. Myra Showers and Cheltenham Town’s shirt partnership channeled £72,000 to Young Lives vs Cancer, funding mental health support, family stays, and life logistics when it’s all too much. A 12-year-old’s zebra crossing campaign is within a few hundred pounds of the finish line, proof that smart local pressure changes streets for the better. We also share a heads-up for Haven’s Coffee’s brief service changes, a police-advised alert on a suspicious van in Prestbury and Leckhampton, and a children’s book drive at Regent Arcade that turns preloved stories into real joy.
Our guest, Beth from Barking Buds, brings the most actionable segment: how scent work and rally transform everyday dogs. If recall stalls or loose-lead walking frays, this is your playbook. Beth shows why training on lead can still build focus, how to choose the right motivator—treat, toy, or sniff—and why consistency beats cleverness. We talk youth trainer programmes that boost kids’ confidence, mentoring for aspiring adult trainers, and how a scrappy Covid-era start created a library of video resources that now make owners more self-sufficient. For puppies, we get crisp timelines: start gentle one-to-ones at home after a week of settling, wait for vaccinations for group classes around twelve weeks, and introduce harnesses slowly with rewards so the walk starts calm, not combative.
Round it out with what’s on: YMCA Sleep Easy fundraising, a craft beer festival, a Radiohead tribute at Town Hall, and a sweep through the Everyman, Playhouse, Bacon Theatre, and more. It’s a full circuit of what to know, where to go, and how to help your dog thrive so your streets, parks, and living rooms all feel better.
If this helped you plan your week or train smarter with your pup, follow the show, share it with a neighbour, and leave a quick review—it helps more Cheltenham folks find us.
Friends of Cheltenham Samaritans February Craft Beer Festival
The Radiohead Project, a stunning live tribute celebrating Radiohead's
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00:00 - Welcome & Local News Kickoff
00:14 - Cheltenham News
05:57 - Community Notices
10:28 - Guest Beth from Barking Buds
43:14 - Clip from next weeks Guest - Robert from Tallon Tattoos
44:57 - Cheltenham Events
WEBVTT
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Hello, I'm Reg, your host, and welcome to All Things Cheltenham, the community podcast.
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Today is the 22nd of February 2026.
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So let's get started.
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And as always, we start with local news.
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Well, Topshop is set to return to the UK High Street this week, including here in Cheltenham.
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The fashion brand will relaunch inside John Lewis stores across the country, with shoppers in Cheltenham able to buy Topshop in-store at the town's John Lewis branch.
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Shop Shop, along with its sister brand Top Man, disappeared from physical high streets back in 2021 after the collapse of the Arcadia Group, which led to the closure of the standalone shops.
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Since then, the brand has mainly been available online with a small number of pop-ups and department store partnerships.
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But now Top Shop is making a full return to bricks and mortar retail through the John Lewis, with concessions opening in all 32 John Lewis stores nationwide.
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And Top Man will also be stocked in a selected number of branches later in the year.
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And hopefully, one of them may very well be Cheltenham.
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We'll have to wait and see.
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The launch will include around 130 of Top Shop's most popular items, including its well-known Denham range, along with new seasons, fashions, and footwear.
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Shoppers will also be able to buy the collections online through John Lewis website.
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Topshop's managing director, Michelle Wilson, said the move is about making it easier for customers to access the pieces they love, and in the with partnering with John Lewis brings the brand back to the high street across the UK with a level of service customers expect.
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For Cheltenham shoppers, it means one of the most recognizable high street fashion brands of the last two decades is officially back on the rails without needing to travel to London or shop online.
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Now, a Cheltenham publican has criticized the Liberal Democrats over the way over what, sorry, he sees as a lack of support to protect the town's last Regency Inn from redevelopment.
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Plans were approved last year to convert the Bell Inn on Bath Road into flats, with only part of the ground floor remaining a commercial space or a potential pub.
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Landlord Chris Evans, who has run the Bell Inn since 1990, says the decision threatens the future of what he describes as the only fully operational Regency Inn left in Cheltenham.
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Mr.
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Evans says nearly 800 people signed a petition to try and save the pub and insists he doesn't want the campaign to become political.
