The Week That Was #410

1. A Day In The Life with Roch Castle

Working in the hospitality industry is varied, creative and rewarding. During our ongoing work with the Welsh Government, Working Wales and Visit Wales to promote the benefits of working in hospitality and tourism through the #ExperienceMakers campaign, we decided to jump on the ‘Day In The Life’ trend, showcasing real people, doing real jobs, in real time. We’ve collaborated with the Retreats Group luxury hotel Roch Castle in Pembrokeshire to create a bespoke Reel for the Working Wales channels, going behind the scenes in the life of Adele, the hotel’s general manager. The Reel has been the highest performing post of 2024 so far, receiving 147 likes, 2,364 plays and a reach of 2,400. Watch this space for more exciting DITL Reels still to come.

2. Bisley hits the MARK

Heritage office furniture manufacturer Bisley this week announced a significant investment in Cornish furniture brand, MARK (which stands for Made and Realised in Kernow). The new relationship, between two home grown British interior brands is a meeting of minds thanks to their ‘Made in Britain’ and sustainably led manufacturing ethos, which is embedded with a Made for Life approach. We announced the news to media, quickly getting coverage in the likes of Insider, Office Products International, Workplace Insight, Interiors Monthly and Business Cornwall, among others.

3. Show us the money on International Women's Day

In the week of International Women’s Day we worked with Jess Phillips-Harris, Senior Manager for Wales at the British Business Bank, on a blog for Insider highlighting some facts and statistics that all women who care about access to finance should be aware of. Effectively, women are still very much getting the short end of the stick when it comes to accessing finance in the commercial world – for example did you know that female led businesses obtained lower average facility sizes (£174k compared to £507k for male-led businesses) in 2023? And that equity investment into all female teams stands at a meagre 3%? And adding another female voice into the Welsh finance space – the Bank’s Senior Investment Manager, Bethan Bannister, also worked with us on an op-ed for Business-live and the Western Mail discussing how the new £130m Investment Fund for Wales will help address Wales’ equity problem.

4. Standing ‘Side by Side’ with Wrexham AFC in support of male suicide prevention

North Wales Fire and Rescue Service and Dragon Chat, Wrexham Football Supporters’ mental health peer support group, were among those at Tuesday’s Ochr yn Ochr, Side by Side, men’s mental health support session, co-ordinated by NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership and helpu. We helped to launch helpu., the volunteer-run mental health hub for men in Wales, on World Suicide Prevention Day in September and were also on hand to launch Ochr yn Ochr at Wrexham’s Racecourse Ground. Ochr yn Ochr events aim to de-stigmatise discussion around male suicide and self-harm. Also at the event, which garnered coverage in The Wrexham Leader, msn.com , wrexham.com and  Wales 247, were Conwy’s Mates Support Group; Andy’s Man Club and North Wales Men’s Sheds.

5. Welcoming influencers for a taste of Swansea Bay

Looking for a foodie destination for your next staycation? Check out the latest content from the two latest influencers who travelled to the UK’s first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, on behalf of our client, Visit Swansea Bay. Seasoned traveller @travel.with.magda braved the Welsh waters for a cold dip, before trying out the popular Ty Sawna and showcasing the area as the perfect winter wellness retreat. The queen of culinary content, @laurenjaji_, made the most of St David’s Day weekend, trying out the best of Welsh local cuisine as part of Croeso Festival and proving that there’s much more to Swansea Bay than stunning beaches. Give them a follow on Instagram and TikTok to see more of what they got up to!