SUFFOLK EMPLOYEE NAMED AS EAST ANGLIA’S YOUNG COMMUNICATOR OF THE YEAR

21 December 2009: Suffolk has notched up another first, with Helen Sharkey, an employee at PR agency Project PR being named as East Anglia’s ‘Young Communicator of the Year’ for 2009 by the Chartered Institute of Public Relations.

Helen, who is 26 and from Felixstowe, was nominated for the award by her bosses at Project PR and her entry was endorsed by some of her clients, including East of England Regional Assembly (EERA). The judging process included a panel interview with three of the region’s most experienced PR experts, beating off stiff competition from five other finalists to scoop the top prize.

Judges selected Helen for her maturity and confidence as an excellent PR Account Manager. They said: “We were very impressed with Helen’s enthusiasm, attention to detail, passion for making a difference, desire to deliver the best possible results for her clients and breadth of work. She is without doubt a first class strategic thinker and an outstanding team player.”

Penny Arbuthnot, Director of Project PR added: “Helen’s results have been remarkable, yet she constantly strives for further improvement with each client, analysing and forward planning and using her excellent writing and media skills to best advantage. Helen is an outstanding young communicator on every front and we are thrilled she has won this award.”

Helen added: “I am shocked but excited and proud to have won the award which tops off what has been a great year for me. I really enjoy what I do, I have some great clients and am lucky to have a great team to work with at Project PR.”

Helen began her PR career working for Hutchison Ports UK as Corporate Affairs Officer based at the Port of Felixstowe. She joined Project PR in 2008 and has since been promoted to Account Manager. Her award was presented by Chartered Institute of Public Relations President Kevin Taylor on 7th December at the SAS Radisson hotel at Stansted. Over 120 PR practitioners from around the region attended the ceremony.

See www.projectpr.biz for further information about Project PR.

Ends

For further information please contact:

Helen Sharkey or Penny Arbuthnot at Project PR on 01473 326 401 (07885 238374)

Notes to Editors

1. Project PR and Marketing Ltd is based at: The Coach House, Reed Hall, Ipswich Road, Holbrook, Ipswich IP9 2QR. See www.projectpr.biz

2. The company was established in 1996 by Penny Arbuthnot and has grown to be a leading PR agency in the region now employing 6 staff.

3. In the 2009 CIPR Pride Awards for East Anglia Project PR won four Gold awards for Best Not-for-profit campaign (TBG Learning); Best Consumer Campaign (Ford Retail), Best Use of Social Media (Buster brand/National Plughole Week) and Best Young Communicator (Helen Sharkey). It also won two Silver awards for ‘Consultancy of the Year’ and ‘Best Use of Media Relations (Buster brand/National Plughole Week) .

4. In the 2007 Chartered Institute of Public Relations Pride awards Project PR won ‘Outstanding Small Consultancy’. It also won three further Gold awards for Consumer Relations (PR for the Ford Retail group of 55 dealerships); Best Website (for the Team Ipswich website) and Integrated Communications (a joint entry with Suffolk manufacturer Challs International).

5. Project PR works with a mix of private and public sector organisations handling local and national PR and marketing programmes.

SUFFOLK PR FIRM SHORTLISTED FOR SIX AWARDS

4 September 2009: Ipswich-based regional PR consultancy Project PR has been short-listed in the annual Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) PRide Awards for no less than six awards – the most amongst all the PR agencies short-listed this year. The awards are held regionally to recognise outstanding PR agencies based outside London.

“We’re thrilled to be selected as a finalist in six categories covering our work in media relations, social media, consumer and not-for-profit PR. Our business has grown throughout the recession and we’re particularly pleased to be in the final shortlist for the most outstanding PR company in the Eastern region,” said Penny Arbuthnot, director, Project PR.

The awards that Project PR has been short-listed for are: Outstanding Public Relations Consultancy, Not for Profit (for national skills provider TBG Learning), Consumer Relations (PR for Ford Retail’s 40 dealerships around the UK), Best Use of Media Relations and Best Use of Social Media (for Suffolk manufacturer Challs International and their Buster brand of plughole care products).

Project PR’s account manager Helen Sharkey has also been short-listed for the Outstanding Young Communicator of the Year award. Helen, who joined Project PR in January 2008, manages three of Project PR’s clients: East of England International, East of England Regional Assembly and TBG Learning.

During the past year Project PR has won several new clients in competitive tenders including Ipswich Building Society and East of England International. The company’s team of six employees will now have to wait until 7th December when they’ll attend the Eastern region awards ceremony at the SAS Radisson hotel at Stansted.

This year the PRide Awards attracted a total of 1,448 entries from across the UK.

ENDS