PROJECT PR RANKS WITH THE BEST IN THE UK

08 April 2010: Suffolk PR agency Project PR has been recognised as one of the best PR agencies in the UK after national industry magazine The Drum named it as the fourth most awarded PR agency outside of London in 2009.


Project PR won four Gold and two Silver awards in the annual Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) PRide Awards for East Anglia in 2009, more than any other agency in this region. The company’s success led to its high ranking amongst PR firms nationally. Over the past five years the agency has won a total of 16 nationally recognised PR industry awards.

“It was quite a surprise to us and a fantastic accolade for the team here that we were ranked alongside some of the world’s largest PR agencies such as Weber Shandwick, who were placed third. Winning industry awards has certainly helped us to gain recognition for our PR work both locally and nationally and we very much look forward to further success with our clients in 2010,” said Penny Arbuthnot, Director at Project PR.

Project PR employs a team of six PR and marketing professionals and has built its success on delivering results for its many local and national clients, who include Ford Retail, Suffolk manufacturer Challs International, Ipswich Building Society, social landlord Havebury Housing Partnership and live-in care agency Christies Care.

In the CIPR Pride Awards 2009 Project PR won Gold, the top award, for four specific categories: Consumer PR; Best Use of Social Media; Not for profit PR and Outstanding Young Communicator which was awarded to Project PR’s Account Director Helen Sharkey. It won silver in the ‘Outstanding Public Relations Consultancy’ and ‘Best Use of Media Relations’ categories.

The survey by Drum Magazine looked at all the industry awards schemes entered by agencies outside of London in order to identify 2009’s most decorated agencies. Project PR was ranked fourth for the number of PR awards won. See www.thedrum.co.uk/mostawarded/2010

For more information about Project PR see www.projectpr.biz

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Council leaders to speak up for the East of England

The 52 council leaders and elected mayors in the East of England have formed a new organisation to speak up for the people and local communities they represent.



The East of England LGA will campaign on behalf of the people who live and work in the region, ensuring their voice is heard in Westminster and Whitehall. It will also provide a wide range of quality and cost effective services to local authorities.


Under current legislation, the East of England LGA will also constitute the statutory regional “Leaders’ Board” and have responsibilities for regional strategic planning and economic development, in conjunction with the East of England Development Agency (EEDA), as part of the new Regional Strategy Board (See Notes to Editors).


East of England LGA Chairman Cllr Robert Gordon said: “We all know that the next few years are bound to bring substantial challenges for local government, particularly with the anticipated constraints on public spending. I want the regional LGA to be a forum through which its members can identify and share best practice for the benefit of the people and communities we all serve.


“It will concentrate its work in areas where, by working together, we can add value for our member councils and it will speak up for the people and communities we represent, ensuring that local government has an effective voice.


“As the first Chairman of the East of England LGA, I look forward to working with councils of all political parties (and none) in promoting and enhancing our role as the democratic voice of the region.


“We will also have to be ready to adapt should the outcome of the general election bring further changes to the regional architecture.”


The East of England LGA is a new voluntary and independent association set up by the 52 local authorities in the region following the abolition of the East of England Regional Assembly in March 2010.


The Management Committee of the East of England LGA consists of:


• Cllr Robert Gordon (Chairman, Conservative), Leader of Hertfordshire County Council


• Cllr William Nunn (Vice-Chairman, Conservative), Leader of Breckland District Council


• Cllr Ian Nimmo-Smith (Group Leader, Liberal Democrat), Leader of Cambridge City Council


• Cllr Roy Davis (Group Leader, Labour), Deputy Leader of Luton Borough Council


• Cllr Garry Hague (Conservative), Leader of Thurrock Council


Further information about the East of England LGA will be available from the 31st March 2010 at www.eelga.gov.uk when the new website goes live.


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Notes to Editors:



For further information, photographs of the Management Committee or to arrange an interview with an East of England LGA spokesperson, please contact:



Stephen Hinchley - Tel: 01284 729430, Mob: 07710 312237



Claire Sefton - Tel: 01284 729427 Mob: 07920 257940

East of England Local Government Association

1. The East of England LGA is an independent organisation representing the 52 local authorities in the East of England and the regional interests of people living and working in the East of England.



2. The Association is governed by the 52 council leaders and elected mayors. Its meetings are open to the media and general public.



3. Under current legislation, the East of England LGA also constitutes the statutory regional “Leaders’ Board” with responsibilities for regional strategic planning and economic development in conjunction with the East of England Development Agency (EEDA).



