STARS of the Cotswolds turned out in their hundreds for last week’s celebratory bash to prove the district is cooler than everybody thinks.

Founder of Rock the Cotswolds initiative Oli Christie hosted what he dubbed the “party of the year” last week to celebrate all that is cool in the district.

The CEO of Cirencester mobile games company Neon Play came up with the idea to try and shake up people’s perceptions of the “sleepy” Cotswolds.

“We’re challenging conventions,” said Oli. “We want to make everyone realise that the Cotswolds is the best place in the UK to live and work with some of the most creative, clever and brilliant people around.”

Hundreds of businesses and individuals were nominated by people to become a Cotswold “rocker” and a list of the first 75 was released a few weeks the prestigious party.

Famous faces came from all over Wiltshire and Gloucestershire to the event held in Gloucester’s Blackfriars.

Guests were wowed by magicians, entertained by dancers, and treated like VIPs all night at the exclusive bash.

Hot dogs and burgers were provided by Relish Events while stone baked pizzas were made fresh on site by Baz and Fred’s. People dreamt up daring cocktails for staff at Somewhere Else to create for them with spirits provided by Black Moth Vodka and Brennen and Brown gin.

Ice cream was handed out to all guests by Cirencester ice cream parlour Dolcetti.

Oli said he did not think the night could have gone any better if he had dreamt it.

“Everything went to plan. We had a phenomenal, eclectic guest list,” he said. “I think we really surpassed people’s expectations and we’ve had some incredible feedback.”

“I couldn’t be happier.”

Local party guests included TV star and designer Laurence Llewelyn Bowen, Lady Bathurst, Jamie McDonald, who ran 5,000 miles across Canada and Loose Women star Lisa Maxwell.

“Everyone had such a fun time,” added Oli. “The Cotswold isn’t all about sleepy villages. It’s about attracting and retaining talent.”

“We’re going to be doing ‘rockers of the month’ now and we’ll be planning another big event for next summer. We’ve got more exciting plans to announce soon.”

Visit rockthecotswolds.com for a full list of the first 75 rockers.