It's not all doom and gloom

There's been a lot of bad news recently, so thought you'd like to hear a few cheery recession stories....

Quite a few businesses are doing well out of the recession, as we cut back on fancy holidays abroad and do more eating at home:

• Pontin's has reported a 30% increase in bookings this year - and is planning to hire 2,000 extra staff.
• Pukka Pies are much more popular, with 10% more sales and £2.5m increase in turnover
• Greggs recently posted 4% sales growth for the second half of 2008
• And of course those big supermarkets like Asda and Tesco are doing quite nicely  

Meanwhile, Hull came out quite badly in our recent Cities Outlook report, with the sharpest increase in JSA claimants over the last year. But apparently, Hull's men are the most romantic in the UK - last year, they sent the most (and most expensive) bouquets to their other halves on Valentine's Day. Bradford, Plymouth and Stoke are among the other most romantic cities. Edinburgh and Bristol came bottom.

...which kind of suggests that the best-performing cities are the least romantic, and the poorer performers are more loved up. Well done, Hull - and shame on you, Bristol.

Do let me know about any other recession-busting stories...