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After a biblical amount of consecutive days of rain (it was 41 so we even outdid Noah’s effort), I’ve quite enjoyed a couple of sunny days this week. And the temperature even reached double digits – it’s all a bit much! To add to the excitement, the sun sets at 6pm on 9th March here in Solihull, and it won’t set before 6pm again until late October. As someone who loves spending time outdoors, it really does feel like a line in the sand where we can finally start to recl

It’s Pancake Day! For me, pancakes are a must-do on Pancake Day, the only real debate is whether to go sweet or savoury, crepes or thick American pancakes. The answer? Well, a little bit of everything – savoury for main, sweet for pudding, so pass me the Nutella and Strawberries and let’s tuck in. Of course, it does mark the day before Lent begins, which means we’re on the 40-day countdown to Easter, at which point life might feel decidedly brighter, sunnier, and warmer than

We’ve finally made it into February, and the outlook is a little bit more positive, even if every day adopts the same grey skies as the previous one. What it does mean, though, is that we’re already a month into 2026, with plenty to come. I know there’s lots of exhibitions, conferences and events coming up, so it’s bound to be a busy time for a million and one different reasons. Which brings me onto a quick question: Do you have an upcoming event that you could benefi

It’s one of the busiest days of the year on Monday – football’s Transfer Deadline Day. There’s no clearer example of our love as a society of deadlines and their effectiveness in getting people to take action as it looms. We all respond to them, especially when it’s something you’re keen on but maybe you have some obstacles in your own mind preventing you from pulling the trigger. It’s why sales campaigns work so much more effectively when they utilise deadlines, and th

My favourite topic of conversation at this time of year is Christmas films. I think it’s a fascinating insight into what people love and the big winner, above all, is nostalgia. For the record, the best Christmas film going is… A Muppet’s Christmas Carol. Closely followed by Home Alone. But it’s always up for debate and that’s the power of video, right? Year after year, we sit down and enjoy timeless classics, from Elf to It’s a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street

If there’s one conversation I’ve had more than any this week, it’s the fact that nobody can quite believe that we’re in December. In fact, we’re a few windows down on the advent calendar and Christmas is approaching faster than Santa can fly his sleigh. So, if you’re like me and you’ve not even given your Christmas shopping a thought, it might be an idea to get cracking! That being said, as we all know in December, thoughts tend to turn to Christmas and New Year pretty sharpi

We’ve all probably had similar conversations in the last couple of weeks… ‘Bit hot, isn’t it?’ is my opener – because, well, it is. It makes for some fantastic lighting when we’re filming outdoors (as long as the angles are right and there’s no glare in people’s eyes or the camera lens). But it does mean I have to reach for the factor 50, a hat and a cold bottle of water at all times. It’s the polar opposite issue that we have in winter, but then again, we’re never quite happ

The French Open finished the other day, with Carlos Alcaraz being crowned the Men’s Singles champion in an epic final. Despite his opponent, Jannik Sinner, having three match points at one point in the match, Alcaraz dug deep and stage the comeback of all comebacks to win at Roland Garros. It was a throwback to the epic finals of the past, be it Federer V Nadal, Borg V McEnroe, or Venus Williams V Davenport. A reminder that even when all seems lost, there’s still hope. Wimble

Whenever my sister comes to visit, I become Uncle Ben again and switch seamlessly into what I hope is the cool Uncle role. Although the older I get, the more futile I realise that aim is! Thankfully, my two nephews are young enough to impress with what is pretty basic material, although there’s only so many times I can throw a frisbee a mile down the road before they get bored. Okay, I might be exaggerating a bit. But one thing I have learned over the years is just how much

The correlation between the beginning of March (and meteorological Spring) and the sun suddenly making an appearance hasn’t gone unnoticed. No doubt we’ve still got storms, rain and adverse weather to come, but after what’s felt like an eternity of winter, I’m making the most of this glorious Spring weather right now. In a way, it feels like 2025 is finally emerging from the metaphorical cocoon ready for what’s to come in the months ahead. Whether that’s events, conferences,

The saying goes that content is King, but marketing is Queen, and she wears the trousers. Now, aside from that being a great quip, there is a lot of truth behind it. Content is and always will be king – creating great, regular content is a habit that is always worth doing. But what happens after it is just as important – if you’re creating great content but nobody is seeing it, you’re not doing yourself justice. I was recently filming for a client who had a stand at the Spri

This time of year brings a few different things – a little bit more daylight, Valentine’s Day on the horizon, and endless awards ceremonies. It was the turn of the Grammy’s this week and Kanye West controversy aside, everything appears to have gone down well. Whether you pay much attention to these things or not is another thing, but there are very good at doing something we’re all a bit guilty of neglecting sometimes – celebrating our wins. It does feel odd to be in ‘reflec

It was ‘Blue Monday’ this week, the supposed ‘most depressing’ day of the year. Of course, the reality is that January can feel like a bit of a slog at the best of times, whether you’re getting back into routine after a Christmas break, emptying the cupboards of selection boxes and tubs of celebrations or just dealing with de-icing the car on a morning. So, it makes sense… and yet, there’s not much truth to the story of ‘Blue Monday’. It was invented by a travel company back

The first full week back after Christmas and New Year always follows the same pattern. I find the best thing to do is to get stuck in and hit the ground running – being busy is the best distraction to all of the leftover chocolate, cheese, and Christmas nonsense still in the house! Happy New Year, by the way – I hope you had a lovely Christmas and the New Year’s off to a positive start for you. There’s been a lot of reflection on what happened last year and that’ll be ongoi

There’s a reason A Christmas Carol is still the most popular Christmas story that isn’t the birth of Jesus. A 181-year-old story has as much relevance today as it did when it was first written – because there’s always room to be kinder, give more, and do better. It’s the entire philosophy behind New Year’s Resolutions, after all! Everyone knows the story and whatever your favourite version of it, there’s no doubt it captures the nostalgic essence of Christmas in a bottle, p

Utter the words ‘the best Christmas film is…’ anywhere over the next week or two and you best be prepared for a healthy debate. Maybe It’s A Wonderful Life is the all-time great, perhaps Home Alone’s top of your list or it could be that Elf’s the family favourite. The real answer is The Muppet Christmas Carol, by the way. And you can probably recite the plot by heart at this point but that’s not the point – it’s all about enjoying the moment and getting into the spirit. Chris

I’ve reached an age where I’ve started to say things my parents used to say to me – unconsciously. The immortal words ‘it’s like Blackpool illuminations in here’ left my mouth when I was out with my friends the other day and it felt like the genie was out of the bottle. It’s not a bad thing but it has made me realise how cyclical it all is and as Christmas ramps up to degrees never seen outside of Lapland. Every shop’s like Santa’s Grotto, isn’t it? And it’s at this time of

We’re at that time of the year when everyone’s caught betwixt and between. Half of my mind’s focused on what I’ve got left to deliver on and achieve this year, while the other half’s looking ahead to what 2025 has in store… All while Mariah Carey is getting ready for her annual rise up the charts and I’m doing my best to resist tucking into mince pies already. We’re all in that planning phase and whether you’re thinking about marketing, budgets, and what you want to achieve