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Mark Dransfield is the man behind the £30m regeneration of Stroud's Five Valleys Shopping Centre.

The Yorkshire-born founder and chairman of Dransfield Properties tells Punchline-Gloucester.com editor Mark Owen how he has fallen in love with the town after deciding to invest in its regeneration.

He said: "I'd never even had never heard of Stroud. I went to have a look at the town but the old Merry Walks Shopping Centre was far from merry and far from beautiful. I found it was sad and it just added nothing to the community. It was full of dreadful shops and was beyond economic repair."

He decided to invest in Stroud six years ago and, with stores such as Sandersons, and a wide variety of chefs in the market hall, Five Valleys has become a go-to destination.

He added: "We're not just about making money, we're about making people feel very proud of the area they occupy. My wife passed away five years ago and since then Stroud has been my focus and I've enjoyed working on this transformation. It's been a really personal thing for me. I love the town, I really do."

Since Mark founded the company in 1992, more than 3,500 jobs have been created through Dransfield Properties' projects.

Watch Mark talk about his fascinating story, and how his company has helped transform Five Valleys and a number of other centres in the north of England.