Regional Strategy Board

The Regional Strategy Board is the partnership arrangement agreed between Local Government in the East of England and the East of England Development Agency (EEDA). The Regional Strategy Board provides leadership to the region on the preparation and delivery of a Regional Strategy and accountability to the region through the East of England LGA and EEDA. Further information is available at www.eelga.gov.uk/regional-strategy

East of England LGA Management Committee

Cllr Robert Gordon (Chairman), Conservative, 01992 556582

Cllr William Nunn (Vice-Chairman), Conservative, 07766 814214

Cllr Ian Nimmo-Smith (Group Leader), Liberal Democrat, 01223 577257

Cllr Roy Davis (Group Leader), Labour, 01582 730939

Cllr Garry Hague, Conservative, 01375 652099

Family focus puts opticians in line for national award

Ipswich based Kite Opticians has been named as a finalist for the ‘Family Optician of the Year’ award as a result of its family friendly focus.

The practice has many long-standing clients who have entrusted the health of their eyes to Kites for thirty years or more and whose children and grandchildren have also become clients. In many cases three generations of the same family regularly attend for eye checks.

Kite Opticians’ highly professional approach has led to the establishment of a reading difficulties clinic to help families establish whether any eye problems are affecting their children’s reading. In particular Kite Opticians is a specialist in colour overlay testing and colorimetry which can identify visual stress (‘Irlen’ syndrome), an often overlooked cause of reading problems.

The practice also introduced a new range of child-friendly features to eye care including colouring packs and toys while children wait, favourite cartoon characters on eye test charts and a child friendly dispensing area with toddler to teenager frame designs.

For elderly clients Kite Opticians has easy access, a disabled toilet and the latest technology to monitor eye health. Unhurried thoroughness of examinations has led to great loyalty from the clients. A partnership with a hearing care specialist allows people to have a hearing test at the practice when they visit if they wish. Home visits are also provided for those who find difficulty getting out.

The final aspect to impress judges was Kite Opticians’ community involvement, which over the past year has included sponsorship of Team Ipswich and an archery tournament as well as involvement with local schools.

The developments at the practice and the care and attention for clients appealing to young and old alike helped increase the number of new clients by 50% in 2008 and 17% in 2009, despite the recession. Turnover has also increased.

Adrian Kite of Kite Opticians, said:" The Optician awards are very strongly contended from every part of the UK, so it is a real honour to have made the final. It is our approach of personal care and attention in looking after every member of the family's eyes that has resulted in this recognition. What’s really pleasing is the wonderful reaction we’ve had to the news from our clients.”

The final judging required testimonials to be supplied by existing clients.

He added: “The support we had from our clients is testament to the dedicated team we have here who go the extra mile in ensuring everyone who visits us, young or old, enjoy the very best in eye care. I had a warm glow after reading the lovely comments made about us!"

The Family Optician of the Year Award is a category in the national Optician Awards 2010. Kite Opticians will be attending the presentation ceremony at The Hilton, Park Lane in London on 17 April. Four other family based opticians from around the UK have also been short-listed.

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10 tips to networking success

At the networking event which I attended this morning, (Refer-on, Felixstowe) we had a 30min session on the above topic, and I thought I’d share it with all of you!


1. Plan ahead – get the attendee list and make a not of who you intend to chat to

2. Be early – if the attendee lists aren’t available pre-event, this gives you a chance to do the above.

3. Be regular – as your face becomes more familiar, people will gravitate towards you and will be able to match the face to the name

4. Have a tale / story – keep it relevant i.e a similar client or some interesting success you have had recently

5. Meet, greet and move on – don’t spend any longer than you need to with one person. Try to meet 5-7 strangers in each session

6. Effective 60seconds – make sure you take advantage of your chance to make a first impression

7. Volunteer – offer to do a talk at another session, or write the minutes, or provide the lap top – it makes you look professional, helpful and enthusiastic

8. Giving is best – be the first to suggest exchanging business cards, or meeting up for a coffee – don’t expect that it’s coming

9. Have a 1:1 – either after the meeting, or another day

10. Follow up – if you say you will email or call, then do. It makes you look credible and trustworthy.

A final thought…………..”People buy from people they know, like and trust!”

Good luck in your networking endeavours!

Helen

Ipswich Building Society reports on a very good 160th year

1 March 2010



Ipswich Building Society members will from today start receiving details of the Society’s results for 2009.

Despite the turmoil in the financial services industry and the very difficult conditions of the UK recession the Society has announced a strong set of results.

