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.


Ends


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.

Ends

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.

NEW CLUB WILL provide support for local businesses to improve environmental performance

In a bid to help small businesses in the region save money and reduce their environmental impact, Resource Efficiency East (REE) has created the ‘EMS Club’, which will provide companies with practical help and guidance on implementing an Environmental Management System (EMS). The aim of an EMS is to help cut waste and reduce the use of water, energy and raw materials, and so making financial savings as a result.
One hundred small companies from across the region will be able to benefit from a series of practical workshops run by the EMS Club from February to November 2010. One-to-one support provided by the club will help participating businesses assess the priority areas within their organisation in which an EMS would provide the best results for cost savings.

The EMS club will be free to eligible businesses in Suffolk, Norfolk, Essex, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire and the workshops will run at venues spread across the region, making travel times as short as possible.

Antony Gough, Director of Resource Efficiency East, says: “The EMS Club will really benefit smaller companies for whom an Environmental Management System would result in both cost savings and a reduction in their impact on the environment, but who don’t know how to get started. It will be run by experienced professionals who’ll be able to share straightforward and workable ideas.”

To register your interest in the EMS Club visit the Resource Efficiency East website at http://www.resourceefficiencyeast.org.uk/the-ems-club.asp

The EMS Club is part of a programme run by Resource Efficiency East, which has a target to help businesses save £3.5 million and significantly reduce their CO2 emissions by making savings in energy and water usage and diverting waste from landfill. Funding for the programme has come from the East of England Development Agency (EEDA) and the European Regional Development Fund.

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For further information please contact Helen Sharkey, Account Manager at Project PR on 01473 326405 or Helen.sharkey@projectpr.biz

Notes to editors:

Background information on Resource Efficiency East
Resource Efficiency East is a £2.1 million co-funded programme that runs until 2011 and is managed by Renewables East. The programme is jointly funded by the East of England Development Agency and the European Regional Development Fund to deliver specialist advice, guidance and support on how businesses in the East of England can improve their resource efficiency and realise the business benefits that result.

Resource Efficiency East delivers these services as part of Improving Your Resource Efficiency, one of a suite of publicly funded business support products and services in the Solutions for Business Portfolio; services designed to help businesses start, grow and succeed.

Resource Efficiency East has already provided over 200 companies with a free on-site Business Resource Review that includes a bespoke report and action plan helping to identify opportunities to become more efficient and cut costs through reduced use of water, energy and materials.

The programme aims to help businesses in the East of England save over £3.5 million, whilst significantly reducing CO2 emissions, energy and water usage and diverting waste from landfill.


Background information on Renewables East
Renewables East is a private and not-for-profit company delivering the services associated with being the renewable energy agency for the East of England. The Company is core-funded by the East of England Development Agency (EEDA) and officially designated as an EEDA partner organisation. Renewables East’s primary work areas are Bioenergy (Biomass and Biofuels,) Offshore/Onshore Wind, Planning, Supply Chain Development and the on-site renewables agenda. In 2008 Renewables East was given responsibility for the development and delivery of Resource Efficiency East, the East of England’s first region-wide resource efficiency programme for businesses.

Treat your plugholes to a happy Christmas

On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to me…….a blocked drain! Thames Water estimates that Christmas leads to a 25% increase in the amount of fat ending up down the drain from turkeys and other rich foods. The water company says that carelessly disposed of fat causes more than 60% of the 70,000 sewer blockages it clears annually.

Make sure your festive celebrations aren’t ruined by a blocked, pongy kitchen sink and treat your plugholes to a Christmas present of their own in the shape of Buster Kitchen Plughole Unblocker! With six doses in a bottle its good value too at £3.29 (RRP) especially when you compare it to the horrid expense of an emergency call out for drain unblocking, costing over £100.

Grease and fat from festive favourites like turkey, roast potatoes and chipolatas solidifies when it hits cold pipes, restricting water flow and making our sinks drain slowly. Independent tests show that Buster Kitchen Plughole Unblocker’s specially formulated granules beat all other leading brands to blast through difficult to shift kitchen blockages – something which bleach and liquid unblockers just can’t do.

The build up of grease also creates the perfect breeding ground for nasty germs such as salmonella, which multiply to cause unpleasant smells. So why not treat your kitchen plughole to a regular sprinkle of Buster Kitchen Plughole & Sink Treatment. Let its effective foaming action work some Christmas magic, cleansing the whole pipe, killing germs and keeping your plughole clear and fresh like a perfect winter’s day!

Buster is stocked in Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Wilkinson, Morrisons and independent hardware stores. Visit www.plugholesneedlovetoo.com