Highlights Public Relations – PR Blog

A Gateshead businesswoman has publicly thanked the hospice that cared for her mother during the latter stages of her life by donating some of her staff to help with their much needed fund raising efforts.
Rebecca Swales formed Metro Riverside Park based business RLM Direct in 2008 and recruited a dedicated team to help the business grow. With just a short maternity break in 2011 after the birth of her daughter Natalia, she has continued to develop new business relationships and additional services for her customers.
The business specialises in direct marketing methods including doorstep leaflet distribution and experiential marketing. Her business has rapidly gained a reputation for quality and excellent customer service and has attracted a diverse range of clients including restaurants, public transport operators and charities.
Charity work is particularly close to Rebecca’s heart, as last year, her mother; Elan Malcolm lost her battle with Cancer after a long illness. Elan was cared for and supported by St Oswald’s Hospice in Gosforth and to mark her mother’s anniversary in a positive way, Rebecca decided to use her business to help the Hospice.
Rebecca mobilised part of her experiential marketing team to Asda’s Metro Centre superstore to help promote the Hospice’s Midnight Walk. She and her team gave out leaflets promoting the walk and talked to shoppers about the event which will take place on Saturday 7th July in Newcastle City Centre.
“Part of the reason why RLM Direct has been so successful is the way that we look after our customers and our staff, “said Rebecca. “ I experienced a similar feeling with St Oswald’s Hospice last year and wanted to put something back to show how much I and my family appreciate the work that they do.”
St Oswald’s Hospice fund raiser Jennie Evans who was also at the experiential marketing event was delighted that RLM Direct had contributed their time for the charity.
“Giving up a full day and three members of the team was a very thoughtful thing to do to help us, “she said. “ Rebecca’s business is all about getting a marketing message out to the public and she has certainly helped us by promoting our Midnight Walk.” Ends
Photo shows: RLM Direct staff Holly and Rachel with Rebecca centre. St Oswald’s Jennie Evans front centre
More info from Rebecca on 0843 2896087 or Keith Newman on 07814 397951

Two Northumberland businessmen who are setting off on a 120 km walk along the Western Front to raise much needed funds for ex-servicemen have decided to continue their fund raising by starting their own charitable trust.
Andrew Charlton from Cramlington based web design company BACK Consulting and Bedlington creative photographer Paul Stephenson of The Beautiful Image are setting off on May 3rd to walk from Ypres to Albert tracing the steps and visiting many of the places occupied by the soldiers of the Tyneside Scottish as well as allied war memorials and key historical sites along the Somme Battlefield.
The pair have already raised around £5,000 for Veterans Retreat, a not for profit charitable organisation that provides permanent homes, rehabilitation, treatment and support to veterans across the UK. Now, the target is to raise a further £1,000 to complete a DVD which will be distributed to North East schools.
The walk founders and supporters have agreed to form a new charity based on “Walking the Front” where support will be provided at a micro level to veterans and their dependants in the North East region. Specifically, they will look to provide micro grants, micro loans or help to arrange sponsorship and work placements for veterans looking to get into enterprise in the region. Already, a plan is in place to carry out even more walks in the future.

Full details will be released after the walk is completed and supporters are urged to follow the pair’s progress on twitter @walkingthefront, send messages of support and to mention anyone they’re remembering who has served in any of the forces.
“We’re doing this for three reasons,” said Andrew. “Firstly to raise much needed funds for ex-servicemen and women , secondly to pass on our experiences to today’s school children so that they too can learn from the horror of the First World War and thirdly to thank my great-granddad and the thousands of other ordinary people who fought in the Great War.”
Andrew and Paul will start their walk on May 3rd and end on May 8th. Their website is www.walkingthefront.com
Ends Photo – Paul and Andrew
Media Information: Contact Keith Newman of Highlights PR on 07814 397951
Editor’s Note
Andrew’s great grandfather served in the Tyneside Scottish during the First World War and survived both the Battle of the Somme and the British offensive at Arras in 1917. His great uncle was one of the Tyneside Scottish’s Founders and later became their Honorary Colonel. Paul volunteered to help Andrew by making a documentary film about the walk which will be made available to schools across the UK. Paul was surprised when he looked into his family tree to discover that his great uncle Harry also served in the Tyneside Scottish and sadly never returned. Paul is unaware of where his he is buried and out of respect; the pair will also visit the grave of the Unknown Soldier. People can donate online at www.walkingthefront.com

