Loves

Since the year 2000, International Youth Day has been held by the United Nations on 12th August to mark the contribution young people make in communities the world over in areas such as education, employment and social justice. This year’s theme – ‘Transforming Food Systems’ – highlights young people’s concerns surrounding how the pandemic has…

It’s 2020 and we’re in the thick of the pandemic. As one of the privileged few that got to go to my place of work, I load my antibiotic bone cement samples into the furnace in the lab. They’ve got to sit in there at a temperature of 800°C for nearly an hour – plenty…

On this day 28 years ago, Stephen Lawrence, a Black British teenager from south-east London, was brutally murdered in an unprovoked, racist attack. He was only eighteen, a young man, full of the dreams and aspirations expected at his age. However, his dreams were viciously ended when a group of racists took his life, simply due to the colour of his skin. Following the initial police investigation, five suspects were arrested but…

The tragic loss of Sarah Everard has sparked an important conversation around the ongoing, daily struggles experienced by women across the globe. More importantly, it brought to light the issue at the heart of this – men’s behaviour. While it’s not all men involved, it is the responsibility of all men to be mindful of…

Last month we welcomed a new CFO into the Splendid team, Damon Kelly. Previously group CFO at Frank, Damon joins us at an exciting time as we drive forward ambitious growth plans for the agency, and his appointment has allowed our amazing former Finance Director, Jane Latham, to move into her new role as Head of Wellbeing (more on that coming…

The last year has seen over 3.9 million people in lockdown globally and we have had to navigate change, fast. One result is that the nature of communities, and of relationships within them, has changed monumentally.   For many of us, this enforced change provoked consideration, for the first time in my case, of the role that we play in our communities, as well as their importance to our sense of self,…

We recently held a Short Film Screening at Splendid and, although Zoom screen sharing cannot beat the sofa of an indie cinema, the night was an enormous success. Having produced four short films myself, I was eager to demonstrate that a 5-minute film can pack the emotional impact to rival a 2-hour Hollywood movie. We…

The past 12 months have been challenging for the nation’s small businesses. From boutique shops to bars and restaurants, this sector has faced many hurdles in the form of three national lockdowns and tier-based restrictions. Almost a year in, many independents have reinvented themselves (more than a few times!), from pubs partnering with meat suppliers…

The world faces an environmental tipping point and those of us working in an industry concerned with selling stuff have a responsibility to do this in a way that minimises environmental impact. From the clients we choose, the work we deliver, through to how we run our businesses and support our staff, there are big and small actions that can help us be kinder and more accountable to the planet.   Figuring out…

For me, the name “Blue Monday” will always evoke fond memories of student life at Manchester, when the iconic hit by local band New Order would never fail to fill the dancefloor. However, as part of a PR stunt in 2005, a travel firm appropriated the name for what they claimed to be the most…