1.Hitting the BBC home page with house price index
Knock, knock – who’s there? A fresh House Price Index brought to you by Principality Building Society. The latest report found that the average price of a home in Wales fell to £229,263 in the first quarter of 2024 – a drop of 2.1% quarterly and 6.5% annually. House prices in Wales are now down £20,000 from the peak price of £249,000 nearly two years ago. Compared to last year, only four of the 22 local authorities reported property price increases, with Flintshire bucking the trend with an increase of 12%. We hit headlines across Wales this week with the news making the BBC Online home page, BBC Radio Cymru, BBC Radio Wales, Wales Online, Business News Wales, ITV, The Intermediary, and The Leader, just to name a few.
2. A trio of deals made by the Investment Fund for Wales
Since we helped to launch the British Business Bank Investment Fund for Wales (IFW) back in November we’ve been busy announcing an ongoing pipeline of deals from the equity and debt fund managers Foresight and FW Capital and this week it was the turn of BCRS, who manage the Small Loans element of the IFW. We shared with media the news of a trio of deals worth £95,000 into three businesses across Wales, Wynnstay Self Storage in Wrexham, Bluebox Optics in Blackwood and takeaway Metro Eatery in the Vale of Glamorgan. Coverage subsequently appeared in the Western Mail, business-live, Wales Business Insider, Business News Wales and Wales247. Stephen Deakin, Chief Executive at BCRS (pictured), said: “Small businesses remain the backbone of our economy and a force for social good. Working with Investment Fund for Wales we will continue to ensure no viable business goes unsupported.”
3. April showers bring wild flowers
With spring well underway, it’s time to give your garden some much needed TLC. As a part of our PestSmart Campaign with Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water, we’ve teamed up with This Morning gardener and BBC Sounds Plotcast host Terry Walton to share some of his top tips for combatting pests naturally. Did you know leaving wildflower areas will attract pollinators and predators like ladybirds and lacewings that eat plant-destroying aphids? Look out for @theterrywalton’s upcoming posts on X and check out the PestSmart website for more information on safely using, storing, or disposing of pesticides.
4. A big news week for Big Ideas Wales
Business success is in the air this spring, as Big Ideas Wales is making the headlines across Welsh media. ‘SUP’ first was the story of Swansea-based start-up, Gower Waves. The mobile stand-up paddle board rental company was founded by best friends Evan Richards and Lewis Morgan in early 2023 and provides water sporting equipment to tourists and locals across all 26 of the Gower’s beaches. Read more at Swansea Bay News.
The Big ideas Wales Bootcamp to Business event, attended by over 37 budding young entrepreneurs from across Wales has also been in the headlines. This year’s annual meet up, designed to expand the networks, confidence and business ideas of attendees featured a very special session on mental wellbeing from Traitors finalist and mental health advocate, Andrew Jenkins. Read more at Wales 24/7.
5. Football fans all over the world unite to end homelessness, one step at a time.
We’ve been honoured to have been a part of the Homeless World Cup team for quite some time now, and we were glad to be asked to give a helping hand for the inaugural World United 5k Run, a new global run that football fans and runners can race anywhere in the world and raise awareness and funds to help end homelessness. This weekend is race weekend and any of the hundreds of thousands of people who’ve signed up to race all over the world are doing so in their local communities and running 1k, 3k or 5k in aid of the Homeless World Cup Foundation. Registration is free and will be open throughout the weekend so sign up now and join us in helping to end homelessness. Follow @worldunited5k on Facebook and Instagram.
