The second tenant of the £107million Forum in Gloucester has been confirmed as workspace provider Patch.

The London-based company will take 17,000 sq ft at the development, joining inaugural tenant Fasthosts.

Set to open this winter, Gloucester will be the company's sixth and largest site and its first to be hosted in a new build commercial development.

It will be able to host more than 100 businesses and 500 members and offer private offices, coworking studios, dedicated desks, and members' lounges. There will also be publicly bookable meeting rooms and production studios.

Freddie Fforde, founder of Patch, said: "Gloucester is fast becoming one of the UK's most exciting places to start and grow a business. With its thriving startup ecosystem, strong university links, and a creative energy deeply rooted in the city's character, it's full of momentum.

"At Patch, we want to help that energy flourish. We're creating a welcoming city-centre space where local people, ambitious founders, community projects, and bold ideas can come together, collaborate, and thrive."

He started the company in 2020 and it opened its first location in Chelmsford in 2021, transforming a Victorian brewery into a community hub with workspaces, a library, events space, and a cafe/bar.

The entrepreneur was inspired by the sacrifices his mother made as a single parent and the realisation that talented people often find long commutes into an office a barrier to success.

Patch prefers to avoid the term coworking, describing its offering as "work near home" and its mission being to "reimagine how we work and connect" by offering accessible and flexible workspaces in local communities that foster a more balanced, human-centric, and inclusive work environment.

Today it has more than 1,000 members across the country, hosting everyone from large tech companies to self-employed freelancers and boasts a B-Corp certification.

Patch is the second tenant announced for The Forum, with Gloucester web hosting business Fasthosts being the first to move into 19,000sq ft of office space in late 2024.

The £107m Forum is a mixed-used development being created by Gloucester City Council in partnership with developers Reef + Partners.

Once complete, it will offer 135,000 sq ft of Grade A office space, a boutique hotel, a 393-space car park with 41 electric vehicle charging points, residential apartments and retail space.

The huge 600,000 sq ft Forum, which is transforming the Kings Quarter, was originally due to be finished by September 2024. But after hitting unexpected construction issues, the completion date was pushed back by a year with the hotel now expected to be delayed until early 2026 .

Cllr Jeremy Hilton, leader of Gloucester City Council, said: "We're delighted to welcome Patch to Gloucester. Along with current tenants Fasthosts they share our vision for the city and see its massive potential to grow and attract talent.

"With the opening of the university city campus, the ongoing completion of the Forum and huge amounts of continuing regeneration of the city, this is a very exciting time for Gloucester."

Peter Langly-Smith, managing director at Reef + Partners, said: "The Forum's aim is to transform the city centre into a vibrant hub for business growth, and Patch will play a key part in this. Their inspiring workspaces will allow businesses, start-ups and entrepreneurs to be part of this innovation ecosystem."