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He says he aims to simply to keep the historic 1809 building open as a proper working pub, warning that Cheltenham risks losing part of its heritage.
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Cheltenham Borough Council says the planning process was followed correctly, and while the Bell Inn has been granted an asset of community value status, this does not guarantee it will continue to operate solely as a pub.
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So what do you think of that?
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I don't know, it's a tricky one, that one.
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Cheltenham-based company Myra Showers has raised more than£72,000 for charity Young Lives versus Cancer, which is absolutely brilliant.
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The£72,000 donation was presented to the charity this week following a year of fundraising by staff at the company.
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Cheltenham Town Football Club also played a part through its partnership with Mare Showers after the business donated its front of shirt sponsorship to a limited edition Third Kit, with the club then contributing an additional£3,000 to the cause.
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Young Lies versus Cancer says the money will provide vital mental health support, financial guidance, and accommodation for families staying close to children receiving cancer treatment.
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The charity supports around 4,000 children and young people diagnosed with cancer across the UK each year, helping families through what can be an overwhelming and isolating time.
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Maria Showers says charity funding fundraising is a key part of its values, and the company is proud of the efforts of the staff in supporting young people and families facing cancer.
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Excuse me.
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Now there's a relief for residents and businesses in the Charton Kings area after a key route opened following more than a million pounds worth of bridge repairs.
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Motorists can now once again use the A40 London Road in Cheltenham, which has been closed since September last year for urgent safety work.
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The closure affected trade for many local businesses, with shop owners saying the lack of passing traffic led to a noticeable drop in footfall, including over the Christmas period.
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The repairs focused on Hambrook Bridge over the River Chelt, a historic structure believed to have been designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel.
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Gloucestershire County Council described the project as a highly challenging engineering job with worse than expected damage uncovered during the works.
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The road is now reopened a day earlier than planned.
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Residents say the closure caused major disruption to journeys, while business owners say they they're relieved the route is open again, especially with Cheltenham Festival approaching.
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The council has thanked the community and their patience the long-running repairs.
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I don't suppose about you, but I have heard lots of people complaining about this and read lots of complaints as well.
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So it's wonderful it's back open, and good luck to all those businesses up that end of town.
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Okay, on to some community notices as such.
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The first one's a news come community.
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It's a bit of a mix, and it's a zebra crossing campaign nears its target.
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You may have heard this on, I think it was on the BBC actually.
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A campaign led by a Lake Hampton primary school pupil to install a zebra crossing on Church Road in Cheltenham, is close to reaching its funding goal.
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Now I looked this morning before I started this podcast, and it is a Sunday, and they're about£250 off their total.
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So if my listeners will happily donate some money, I think we can probably reach that limit for them.
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Twelve-year-old Amelie, supported by her dad and local community, have been campaigning for a safer crossing near the school following concerns about speeding traffic during the school run.
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Local councils have agreed to contribute most of the£75,000 cost, and a crowdfunding appeal is now raising the final few thousand pounds needed to make the crossing a reality.
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Campaigners say they hope the crossing will be installed soon, improving safety for children and families in the area.
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And there'll be a link at the bottom of my podcast description where you'll find links to all things that are listed and mentioned and needed on this podcast.
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Now, if you use Haven's Coffee here in Cheltenham, bit of a warning this next week.
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Um heads up if you plan to visit Haven's Coffee in Cheltenham over the next couple of days.
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On Tuesday the 24th of February, they'll only be open for takeaway only, serving coffees, cakes, and a limited food menu while some work is carried out.
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And then on Wednesday the 25th, they're actually going to be closed for the entire day.
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Havana says they're having a little spruce up and they'll be back up as normal normal after the brief closure.
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So if you're if you are a regular visitor there, you should know about this.
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But if you pop down on a Wednesday or a Tuesday and normally pop in, just remember it's a takeaway only on Tuesday the 24th, and they are closed entirely on Wednesday the 25th.
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Now, for people in the Pressbury and Lake Hampton area, there's a suspicious vehicle was popped up, and residents in Prestbury and Lakehampton are being advised to stay alert following reports of a suspicious van linked to attempted thefts from properties.
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The vehicle is a white van previously branded as Bob Smith's Cleaning and Carpets registration MF06DUH.