Highlights include


• Total Asset growth of 9% to £462 million


• Mortgage lending of £76 million


• Net savings inflow of £24 million


Commenting on the results, Paul Winter, Chief Executive, Ipswich Building Society, said: “The confidence and trust our customers have shown have been essential to Ipswich Building Society’s success during a period when many other financial institutions have suffered. We have achieved this through taking our responsibility to our customers and to our wider community seriously and through our continual focus on quality of service and innovative, competitive products.”

Further details of the Society’s achievements will be given at the Society’s AGM on 24th March.


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Ref: IBS 025-10


For further press information please contact:


Penny Arbuthnot, Project PR


Tel: 01473 326401 (07885 238374)


Email: penny.arbuthnot@projectpr.biz


Twitter: www.twitter.com/IpswichBuildSoc


Notes to editors:


1. Ipswich Building Society is hosting a media lunch on Thursday 4th March, 12.30pm – 2pm. If you have not already confirmed your attendance and you would like to attend please contact Penny Arbuthnot at Project PR on 01473 326401.


2. Ipswich Building Society has approximately 65,000 members and currently has over 80,000 savings accounts and over 5,000 mortgage accounts.


3. The Society’s head office is at 24, The Havens, Ipswich IP3 9SJ where there is also a contact centre.


4. There are nine branches across Suffolk in Aldeburgh, Saxmundham, Halesworth, Woodbridge, Tower Ramparts Ipswich, Ravenswood Ipswich, Hadleigh, Haverhill and Sudbury.


5. 80% of the Society’s members live in the East of England with the remainder living across the UK.


6. Ipswich Building Society was established in 1849 and celebrated the 160th anniversary of its formation in 2009.


7. See www.ibs.co.uk or www.twitter.com/IpswichBuildSoc

Regional Director of Homes and Communities Agency to open 30 affordable homes in Bury St Edmunds

Date: Monday 1st February 2010

Time: 9.30am unveiling of plaque, followed by a look round new homes (residents have already moved in)

Venue: Maundy Close Bury St Edmunds IP33 3NT

Who: Terry Fuller, Regional Director, Homes and Communities Agency, Steve Cook, Chief Executive, Havebury Housing Partnership, Councillor Ann Gower, St Edmundsbury Borough Council

Contact: Penny Arbuthnot, Project PR


Terry Fuller, Regional Director, Homes and Communities Agency will officially unveil a £4 million, 30 home development in Bury St Edmunds which has transformed a run down area of the town and was completed well ahead of schedule.


‘Maundy Close’ was named to celebrate the Queen’s visit to St Edmundsbury Cathedral in 2009 to distribute Maundy Money to local residents. The development has transformed the area, where eight poor standard 1930’s flats were demolished to make way for the 30 new homes. They help relieve the pressure for more affordable housing where house prices are amongst the highest in the region.


Chief Executive of Havebury Steve Cook, said: “Nearly 2,000 people are currently on the register for an affordable home home in this area so building new homes is something we care about doing and doing it well. These homes are part of a much larger programme to help the desperate need for affordable homes and we have managed to complete them well ahead of schedule.”


Cllr John Griffiths, Leader of St Edmundsbury Borough Council, said:


“I am delighted that these properties are already providing a home for local people and that they are bringing new life into the area. We will continue to look at every opportunity to develop more affordable housing.”

The new homes at Maundy Close have been built to comply with Level 3 of the Code for Sustainable Homes, a new mandatory standard which measures the environmental impact of new builds in nine different areas of sustainability using a rating of one to six, with six being the highest. The areas assessed include energy efficiency and CO² emissions, building materials and water usage.


Green features of the properties include high levels of wall, floor and roof insulation, low energy light fittings and solar thermal panels to provide up to 60 per cent of hot water needs.


The development was funded with the help of a £1.15m grant from the Homes and Communities Agency and built by Baker Construction.


There are a total of 30 properties on the development.


• New homes at 1-15 Maundy Close comprise of six, two bedroom houses; six, three bedroom houses and two, four bedroom houses.


• At 84 to 94 Out Westgate there are 16 new flats comprising 12, two bedroom flats and four, one bedroom flats.

Plan to succeed with Social Media

‘Facebook’, ‘Twitter’, ‘LinkedIn’, ‘Delicious’, ‘Flickr’, ‘Digg’ - the list goes on… You may have heard these words being increasingly used either by the press or by friends and colleagues, but how much do you actually know about what they do?

These are not simply a random collection of strange nouns and phrases, but are some of the most influential Social Media platforms to hit our computer screens this decade.

