Ding Dong! The half year round-up

Ding Dong! The temperature might say we’re somewhere in the Mediterranean, but the calendar insists it’s only July. We’d like to say we’ve been keeping our cool during the recent heatwave, but the reality is we’ve mostly been moving between iced coffees, water bottles and the nearest bit of shade. While temperatures have been soaring, so has the activity across the Front Door Communications team, making this the perfect time to look back at some of the highlights from the first half of 2026.

Doors continue to open for FinTech Wales

The first half of 2026 has been a memorable one for FinTech Wales. The organisation celebrated a major milestone by reaching 200 members, highlighting the continued growth and strength of Wales’s fintech sector. Momentum continued with an opening of the London Stock Exchange to mark St David’s Day, shining a spotlight on Welsh innovation and female leadership in financial services. Front Door Rubie was on hand to make sure everything was press-ready and set up to make headlines.

The good news kept coming with the announcement of FinTech Wales’s first-ever FinTech Festival. Anne Boden MBE, founder and former CEO of Starling Bank, was unveiled as the event’s keynote speaker, helping cement the festival as a landmark moment for the Welsh fintech community.

Getting loud and getting noticed

Our clients had some major announcements for the first half of the year, and the media took notice.

Activate West Wales launched with a clear ambition: to help make West Wales more active. Bringing together nearly 100 organisations from across the region, the initiative sparked important conversations about health inequality and physical activity, while securing strong coverage across broadcast, regional and local media. Front Door Kath was by their side to support media activity, including ITV Wales broadcast live from the launch event in Carmarthenshire.

Daring to Dream hit the right note with the launch of its first official single, Here Together. Front Door joined the team at Cardiff’s Norwegian Church for the launch, which marked the start of the charity’s ‘Hear Us; Sing with Us’ campaign and helped spark conversations around the emotional impact of living with long-term health conditions. Written and performed by Lylia Young, the track secured coverage across Business News Wales, Wales247, News From Wales and a range of wellbeing and charity publications.

Building up businesses

It was a landmark moment for DataWollet, which announced the successful close of a £1.3 million pre-seed funding round. The investment attracted attention across business and fintech media, highlighting the company’s innovative approach and strengthening its position as one of Wales’ fintech success stories.

Along with a flying start for client SD Team, which celebrated a move into new headquarters in Cwmbran after outgrowing its previous home in Caldicot. The expansion was accompanied by plans to recruit 40 new employees, signalling an exciting period of growth for the business and generating strong coverage across the regional business press.

Go.Compare dominates the headlines

From potholes and price caps to storms and consumer spending trends, it’s been another standout few months for Go.Compare.

The year began with a potholes campaign that generated widespread national coverage, but it was April that was the standout month – with more than 300 pieces of coverage delivered (and over 85% with backlinks, hurrah!).

The momentum continued well into the spring, with Front Door Communications securing national media placements on everything from severe weather and insurance claims to energy prices and household finances, helping keep Go.Compare firmly at the centre of the consumer news agenda.

Media training on tour

From Leeds to London, Front Door Kath spent part of the year delivering media training for members of the Mind network. Drawing on her experience as a journalist, she worked with communications officers, fundraising managers and members of the senior leadership team to build confidence, demystify the media and show how engaging with journalists can help important messages reach wider audiences.

We are very proud to say that the training delivered immediate, tangible results for the Mind team. Participants reported increased confidence in engaging with media and a clearer understanding of how to position their organisations positively.

Crucially, attendees began putting their learning into practice almost straight away by proactively reaching out to journalists, shaping narratives, and responding to coverage with enthusiasm.

If you want quality training to get your team media ready, find out more here.

From nominations to celebrations

It’s always a proud moment to see our clients recognised for their hard work, and the first half of 2026 brought plenty of reasons to celebrate. From award nominations to well-deserved wins, organisations across our client portfolio were recognised for their leadership, innovation and impact.

Front Door Communications’ clients including FinTech Wales, Monmouthshire Building Society and Mrs Buckét Cleaning Services were among those recognised at prestigious events such as the IoD Wales Awards, the Wales Business Awards, hosted by our client Chambers Wales South East, South West and Mid, and the Cardiff Life Awards.

Several clients went on to secure success across a range of categories, including:

• Marian Evans BEM, Chair of Monmouthshire Building Society, winner of the IOD Non-Executive Director Award.
• Rachael Flanagan, Founder and CEO of Mrs Buckét Cleaning Services, winner of the IOD Medium to Large Business Award.
• Croeso Pubs Ltd, winner of the Cardiff Life Hospitality Group Award.
• Spacebands, winner of the Wales Business Awards Start-Up Business of the Year Award 2026.
• Monmouthshire Building Society, highly commended in the Professional Services Firm of the Year Award at the 2026 Wales Business Awards.
• Mrs Buckét Cleaning Services, nominated for the Wales Business Awards Customer Excellence Award.
• Christmas at Bute Park was also shortlisted for the Leisure and Tourism award at the Cardiff Life Awards.

It has been fantastic to help promote and celebrate these achievements as our clients continue to make their mark across Wales and beyond.

And with that, let’s have the next half of the year!