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The van has been reported as driving around parts of Prestbury with occupants seeing entering private property and looking for items to take.
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Police are aware of the reports.
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Recent incidents have been logged and residents are encouraged to remain vigilant.
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If you see suspicious behaviour, do not approach anyone, report concerns to the police via 101, and of course, in an emergency or if a crime's in progress, of course, call 999.
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As always, please look out for your neighbours, ensure doors and sheds are secured and considered consider reporting anything unusual, even if it seems minor.
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A quick report can help build a clearer picture to local police.
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Now, this one I'd like to actually give a shout out for to Claire from 360 Reveal.
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She actually sent me over this information.
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And just before I go on to the next one, if you actually do see any news items that are Cheltenham-based or around the air Cheltenham area, and you think they might be good for the community to know about, or our main news item, you're most welcome to send them to me.
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And uh if I haven't already got them or if I if I don't know about them, I will give you a shout-out by name if you want.
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So you can always email me for that purpose, and I'll give out an email address later in the show.
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Now there's a children's book drive taking place at the Regent Arcade here in Cheltenham from the 23rd of February to the 7th of March, and it's the Chapman Opticians are hosting the collection in support of Children's Book Project, which helps gift books to children who may not have books of their own.
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Now, if you've got any good quality pre-loved children's books, you can donate them.
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And every book donated will go to a child in need.
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So if you've got any old children's books you no longer use, this is a lovely way to pass them on, and it really can make a big difference.
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Okay, it's now time to say hello to our guest of the week.
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Welcome Beth to All Things Cheltenham.
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Thank you for joining us.
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So, would you like to explain to the listeners a bit more about Barking Buds?
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Hi, Reg.
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Thank you for having me, first of all.
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Um Yeah, so Barking Buds was created in 2020 during COVID.
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I thought it would be a a great challenge.
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Um and it all started because of uh my my dog Luna.
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She um was a little monkey when she was younger um and basically did not want to behave.
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Um, and it sort of lit a fire in me to find out why she was behaving the way she was.
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Um, and that sort of inspired me to create the company.
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Um now we have uh myself and my team in Cheltenham, and we run multiple different um services, so from puppy classes to adult classes to scent and rally clubs.
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We run a youth trainer program for children ages nine plus, and we also run an adult, like how to be a trainer program from ages 18 plus as well, um, as well as loads of workshops and other bits and bobs, but that's sort of our general overview of uh services.
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Wonderful.
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Now you said something there that proved me then.
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Did you say scent and rally?
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Rally, what is scent and rally?
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So scent work is basically like the way I explain it best is saying, you know, you see the police dogs who go searching for drugs and that sort of stuff.
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Yep.
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It's a similar thing, but for pet dogs.
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So it's a really, really fun way um to get the dogs using their brains and working really, really hard without getting them too overhyped.
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Um, great for sort of your Spaniels and Labradors, but also all different breeds, um, and just teaching them something new um to get them focused as well.
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Yeah.
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Yeah, and it obviously gets them used to being called back as well, because obviously, you know, you you know, use a toy or something, they know, put it somewhere, they go and get it, and it's like, okay, come back to me now, give it back to me, sort of thing.
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So it gets that that okay.
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I wonder what sent and rally, what on earth and rally is almost like have you um have you ever heard about like the obedience?
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So like the dogs walking by your side and that sort of stuff.
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So it's very similar, but again, for pet dog owners, it's um a really fun um uh a fun version of it, I would say.
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So it's less serious, um, is through TD Rally, um, who are brilliant, um, and they do like online trials and things.
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So it's basically a fun version of uh obedience, um, getting the owners to get their dogs to train in specific positions, um, and it really helps with things like loose lead walking and recall and their weights, um, and just generally building the dog's focus on you, um, which obviously when you're out and about, that's normally a big struggle for them because they're distracted by the world that they see.
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So um, yeah, both SEN and Rally help help with all of that.
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Um, and we love it, and we love running the clubs.
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So I run the Scent along with my trainer Kayla, and then Safe is um our rally instructor.
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Oh, brilliant.
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That does sound fun, actually.
