Introducing BuilthWells.org; A digital home for our Town

If you checked in on Facebook over the last couple of days, you might have noticed a new website for the town at Builthwells.org.

I thought I'd take a few minutes to give you a bit of a backstory of the build phase of the project (creatively referred to as Phase 1), along with a glimpse of what is in the pipeline for the coming months. In early December, we embarked on a project that was very close to home, working alongside Builth Wells Town Council. Our PixelHaze team were charged with the development of a new brand and website, culminating in an inclusive platform for the promotion of a wide range of exciting activities, services, and of course, our wonderful High Street and shops within the town. As the hospitality sector opens up this week, we will be sending an open invite to promote this very welcome occasion.

Catref yw lle mae'r calon (home is where the heart is)

Although builthwells.org is not a business directory, it will feature regularly updated news posts and stories in and around the town, presenting a united front for tourists and locals alike. Due to the nature of this project, we appreciate the fact that there is an enormous amount of responsibility on our shoulders to press ahead towards a bright post-covid future. At the same time, we need to fully respect the traditions of this wonderful rural community that I have had the pleasure of growing up in for most of my life. I have often referred to Builth Wells as the gateway to Mid Wales, partly due to our unique position adjacent to the intersection of all main roads in Mid Wales. Builth is also the host town of the Royal Welsh Show, and we will be reaching out to RWAS to explore ways of cross-promotion wherever possible. Builth Wells is strategically positioned between the Brecon Beacons and Elan Valley. We have, in my opinion, one of Wales’ best-kept secrets on our doorstep in the form of the 50-mile Epynt Way walking route and bridleway (more on that over the coming weeks). This is not mentioning the many wonderful walking, cycling and running routes just a stone’s throw from the town itself.

A close-knit community

During the process of creating the brand and website, we have been inspired by the many individual challenges during lockdown from local volunteers, including Jungle John, Lee Jarvis, Lia Price, Mal Morrison, and Sherrie Edwards (apologies, I know I have missed a few here) to raise awareness and funds for local charities and projects. We will want to latch onto this fantastic community spirit and keep the momentum up.

It doesn’t take a marketeer to realise that Builth Wells is a perfect location for walkers, cyclists and those looking for an outdoor adventure. Our brief is to tap into that selling point and tell the world that Builth Wells is a wonderful, memorable place to visit.
In short, we need a platform to drive this town into the next 10 years and beyond to ensure Builth Wells is no longer a hidden gem in Mid Wales and is instead front and centre of people's minds when they look to visit our country. This is where our #BEEFUPBUILTH campaign kicks in. We are calling for business owners and residents of the town to come together and use this hashtag when promoting positive news and events happening in our local area. There is also the opportunity to post your own story or event on the website.

A brand-new Builth

The new Builth Wells logo showcases the White Park bull, which has been intrinsically and historically linked to the town for thousands of years. The name ‘Builth’ is derived from the Welsh ‘Bu-Allt’, which loosely translated means ‘cattle range’, and the White Bull of Builth potentially references a herd of White Park Cattle that lived in the area from Post-Roman times. The laws of the time suggest that the medieval economy of the Welsh borders was strongly dependent on cattle. Our concept combines the two timeless icons of Builth Wells, with the bull guarding the town atop the stone bridge. There is a modern twist with the font selection, ensuring any signage would be easy to read from a distance or when printed in a smaller format. The Welsh gold and slate colour combination stay true to the town’s tradition. The black and orange or yellow colour scheme have been used for local sports teams for many years.

This is only the beginning

It has been an immense privilege to work on this project, one that we hope will create a lasting, positive impact on Builth Wells. Our next steps will be to develop the content on the new website whilst maintaining the overall quality. We are putting together a volunteer workgroup (Builth Digital Labs) and will be meeting every month. We hope this will happen ‘in person’ very soon to practice what we preach and support our local hospitality venues! Our main objective will be to ensure the website continues to grow, and we will also add our combined weight to marketing projects that spring up from time to time.

Behind the scenes, we at the PixelHaze team will be keeping things ticking over, ensuring new events and stories are published regularly so the town remains at the forefront of our minds.

This post is an open invitation. If you'd like to get involved in the project, then we'd love to have you on board. It doesn't matter if you promote your own business as long as you're based in or around the Builth Wells area. In fact, we will actively encourage this.

To get your story published on the new website, there will only be a handful of requirements:

• Keep it newsworthy - Having a business or being part of an organisation isn’t newsworthy in itself. Re-opening after covid, running special offers or events certainly meet the criteria.

• Keep it positive - builthwells.org is not a political website; its sole focus will be to provide inspiring stories and promote the great work by local businesses and organisations.

• Keep it in moderation - A couple of submissions per month is great; over and above that, we will not be able to guarantee that your story will be published due to available resources.

If you can provide stories to meet the above criteria, we will be only too happy to promote them through the website and associated social media channels.

Reflecting on our town, the aims of this project and the changes we have all experienced over the past year, I felt the following lyrics immortalised by Bing Crosby are somewhat pertinent:

“Oh, give me land, lots of land under starry skies above
Don’t fence me in
Let me ride through the wide open country that I love
Don’t fence me in
Let me be by myself in the evenin’ breeze
And listen to the murmur of the cottonwood trees
Send me off forever, but I ask you please
Don’t fence me in”

Just turn me loose….

After a tough, uncompromising year for the residents and businesses of Builth Wells. I'm excited to propose the following call to action:

Together, let's #BEEFUPBUILTH

Diolch,

Elwyn