Delivering Excellence in Publications

Published: 7th June 2017

Up North Communications won the ‘Best External Publication’ category at the CIPR Excellence 2017 Awards in London last night.

The award is in recognition for the production of our client, Byker Community Trust’s tenants’ quarterly newsletter, Byker News.

This is the second award that the newsletter has been recognised for after winning gold for ‘Best Publication’ at the CIPR PRide North East Awards in December.

The newsletter, which is delivered to over 1,800 households on the iconic Grade II* listed Byker Estate, aims to raise awareness of the progress that BCT is making, advise of projects and services that the organisation is delivering on the Estate, promotes forthcoming activities and community events, encourages community engagement and participation and improves communication between tenants, stakeholders and the organisation.

The awards, which recognise the creative work that is produced within the PR industry, are the most rigorously judged in the public relations profession and the winners are carefully selected by a panel of industry experts. The publication saw off competition from companies such as Macmillan Cancer Support, the Police Federation of England and Wales, University of Derby and Writtle University College who were all worthy winners.

The judges said:

“This wasn’t a one way broadcast; the publishers clearly demonstrated how Byker News was used to engage, inform and involve its readers.

“They presented how the magazine had evolved since its inception four years ago – an evolution which was led by its readers. Byker News demonstrates that an effective publication is more than a glossy production and met its objectives on a low budget with high engagement with the community.”

Craig Downs, Managing Director of Up North Communications, said:

“This is a fantastic achievement not only for Up North but also our client. To deliver a publication that is not only a regional but national CIPR award winner is credit to everyone involved, helping to deliver our clients’ brief and a publication they can be proud of.

“The publication is constantly improving – it’s thinking about the end user and what they want to read.  We truly believe that there is no point in producing a newsletter if no-one will read it – for this particular publication, it’s about involving tenants in the production of each issue to make them feel valued and engaged.  We listen to their feedback, views and ideas and try and incorporate these into each issue.

“By engaging tenants during the production of each issue, ensures we achieve our objectives and it’s about getting the right balance of ‘corporate’ information and softer ‘community-based’ information.”

Jill Haley, Chief Executive of BCT, said:

“To win a national award for our newsletter communication is a truly magnificent achievement.  Winning the regional finals was a fantastic accolade, not only for BCT but also our tenants who are actively involved in the production of each edition of this newsletter and now to go on and win against such tough competition and bring this coveted national award back to the North East is incredible.

“The purpose of producing this newsletter is to keep tenants informed and updated of the progress which we are making in relation to key projects and services that we are delivering.  Engaging with tenants and getting their feedback, enables us to improve the quality of the publication with each issue.”

To view the latest issue, please visit the Byker Community Trust website.

To find out how we could help you develop your publication(s), why not call us on 0191 300 0810 or send us an email.