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I'm assuming they have to have sort of the basic training to start with, because obviously if they're if they're not sort of trained to be able to stay by your side and they wander off and do, then that's obviously going to be a problem for the rally side.
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Yeah, so what's really cool with the rally is that um, well, and the scent to be honest, is they can both be done on lead.
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Um, so even if you have a dog that um loves to explore the world and doesn't necessarily want to come back, it's still a really good way to sort of keep building that bond um and also building that engagement with the owner so that it will encourage them to sort of um focus more um and want to engage with the owner more rather than just the outside world as well.
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Oh, that's brilliant.
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So even if someone come along that was new with a you know sort of a year old dog that had some basic training, you know, just from themselves, then they could go in for the centre valley just for the fun of it, and it would be it would be perfectly okay.
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Yeah, 100%.
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Oh, wonderful, wonderful.
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Now, you you did mention, did you did I hear you correctly saying you do training for trainers or dog trainers to train that sounds a bit sort of counter countertuitive, being that's what you do, and you're gonna train people to teach dog training.
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Ain't you putting yourself out of work?
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Sort of, yeah.
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But my one of my biggest passions is sharing my knowledge.
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So obviously, there there are so many dogs in this world, and one of my biggest beliefs is that there is room for everyone because there are just so many, so many dogs now, especially in the UK.
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Um, so we launched last year our trainer mentor program, which is for adults, and basically anybody who wants to work with dogs, become a dog trainer.
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We have people on the course that um foster dogs for charities.
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Um, we also have people who like want to become like dog groomers or just want general knowledge about their dogs and like how a dog works or how a dog thinks.
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Um, so it's sort of all encompassing, really.
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Um, and yeah, I absolutely love it.
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And then we also have the children's version um as well for the children aged at nine plus as well.
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So yeah, I I just love it.
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I bet the children one must be great fun because they they uh must be so enthusiastic at times that it it becomes just a giggling session rather than a training session.
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100%.
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And ours is quite unique in the sense that when I um when I first created the program, I wanted something that children could feel like they're working towards the goal of working with dogs in the future.
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So it's not just a program where children play with dogs, it's they learn about the dog knowledge, the dog theory, and then they have a go at practicing it within our dog weeks.
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Um and we also run like a personal development session.
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Um, we've also just won an award, actually, from um No Child Left Behind um for our recognition on helping children with their mental health within our program.
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Um congratulations.
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You uh we're really chuffed with it because as I'm sure you know, pets and dogs in general are really good for people's mental health.
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And we have a lot of children who uh might be struggling with their mental health or um might be S E N or just generally want to work with dogs in the future.
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We have uh a sort of a range of children uh on the programme with us.
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So um, yeah, we just just love teaching them.
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Oh, brilliant, brilliant.
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Well, I mean, many, many moons ago, um I actually had my own dog walking business.
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Oh wow.
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I actually in Cheltenham and my I I had my own dog walking business.
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I mean, I did other things where I I used to pet sit.
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So if people wanted to go away overnight, I could sit with the dog.
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I mean, I had a a Labrador Golden Retriever, I think.
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Um, that his back legs weren't very good.
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So when the owners went away, I stayed with him for the weekend because he could walk about a bit, but once he got on the tiles of the kitchen, his back legs, if he went, if he went down, he couldn't get up again.
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He had no way of getting a grip to get up.
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Um and he needed help to get out into the garden and sort of lift him over the steps, you know, and things like that.
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Um, so I mean I'm used to dogs.
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I've worked with animals for many years on and off on farms, and I've got two cats of my own and stuff.
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So I I know how much fun, and as you say, how much mental health they can actually they really can calm you down.
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You know, if you if you're stressed and you just start stroking and they start purring or the dog starts wagging its tail, it just seems to drift it away.
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I mean, it's it's it's a fascinating thing, and I'm sure there's some psychology there somewhere or something in it.
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There's gotta be.
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Yeah, yeah.
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Now, the big question barking buds.
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Well, the barking kind of makes sense.
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That's obvious.
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Dogs bark, got that bit.
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Where did buds come from?
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So the barking actually came from from my dog.
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So she was a barker and she still is a barker, and I'm not I'm not ashamed to say that.
