The Week That Was #342

1. #electriccartoqatar steers towards a more sustainable Wales

This week a certain electric vehicle and its crew embarked on a 5000-mile journey across continents, from South Wales to the Middle East. You may even have spotted the EV, nicknamed Morris, around Cardiff this week. The driving team will reunite with fans and players in Doha ahead of Wales’ first match against the USA on 18th November, 22 days after setting off. Hoping to dismiss the myths and misconceptions surrounding electric cars, the carefully mapped adventure will also feature some familiar faces along the way and help to raise awareness of the positive impacts that electric cars can deliver for our planet. We shared the news of this journey of a lifetime, securing coverage in BBC News, ITV News, The Evening Standard, The Independent and more.

2. Bisley partners with John Lewis

Office furniture brand Bisley are well regarded for their iconic and award-winning commercial interiors and in recent years they have been making inroads into the domestic interiors market as well. This expansion strategy was highlighted in the past month with the launch of Bisley products onto JohnLewis.com in a major move for the company to develop Bisley’s presence and reputation in the home interiors market. Bisley launches onto the John Lewis website with 27 core products in a multitude of colourways, and the range sees products from the brand’s Belong collection – designed for the home office – feature heavily. We shared the story with media achieving coverage in Wales Business Insider, Workplace Insight, Business News Wales and Retail Times, among others.

3. Shining a light on the best in Wales’ small business scene

This week we showcased the work of the British Business Bank in Wales in the annual Fast Growth 50 list, the supplement for which featured an op-ed penned by the Bank’s new senior manager for Wales, Jess Phillips, who discussed all the ways the Bank has been supporting growing Welsh businesses. We also continued to secure more coverage for Jess’ recent appointment, landing stories in the Western Mail, Business Live, Insider Media and Wales 247. We also got the word out about Caru Spirits, a start-up artisanal brandy liqueur business inspired by the slow food movement, which was launched with the help of a £25,000 Start Up Loan from the Bank.

4. BBC Radio Manchester talks empty nesters and fostering

To round off our ‘empty nesters’ campaign which encourages parents whose children have left home to consider fostering, we secured an interview with BBC Radio Manchester for our client Five Rivers Child Care.  As a record number of 18-year-olds headed to university this year, many families are left with a space in their home to offer to a child in need. Fostering Services Manager for Five Rivers’ partner agency in the North West, Safehouses, Wayne Brown, spoke to Talat-Farooq Awan on BBC Radio Manchester’s Indus programme about the need for foster carers of all backgrounds, and how Safehouses has engaged with a variety of local communities to encourage them to consider fostering.

5. Spindogs eyes £4m turnover with acquisition

Our good friends at digital marketing agency, Spindogs, announced the acquisition of Pembrokeshire-based United Studios this week, putting the company on track for a £4m turnover. We helped the Cardiff and Oxford-based firm share the news far and wide, achieving media coverage in the Western Mail, West Wales Chronicle, Herald Wales, Business Live, Insider Media, Wales 247, Business News Wales, Mighty News Online, and Business and Innovation Magazine.