Christmas and all its joys are on the horizon and we arrive into the festive season with arms spread wide this year.

It has been a tough 12 months and the holidays will provide a much needed rest for us and many other business owners in Gloucestershire.

We are all too aware that others will have to carry on regardless as stopping simply isn't an option.

But whether you are pedalling on or putting your feet up the team at Punchline-Gloucester.com would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Our last newsletter of 2023 will be winging its way towards you today (Dec 21) so we can get ready to receive our deliveries from the big man.

And this year, more than ever, we are wishing for peace, health and happiness for all.

Trying to recover from the pandemic has been an uphill battle peppered with seemingly insurmountable obstacles.

Losing loved ones, relationship breakdowns, grappling with the cost of living crisis, war and continuing political turmoil have all arrived and left many of us absolutely exhausted.

Some have risen to the challenge and found a way to win.

But taking your feet off the pedals for even a moment can be disastrous and many have faltered and felt the sharp sting of failure.

Even with all your wits about you it has been almost impossible to navigate every twist and turn and remain steady on your path.

But as the finish line of 2023 approaches, we can hold our heads high knowing that once again the Gloucestershire business community has fought its way through together.

There have been some amazing highs along the way that we want to celebrate.

We have worked hard to bring you exclusives on The Forum development, Javelin Park, Gloucester Gaol site and Elms Park.

Our exclusive videos took you on tours of the new Gloucester Food Dock which will finally connect untapped areas of the city and the Minster Exchange which is due to open in Cheltenham in 2024.

The city council has been doing fantastic work to regenerate the Cathedral Quarter and with Kings Square  complete, the Debenhams project on the way and the Baker's Quay development approved, the road ahead is looking bright.

Chelteham's aim to become a cyber hub took a step forward with the Golden Valley planning application being submitted and work started on Dale Vince's Eco Park.

In the Forest of Dean work is progressing on Five Acres  and the DEEP projects and the redevelopment of the M5 corridor in Tewkesbury continues following the opening of Dobbies.

Punchline reporters have increasingly turned the spotlight on local politicians to ensure the decisions they are making which affect the business community do not slip under the radar.

One of the biggest stories was the end of GFirst LEP whose work is now being transferred to the county council. We wait to see how its legacy will be continued by those in office.

We certainly couldn't do any of this without the support of you, our readers and our amazing advertisers and sponsors.

Thanks to you we have helped almost 200 local charities and Punchline continues to grow.

The newsletter, which goes out every weekday at around 1pm, has doubled its subscribers to 18,000.

We also hit 400,000 unique readers in one month on the website and 2.1million pages read.

Thousands of copies of our magazine have been handed out across Gloucestershire and it has once again been received with praise by the business community.

I would like to say a big thank you to our fantastic team - Beth, David, Sarah, Laura, Simon, Cat, Penny, Tim, Bev, James, Alice, Sarah, Maryanne, Leah, Tim, Clive and Judy.

We will be back on January 3 with renewed vigour, ready to carry on pedalling and striving towards that peak.

We hope to see you all at the top.

It has been a really hard slog but all of us at Punchline wish you a happy and healthy journey in 2024.

We will be back on Wednesday, January 3, so let us know what your business is up to in 2024, by emailing news@moosemarketingandpr.co.uk