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She's not the perfect dog, and but I love her anyway.
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Um, and then buds, it originally we wanted to be buddies, barking buddies.
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Um, but I'm not gonna lie, that name was already taken, and I was like, Well, I want to be unique.
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Um, so buds, because I call Luna my bud, and so it ended up being all sort of based around her.
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So even our logo is a beagle, so she's a Spaniard Beagle Cross.
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Um, so basically, all to do with her, and without her, we wouldn't have the business today.
00:19:04.319 --> 00:19:08.559
So yeah, I was saying you your idea come from her being a little naughty monkey.
00:19:08.720 --> 00:19:09.039
Yeah.
00:19:09.279 --> 00:19:12.000
Um, she barked a lot, and you called her bud.
00:19:12.400 --> 00:19:15.279
So um, I should be talking to the dog, really, shouldn't I?
00:19:15.680 --> 00:19:16.720
You really should.
00:19:17.039 --> 00:19:18.720
She's definitely the muse.
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:23.759
So you say you've been going for how long now?
00:19:23.920 --> 00:19:28.559
2020, did you say you Yeah, 2020, so we're six years in June.
00:19:28.960 --> 00:19:29.359
Wow.
00:19:29.519 --> 00:19:41.039
Now the question I have is okay, you come up with the idea and you start a business in COVID when people can't be near each other and you do a dog training thing.
00:19:41.279 --> 00:19:46.880
Um how did you did you actually physically go out and start teaching during COVID?
00:19:47.039 --> 00:19:48.880
Or how how did you how did you work that?
00:19:48.960 --> 00:19:50.240
Because that's fascinating.
00:19:50.559 --> 00:19:56.160
Yeah, so so I graduated Heartbury, um, Heartbury Uni in 2020 as well.
00:19:56.319 --> 00:20:01.440
So I started the business almost straight away after I graduated.
00:20:01.599 --> 00:20:08.319
Um, and then I started seeing clients on a one-to-one basis, and then we went into lockdown.
00:20:08.400 --> 00:20:15.519
So I had actually started building um a sort of client base before we were put into um the first lockdown.
00:20:15.759 --> 00:20:22.880
Um, it started just with one-to-one clients, um, and then people started asking me if I would do classes and that sort of stuff.
00:20:23.039 --> 00:20:25.200
Um and I was like, well, we'll give it a bash.
00:20:25.279 --> 00:20:33.920
Um so I hired out a room in the back of a groomers, um, started really small with four dogs per class, um, which was brilliant.
00:20:34.079 --> 00:20:35.200
We were thriving.
00:20:35.279 --> 00:20:39.839
Um, and then COVID got us, um, as it did with everyone.
00:20:40.079 --> 00:20:48.799
Um, and then when we started to get released a bit more, um, because a lot of our clients didn't really want to go online, which was fair enough because everything turned online, didn't it?
00:20:48.880 --> 00:20:53.359
So you've sort of enough of online by that point, which is I totally understand.
00:20:53.599 --> 00:21:06.160
Um, so then we ended up um putting a gazebo out the back of my parents' martial arts uh business, um, which worked for a bit until the wind blew it over um and smashed it all up.
00:21:06.240 --> 00:21:08.240
So that was quite entertaining.
00:21:08.400 --> 00:21:15.119
Um, and then in the end, we did a few bits online for the clients that were happy um to be online.
00:21:15.359 --> 00:21:20.240
The clients that weren't, we just sort of held them until uh we were set out.
00:21:20.400 --> 00:21:28.559
And then once we started um were allowed to start meeting people again, I did like I started building up my one-to-ones and stuff again after that.
00:21:28.799 --> 00:21:39.680
Um so yeah, it was a bit it was a bit of an eventful time, um, but it got us where we are today, and we're very resilient and we bounced back, and that's all I can ask.
00:21:40.000 --> 00:21:45.920
Yeah, I mean it it I was just about you sort of you know, you said you started then and I suddenly thought, hang on, you you can't meet people.
00:21:46.079 --> 00:21:54.880
So, you know, also the idea of teaching dog training online, that's an unique scenario because there can't be many people even attempted that.
