On top of the world at Ipswich

Our senior consultant Andy Weltch reflects on a childhood ambition fulfilled – a visit to the world hot rod championship.

For many British kids of my generation, growing up in the ’70s meant the great TV sporting occasions were the FA Cup Final, maybe Wimbledon, an Ashes Test Match, or the British F1 Grand Prix.

For me, there was another TV sporting highlight – the world hot rod championship, held at Foxhall Stadium, Ipswich, every summer.

New book will inform any runner – and encourage some to go further

Tim Wills – author of The Ultra Mile

Our senior consultant Andrew Weltch reviews a new book with lessons for all runners and inspiration for many.

Running is big business these days – a healthy activity which can be done almost anywhere with relatively little specialist kit, it’s no wonder it’s the most popular participation sport in England and, no doubt, elsewhere too.

We’ve looked before in this blog at the success of organisations encouraging mass participation in accessible events like 5ks, 10ks and above – the UK-based parkrun and in the US, New York Road Runners.

But there’s a less accessible level of running beyond such popular events – it’s called ultra-running.

Glamorgan and 50-over cricket triumph against the odds

Our senior consultant and long-time Glamorgan cricket supporter, Andrew Weltch, looks at an unusual victory in an unusual year.

The summer of 2021 has been a very strange one for cricket in England and Wales. And I’m not talking about the launch of The Hundred. Well, I am, in a way, but this post is mainly about another unusual phenomenon – Glamorgan won a trophy!

One of the smaller clubs in First Class cricket, the Welsh county isn’t usually expected to win much, which has made its previous victories during my 25 years as a member (County champions in 1997, one-day champions in 2002 and 2004) all the sweeter.

How our training went online – and off

The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed almost everything online – from shopping to business meetings, from parties to plays, writes Andrew Weltch.

Although we’ve been working remotely online for years, until 2020, we never considered offering training that way – now it’s second-nature.

The England team that has made a stand by taking a knee – and much more

London, England, UK. 8 October, 2020. England manager Gareth Southgate during the friendly international match between England and Wales at Wembley Stadium. Credit: Mark Hawkins/Composed Images

Our senior consultant Andrew Weltch looks at Gareth Southgate’s England soccer team – a group of players who stand (or kneel) for something.

Win or lose in Sunday’s [July 11th 2021] UEFA European Championship final, there’s something undeniably special about this England team.

Manager Gareth Southgate’s Dear England open letter last month, explaining why his team ‘takes a knee’ to show its opposition to discrimination, powerfully spells out what patriotism means to him, and the responsibilty that comes with the England shirt.

“It’s [the players’] duty to continue to interact with the public on matters such as equality, inclusivity and racial injustice, while using the power of their voices to help put debates on the table, raise awareness and educate.”

Will these famous Hollywood faces really invest in Wrexham AFC?

Our communications assistant Sophie Platt (who happens to be from Wrexham) looks at the unlikely connection between her home-town team and two Hollywood stars.

Wrexham is a small town in the north east of Wales. It is home to the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, a world heritage site, as well as Wrexham Association Football Club.

Founded in 1864, the club is the third oldest professional soccer club in the world with its home, the Racecourse, being the oldest international football ground in the world still in use. The club’s first game, on 22^nd October 1864, was against The Prince of Wales Fire Brigade which they lost 2-1. The club has continued to grow from here and has become a success and crucial part of Wrexham.

What’s in a name? Five teams accused of causing offence with ethnic stereotypes

Our senior consultant Andrew Weltch looks at the recent heightened controversy over some sports teams’ names, accused of reinforcing ethnic stereotypes – and what they’re doing (or not doing) about it.

There are all sorts of weird and wonderful names in sports. Often they aim to suggest power and strength (Leeds Rhinos of English rugby league) or speed (Free State Cheetahs of South African rugby union) or both (San Jose Sharks of the NHL).

Those examples all come from the animal kingdom. But when a team picks a name inspired by the human race, it opens up (to borrow from the animal kingdom again) a whole can of worms, and potentially puts the cat among the pigeons.

Graduating during lockdown

Sophie Platt has combined studying for a degree in Media and Communications with working with us a communications assistant. Here she reflects on the challenges of completing her studies in lockdown.

Third year of university is famous for being one of the most stressful years of someone’s life. Imagine the stress of a global pandemic added to this. Online lectures and exams, waiting for help from lecturers, no graduation – it is not how students want their third year to go. The current climate is difficult for everyone, and as a (meant to be) graduate, I understand how difficult it is for people in university during this time.

UK universities face a crisis worse than Brexit

Already preparing for the negative effect of Brexit, the UK’s higher education sector is now facing a much more serious crisis – the devastating impact of the coronavirus pandemic, coupled with the prospect of the country leaving the EU without a deal. Our senior consultant, Andrew Weltch, reports.

It may have a website, but does that university exist?

Our senior correspondent Andrew Weltch issues a warning about fake university websites.

At Weltch Media, we’re very familiar with university websites. Higher education is one of our specialist fields, and much of our writing is for clients’ sites.

Last year we worked with Swansea University to create the content for all its course pages and more –  and our work helped it to win awards.