Friday brought news we were shortlisted in two categories at this year’s PRMoment North awards.

The awards celebrate excellence and recognise and reward outstanding campaigns and talent in the UK PR and communications sector.

Up North Communications has been shortlisted in the Not-for-Profit campaign of the year category for the PR support we delivered on behalf of the saving Ouseburn Farm campaign. We have also been shortlisted in the Community Engagement campaign of the year category for our work in engaging Byker residents to deliver award-winning publications.

The winners will be announced at a ceremony in Manchester on 26th April. To see the full shortlist, please visit PRMoment Awards 2018 North Shortlist.

We were out celebrating at the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) PRide North East awards on Friday evening.

Shortlisted in two categories, Up North Communications won silver in the Not-For-Profit Campaign in recognition for our PR work in helping Ouseburn Farm to raise much needed funds to keep its doors open.

Our successful PR campaign achieved regional and national coverage and attracted creative-agency, Drummond Central to part-fund 50% of the Farm’s deficit over three years. By working in collaboration with Drummond Central, we then launched a highly successful crowdfunder campaign, which raised £34,000, smashing its original target of £20,000.

The PR campaign and additional funding has helped the Farm to bridge its annual financial deficit and continue to support vulnerable and disadvantaged adults and children who rely on the Farm as a place of refuge and to gain the vital skills they so desperately need.

The ‘Support Ouseburn Farm, Support Your Community’ Crowdfunder campaign was also shortlisted in the Low Budget campaign category.

 

Up North Communications and Drummond Central were celebrating at the Northern Marketing Awards last night after being presented with the award for ‘Best CSR Campaign’ for their work on saving Ouseburn Farm in Byker.

Both agencies worked together to support the launch of a Crowdfunder campaign earlier this year with the aim of raising £20,000 to help bridge the Farm’s financial deficit and to prevent this popular attraction from closing its doors.

The 28-day campaign, which was launched in March, raised a total of £34,000 and received support from individuals and companies including celebrities Dame Barbara Windsor DBE and Michelin chef Michel Roux Jr. The campaign not only helped to raise awareness of the Farm and its fantastic facilities, but the money raised will enable the Farm to continue to support vulnerable and disadvantaged adults and children who rely on the Farm as a place of refuge and to gain the vital skills they so desperately need.

Commenting on the campaign, the judges said: ‘it was a solid campaign built on research and evaluation which informed pre, during and post campaign launch.’ They were particularly impressed with the great results which were achieved.

Over 400 guests representing agencies, companies and institutions gathered at the Hilton Deansgate in Manchester to compete in 19 categories at the fifth annual Northern Marketing Awards, which celebrate and reward the region’s marketing excellence. For a breakdown of all Northern Marketing Award winners, please visit their site here.

We’re thrilled to make the shortlist in two categories at this year’s Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) PRide North East Awards for the delivery of PR on behalf of our client Tyne Housing Association.

We have been shortlisted in the Not-for-Profit Campaign and Low Budget Campaign categories for the delivery of PR for Tyne Housing’s Crowdfunder campaign to raise funds for Ouseburn Farm in Byker.

The Crowdfunder campaign aimed to raise £20,000 to fund the running costs of the Farm. After a successful 28-day period, the campaign raised £34,000 and attracted 830 supporters, including celebrity Dame Barbara Windsor DBE!

Up North Communications is one of eight companies shortlisted across both categories and the regional final will be held on 8 December at The Biscuit Factory in Newcastle.

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.

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