Month: March 2026

Rebecca Cottingham joined a Bank of England roundtable in Birmingham on Wednesday, invited by Nicola Dolman at Freeths and held at the Colmore Building. The room brought together voices from across construction, manufacturing, infrastructure and beyond, including Graeme Chaplin from the Bank of England, for an honest conversation about where the economy is heading.

On the surface, Birmingham looks busy. Cranes on the skyline, new developments taking shape, the city in motion. But the conversations inside the room told a more cautious story. Projects slowing. Decisions taking longer. A hesitancy creeping into sectors that usually move with confidence.

For a design and web agency, it might not seem like an obvious fit. But Rebecca would tell you it’s exactly where Eighty3 needs to be. When businesses can’t control external pressures like rising costs, supply chain disruption or shifting tax burdens, the focus turns inward. How they operate. How efficiently they communicate. How clearly they present what they do and who they do it for. That’s where design and digital thinking genuinely make a difference, not just making things look better, but helping businesses adapt and stay visible when it matters most.

Working with a lot of manufacturers and businesses across the Black Country, those pressures aren’t abstract. They’re conversations Eighty3 has regularly. Being in a room where those same pressures are being discussed at a regional and national level is valuable, and it keeps the agency close to the realities its clients are navigating every day.

The event also gave Rebecca the chance to catch up with Michael Hoskins to talk through IP and trademarking, one of those areas that’s easy to overlook until you actually need it, as well as a familiar face in Lauren Harris. The kind of morning that reminds you why showing up to these things is always worth it.

Dan and Rebecca Cottingham joined friends, partners, and supporters at West Midlands Safari Park on Saturday 21st March to celebrate a very special milestone. Sponsored Breaks, the organisation founded and run by Simon and Harriet Love, marked five years of giving the gift of respite to unpaid carers across the region, and what a five years it has been.

Sponsored Breaks exists to do something quietly extraordinary. It partners with businesses to fund short breaks for those who dedicate their lives to caring for others, whether that’s a parent caring for a disabled child, or a family member supporting a loved one with complex needs. These are people who rarely get a moment to breathe, let alone a proper break. Simon and Harriet have spent five years changing that, one sponsored trip at a time.

Eighty3 has been proud to walk alongside them as part of that journey. Through their involvement in the Black Country Chamber of Commerce Platinum Group, Dan and Rebecca have built a genuine relationship with Simon and Harriet, collaborating on projects and championing the cause whenever they can. Events like Saturday’s anniversary celebration are a reminder of why those connections matter so much, not just for business, but for the communities they serve.

The evening was a brilliant one. Held against the stunning backdrop of West Midlands Safari Park, the event brought together the businesses and individuals who have helped make Sponsored Breaks what it is today. And the numbers speak for themselves: an incredible £8,000 was raised on the night, money that will go directly towards funding respite breaks for unpaid carers who need them most. Proud doesn’t quite cover it.

Five years. Countless breaks given. Thousands of lives touched. Here’s to the next five.

Some people run a 5k for charity. Manny Kang walks 156 miles from Wolverhampton to London without sleeping. We know which one we’d rather write about.

Manny is one of those rare human beings who makes you feel quietly ashamed of how little you’ve done with your weekend. Over seven years of extraordinary fundraising, he’s completed five London Marathons, walked nearly 200 miles from Wolves to Newcastle with his son, cycled non-stop for 24 hours, and helped raise over £345,000 for Dementia UK. He carries names of loved ones lost to dementia on his trainers. He runs his 23rd Samosa Saturday fundraiser like it’s nothing. He just keeps going.

This April, Manny is back with what he’s calling Manny’s Marathon Madness 2026. Starting on 24th April, he’ll walk 156 miles from Wolverhampton to the start line of the London Marathon, arriving just in time to run his sixth. All without a single minute of sleep. Three days. No rest. Just grit, heart, and a cause worth every blister.

Here at Eighty3, we were delighted to play a small part. We printed the event t-shirts and made a donation to his JustGiving page, because honestly, how could we not? Manny came into The Warehouse in Brierley Hill and the whole team was genuinely moved by his story. He’s warm, he’s funny, he’s utterly determined, and he’s doing all of this to support families affected by dementia through Dementia UK’s incredible Admiral Nurses. These are specialist nurses who provide real, hands-on support to families at some of the hardest moments of their lives, and they rely entirely on donations to keep going.

If you want to back one of the most inspiring people the Black Country has ever produced, scan the QR code on the shirt, or head straight to his JustGiving page. Every pound counts. We’ll be following Manny’s every step on 24th to 26th April and cheering him on from Brierley Hill. Come on Manny. Up the Wolves.

👉 Donate here: justgiving.com/fundraising/mkang

You know something’s a big deal when nearly 2,800 people vote on it. And we’re absolutely made up to say that Eighty3 has been named one of the latest Bostin’ Black Country Businesses by the Black Country Chamber of Commerce.

Eighty3 was one of three businesses chosen to headline the Dynamic Dozen. The latest cohort of companies handpicked to fly the flag for the Black Country alongside us were Wolverhampton Grand Theatre and Walsh Funerals and Memorials. Votes from the public were combined with feedback from the Chamber’s board of directors to whittle eighteen fantastic nominations down to the final twelve.

The Bostin’ campaign was created to champion the most innovative, creative, and resilient businesses in the region, changing perceptions and raising the profile of the Black Country on a national stage. To be included in that conversation genuinely means a lot to us.

As a Brierley Hill design agency that’s been proudly rooted in the Black Country for ten years, this recognition feels particularly special. We’ve always believed this region is full of brilliant businesses doing brilliant things and it’s great to see that story being told properly.

We’re now part of a growing community of 30 Bostin’ businesses, with the Chamber working towards a 50-strong alumni by September 2026. We’ll be flying the flag, getting involved in events, and doing what we do best: making the Black Country look good.

Bostin’, if we do say so ourselves.

Read the full article here.

Good things happen when you build good relationships. We are thrilled to announce that Tobi has joined the Eighty3 team as our new junior designer, and we could not be more pleased to welcome them through the door. This is what growing a team the right way looks like.

Tobi comes to us directly through our long-standing link with the University of Wolverhampton, a connection we are genuinely proud of. The university has a strong creative programme, and it has been brilliant to see that talent filtering through into the Black Country’s design community. Having that pipeline on our doorstep, here in Brierley Hill, feels like exactly what the region deserves.

A special mention has to go to Marc Austin, whose support in making this happen was invaluable. These things rarely come together without someone going the extra mile behind the scenes, and Marc did exactly that. We are grateful, and we will not forget it.

For Tobi, this is the beginning of something exciting. Joining a close-knit agency like Eighty3 means getting stuck in from day one, working on real projects for real clients, and developing a design instinct that no classroom can fully teach. We love seeing fresh perspectives arrive at The Warehouse, and Tobi is already bringing energy and enthusiasm that fits right in with how we work.

We have always believed that nurturing local talent is one of the most important things a Black Country business can do. Investing in people from the region, giving them somewhere brilliant to grow, and building a team that genuinely reflects the community around us. That is what Eighty3 is about. Welcome to the team, Tobi. Proper made up to have you here.