People have been using them for years to communicate with long lost friends and family, share news and photos or to plan their holidays, but it is only relatively recently that businesses have started to think about how they can use social media to their own advantage.

As well as providing additional platforms to promote your products or services, social media is a great way of giving your customers or potential customers an insight into your business and communicating with key stakeholders in an open and transparent way.

The key to utilising social media effectively, is to plan your online activities the same way that you would plan any new PR campaign or project. Identifying which platforms are relevant to your business and who you need to communicate with is essential – many businesses who state that social media has not ‘worked’ for them, have simply been going about it in the wrong way.

Neglecting to plan strategically will likely lead to wasted time and effort so it’s important to step back and think about what you hope to achieve and where you should channel your efforts. For example, if your business wants to promote retirement homes for the elderly, there is not much point engaging in Bebo – a social networking site used predominantly by 14 to 17 year olds.

As the winners of the 2009 CIPR PRide award for Best Use of Social Media, Project PR in Ipswich is perfectly placed to advise on all aspects of social media and to propel your business forward into the world of digital PR.

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.

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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 donates services to charity

Suffolk PR consultancy Project PR has adopted Ipswich Town Community Trust as its charity for 2010. The company will be donating its PR and media relations services to help build understanding of the Trust’s wide ranging work.

Penny Arbuthnot, Director of Project PR, says: “What struck me about the Community Trust is that it is carrying out some inspirational educational work with children and young people, although it’s currently known mainly for its soccer courses through the Ipswich Town link. As a company we like to put something back into our community and we’re delighted to help by giving our PR services to the Trust in 2010.”

Terry Baxter, Chief Executive, Ipswich Town Community Trust, said: “We are delighted to be offered this support by Penny and the team at Project PR who bring PR expertise and valuable extra resource. It’s given us a fantastic boost to our plans for 2010.”

Project PR will be helping to re-launch the Community Trust to the public, business, schools and the media. As well as free PR support it has donated £350 in cash in place of sending Christmas Cards to clients this year.

Ipswich Town Community Trust was established by Ipswich Town Football Club in 1996 to provide football in the community but since then has developed a much wider role. Over the past year more than 60,000 people have taken part in activities, which aim to raise achievement levels and promote active and healthy lifestyles, primarily through the medium of sport.

Project PR is one of East Anglia’s leading PR agencies and won four Gold and two Silver Awards in the 2009 Chartered Institute of Public Relations Pride Awards for East Anglia – more than any other PR agency or organisation in the region. See www.projectpr.biz

SUFFOLK PR FIRM WINS QUADRUPLE GOLD

10 December 2009: Suffolk PR agency Project PR flew the flag for Suffolk when it won four Gold and two Silver awards in the annual Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) East Anglia PRide Awards for 2009, held on 7th December at the SAS Radisson Hotel in Stansted. The team of six won more awards than any of the other 24 PR agencies and in-house PR teams from around the East Anglia region who were finalists.

Project PR won Gold, the top award, for three specific categories: Not for Profit (PR for national skills provider TBG Learning), Consumer Relations (PR for Ford Retail’s 40 dealerships around the UK) and Best Use of Social Media (for Suffolk manufacturer Challs International and their Buster brand of plughole care products).

The fourth Gold was awarded to Project PR’s Account Manager Helen Sharkey, who won ‘Outstanding Young Communicator of the Year’, beating off stiff competition from five other young PR professionals from across East Anglia who had been shortlisted for the award.

The culmination of the evening was the presentation of the ‘Outstanding Public Relations Consultancy’ Award for the top PR agency in the region, with Project PR winning Silver. The company also won Silver for Best Use of Media Relations (for the Buster brand PR campaign).

“Our success is testament to the great team here at Project PR. Two years ago we won ‘Outstanding Small Consultancy’ and we have achieved even more since then. We are continually developing our business and we very much look forward to further success with our clients in 2010,” said Penny Arbuthnot, director at Project PR.

During 2009 Project PR won several high profile new clients, including Ipswich Building Society, East of England International and Christies Care. The agency has built its success on providing a highly proactive and strategic approach to PR and has established many long term relationships with national and locally based clients including Ford Retail, Havebury Housing Partnership, and the East of England Regional Assembly (EERA).

The CIPR Awards showcase the best PR work being carried out across the UK outside of London. There are 24 award categories and the judging process is rigorous, with a national panel of industry experts who asses the shortlisted entries and choose the winners.

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

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For further information please contact:

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

Note to editors:

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

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.

Project PR won the special award for Outstanding Small Consultancy in the 2007 Chartered Institute of Public Relations Pride awards. 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).

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