00:21:55.440 --> 00:22:02.480
Yeah, I think it I think it does depend on sort of the trainer and Sort of what they what they want to do.
00:22:02.960 --> 00:22:08.480
I was very much in the mindset of we can do it online, you've just got to do it in your living room.
00:22:09.279 --> 00:22:16.880
It was quite entertaining trying to set up the cameras so I could see the client and the dog, so I can help coach them through.
00:22:17.759 --> 00:22:25.519
But to be honest, most was asked to hold off until we sort of got back in into the swing of things again.
00:22:25.680 --> 00:22:33.839
But it was quite an entertaining time, and I created a lot of um online tutorials and that sort of stuff um during that time, which I still use now.
00:22:33.920 --> 00:22:37.839
Um so it benefited myself as well, really.
00:22:38.160 --> 00:22:47.039
Yeah, because obviously, you know, you sort of do your training as normal now, but obviously if they want to, I suppose they want to refresh or just what did you say they can use the online tutorials?
00:22:47.119 --> 00:22:49.839
Because they're probably virtually the same thing, you know.
00:22:49.920 --> 00:22:54.400
So you it gives them a kind of reference point to go back to, which is really rather useful, I imagine.
00:22:54.640 --> 00:22:55.279
Yeah, definitely.
00:22:55.359 --> 00:23:04.799
We've put it all on our sort of our YouTube channel, um, and then we also have like a bank for myself and my trainers, so we share tutorial videos after our one-to-ones and classes.
00:23:04.880 --> 00:23:12.160
So, like we've got some online portals for our puppy classes and that sort of stuff, just so that people can, like you say, have that refresher.
00:23:12.319 --> 00:23:19.119
Um, because when you're in it, you almost are so concentrating on training your dog, you kind of forget what your trainer tells you.
00:23:19.359 --> 00:23:28.319
Um, so it's really cool to have that bank to be able to give people that extra support um after sessions as well, so that they don't feel like they've forgotten everything.
00:23:28.799 --> 00:23:41.759
Yeah, yeah, because it is as you say, you you get focused in on looking after the dog and getting the dog to do what you want, and you've heard what the trainer says, but then you forget what they say because you just said it to the dog and that's it, that it's gone.
00:23:41.839 --> 00:23:44.640
Yeah, and as the dog does what it says.
00:23:44.960 --> 00:23:54.480
Definitely, and as the trainer myself, like sometimes I'll like give a bit of advice, and because I'm potentially working with eight other dogs at the same time, the client will be like, What was that piece of advice?
00:23:54.559 --> 00:23:56.079
And I'll go, good question.
00:23:56.160 --> 00:23:58.160
What was that piece of advice I gave you?
00:23:58.559 --> 00:24:05.680
So it's good to sort of um give those extra little bits of um nuggets of information as well, which is which is great.
00:24:06.000 --> 00:24:06.960
Brilliant, brilliant.
00:24:07.039 --> 00:24:11.839
Now, are you working do you work from like a hall now or you are you or are you outdoors?
00:24:11.920 --> 00:24:14.880
Because I know a lot of dog trainers do sort of they use a park or whatever.
00:24:14.960 --> 00:24:20.480
I mean, I don't know what the rules are nowadays, but do you do you use a building or do you use outdoors or do both?
00:24:20.799 --> 00:24:26.480
Yeah, so we uh we currently have our own training field um in Greatfield in Hatherley.
00:24:26.880 --> 00:24:32.799
Um we we are looking for an indoor space um as well, just because in the winter it can get a bit cold.
00:24:32.960 --> 00:24:33.200
Yeah.
00:24:33.359 --> 00:24:40.000
Um however, we do have some really committed owners who will like come to us, rain or shine, and it's amazing, and we're just as committed.
00:24:40.240 --> 00:24:46.880
So if it's raining, at the end of the day, the biggest thing I say to my clients is you're gonna take your dog out for a walk anyway in the rain.
00:24:46.960 --> 00:24:49.920
So why not just do a training session instead for that day?
00:24:50.160 --> 00:24:56.000
Um and to be fair, a lot of them are absolutely brilliant, and they're like, Yeah, cool, let's do this.
00:24:56.160 --> 00:24:58.079
Um which is great.
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