It was a glorious sunny afternoon as we welcomed Chris and the other cyclists as they arrived at Cardiff Bay. After four days and 260 miles, the team had endured persistent rain, gale force winds, hypothermia, seemingly endless uphills, accidents and landslides (yes, really) blocking the way, detours - but also experienced the kindness of strangers, sunshine, incredible landscape, team spirit, a little dance from passers-by, well deserved drinks after a day’s ride and the cheering welcoming committee in Cardiff Bay, of course.

See below for some comments of the last day from Chris:

Halfway up the road over Storey Arms, from Brecon to Merthyr, along slow but beautiful hills which tests the resolve on Day 4 but also made us realize that we have been riding into some kind of fitness. Thanks to the proper cyclist in the team, Paul Jones, who suggested the road over the top and to Steve Sulley who beasted it to the top. Amazing views and then at the top we met Anne and Jean who had been dropped off at the top and were walking back to Brecon. They donated £3 and gave us a little dance. Amazing descent into Merthyr and then a quick McDonalds and meet up with the others who joined us for the final push to Cardiff on the Taff Trail.

We’d like to congratulate all the riders for a fantastic effort and wish them a good recovery. Also thanks to everyone that has supported the cyclists and St Davids Hospice - you can still donate at the Just Giving page and help reach the £20,000 target (we’re not far from it now).

You can also see some more photos on our Flickr page. 

We are excited to be finishing off interiors for Serennu, a purpose built centre that will help children with complex disabilities receive treatment, care, information and consultation all under one roof. Above is a sneak peek showing a colourful nebula overlooking a stairwell – there will be a lot of space sparkle elsewhere in the building.

The centre is due to open in a week’s time - so watch this space for more photos!

How much value does your brand bring to your business? Read Chris’ article from Business Insider to find out how you can make your brand work harder.

Chris and Dave recently took a trip to Cologne for Orgatec, the European fair showcasing the work of international contract furniture manufacturers.

It was exciting to see some really inspiring furniture concepts, from prototypes to new industry products.

With so many exhibitors at the show we were reminded of the importance of being an industry leader; with so much choice available and a lot of ‘me too’ products, simply having a good product is no longer enough.

We’ve included a couple of photos from the event here, visit our Flickr account to view more.

The Sparkle Appeal is a South Wales based charity with the aim of raising £1.5m to equip a purpose built centre that will help children with complex disabilities receive treatment, care, information and consultation all under one roof. 

In addition to helping children aged from 0 to 18, the centre will act as a support network for the family, enabling them to socialise together thanks to the range of leisure facilities available, including a wheelchair sports area and a MediCinema.

Stills has undertaken the branding of the project, from naming the centre and its rooms to devising a wayfinding and signage system for the centre. The centre has been named Serennu which means ‘to sparkle’ in Welsh and consequently the rooms have been named after constellations. A graphical representation of each constellation has been created to help users navigate their way around the centre.

We have also undertaken the interior design of the public areas and specified furniture, working closely with the Aneurin Bevan NHS Trust and specialist furniture manufacturers to ensure the needs of the children are met.

These photos give you an insight into the hard work Chris, Vicki and Kat have put into this project. The centre will be opened soon and we’ll be very proud when it does. Watch this space for photos of the finished centre.

Stills has designed and produced a range of branded wayfaring signs for St David’s shopping centre and car park. A variety of applications have been used from stenciling onto the walls of the car park to applying vinyl direct to the glass front of the shopping centre.

Large scale bilingual signs welcome visitors to the car park and enable them to navigate through to the different parking levels, shops and restaurants.

An imaginative series of signs have been applied to the long spiraling car park ramp; messages such as ‘Going up!’ and ‘Nearly there!’ let shoppers know that they are about to reach the parking levels.

Take a look at some more signage photos on our Flickr account. Even better, go and check out the signage in person - any excuse for some retail therapy…

As part of the St David’s redevelopment, concrete and marble chess tables were commissioned in the area surrounding the Hayes Island Snack Bar and Stills were engaged to produce the chess pieces.

The wooden pieces are branded with St David’s colours and are housed in wooden boxes finished with St David’s branding.

A set of pieces can be hired out for a £10 deposit so maybe we’ll see you there for a game soon. Be warned - we have been practising…

Today is the last day for Anna, one of our experts in brand strategy, before she goes onto maternity leave. Last week we surprised her with a good ol’ fashioned baby shower with balloons, cakes, lots of presents and guessing who’s who in a mix of baby pictures of our team.

We wish Anna all the best with Baby Lewis, coming to the world soon! 

When you send someone off, do it with style. Or with an amazing cake. 

We bid farewell to Terri, the guardian and caretaker of Stills’ finances after 20 years of looking after us. It’s also Terri’s 70th birthday, hence the congrats and details on the cake.

Congratulations and we wish you well, Terri!