As the weather gets warmer and thoughts turn to selling property, a Durham interior design expert is offering a new service to people who want to sell their homes in the fastest possible time.
Violet Harrison, who runs Violet Interiors, offers a first aid makeover designed to give the best possible first impression of a property to a prospective buyer. Simple to remedy things such as a frayed carpets, stains or too much clutter can mean the difference between a quick sale and the house remaining unsold for a long period of time. Very often the people living in the home are too close to see the pitfalls.
Violet’s “Home First Aid” service involves an initial visit where considerations such as property condition both inside and out, decoration, room layout and the general cleanliness and presentation of the property are looked at. The client then gets a detailed report with recommendations including advice on colour schemes, how to de-clutter and ways to emphasise the positive aspects of the house.
“Everyone thinks that their own taste in interior design is the best, but to sell a property fast, you have to appeal to the masses,” said Violet. “With Home First Aid, we rearrange, de-clutter and utilise current trends, but more importantly, we work towards creating a great first impression for the potential buyer.”
Violet’s first success came when she was asked to help an elderly couple who were having trouble selling their £800,000 home where they had lived for more than 30 years. The property had accumulated masses of clutter together with noticeable wear and tear which had had put off potential buyers. Violet’s impartial, fresh eyes coming through the door led to a de-cluttering exercise, a coat of neutral coloured paint and a few minor repairs and a quick sale. Her latest success was a Newcastle city centre flat which sold after just two viewings.
“Less than one half of a percent of the sale price spent on good quality advice can make all the difference to a sale,” said Violet. “Sellers dictate what price they want for their property, but it is usually the price buyers are prepared to pay that swings the deal. My job is to ensure that buyers are more than happy to pay the sellers asking price. After all first taste tells but first aid sells.”
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Photograph shows Violet Harrison in the Newcastle city centre flat that sold after just two viewings.
Media information Keith Newman 07814 397951
Violet Harrison 0191 374 1815 Email: style@violetinteriors.co.uk

One of the region’s leading recruitment agencies has a lot to look forward to in 2012 and to celebrate its rapid growth they have launched a new website and laid the foundations for their own custom built office complex in the heart of Newcastle city centre.

MTrec Recruitment, currently based in the All Saints Centre in Newcastle started life in 2006 with just two members of staff, a small rented office and minimal investment. Now, just six years later, the business has a multi-million pound turnover, employs more than 20 staff and proudly supplies permanent staff and temporary flexible labour to many of the region’s largest multi-nationals and established SME’s.

The business specialises in supplying temporary and permanent staff to the manufacturing, engineering and warehouse/distribution sectors throughout the North East, with a particularly strong automotive customer base. Currently, MTrec Recruitment have close to a 1000 temporary workers on their books working from Teesside to Northumberland with a growing market in Yorkshire and the Midlands.

The new web site is only the start of MTrec’s ambitious plans for the business this year as Technical Manager, James Doyle explains.

“Our new web site has kicked started a very exciting year for us” he said. “ It was created by the highly talented Box Model Digital Agency and they have developed a unique on line portal that candidates can use to create their own private web account to receive job alerts, send CV’s and search MTrec’ s latest vacancies. Employers are able to submit and track vacancies as well as gain access to industry advice and resources.”

“We are also building our own state of the art office complex in the city centre which should be completed in the summer and this will give us a permanent platform from which we can grow the business even further.”

As well as investing in bricks and mortar, MTrec are also making sure that their own workforce is given the very best training and professional development possible.

“Four of our Recruitment Consultants have just completed their Certificate in Recruitment Practice through the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC), the governing body for the recruitment industry in the UK, demonstrating how seriously we take our commitment to our staff and the industry itself.” said James.

“We have also implemented a new human resources strategy to help us achieve our business targets and as part of that we are being audited with a view to achieving the prestigious Investors In People (IIP) award.”

“All in all, 2012 looks like it is going to be a great year for our business, our staff and our clients.”

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Photograph shows: Technical Manager James Doyle (left) with Industrial Manager Chris Salkeld at the site of the new building

North Tyneside Community Theatre is asking local people to come along and get involved in their latest project.
The company will be performing “Hester”, a play based on the Hartley Pit Disaster at Seaton Delaval Hall in July. The play will also feature the Backworth Colliery Band who will provide authentic music appertaining to the period.
The theatre company are asking for volunteers to join them at their “open nights” at John Spence School, Tynemouth at 7pm on 23rd and 25th April.
No acting experience is necessary and people wanting to play the non-speaking parts of pit workers aged 10 to 70 and village wives are actively encouraged to come along too.
For more information contact Bob Webb on 0191 252 0842 mobile 07831884347 or Christine Lines on 0191 29012427 mobile 07970315014

A successful Northumberland author’s latest novel has a very timely subject as the UK marks the 30^th anniversary of the Falklands War.

Janet MacLeod Trotter from Morpeth has entertained countless readers over the years with her North East based historical novels which include many political events and social upheavals from the last century. Her latest novel however, is set in more modern times.

“For Love and Glory” tells the story of a Wallsend teenage girl who has a special bond with her lively, rebellious friend Mark. As the Falklands War starts, Mark is called up and tragic family secrets come to light that could ruin all their futures.

The novel has very strong family and friend connections as Janet explains;

“The novel is set in Wallsend on the River Tyne where my husband’s family come from. I have them to thank for much of the background information on this vibrant community where many of the world’s greatest ships were built, including many that took part in the Falklands campaign. In fact, the ship portrayed in the story is called HMS Gateshead emphasising the local connection even further.  The Falklands material was inspired by veterans I’d read about, ordinary people who’d shown extraordinary courage long after the short war was over and out of the news.”

A lot of the research material was contributed by Janet’s friend, John Mew from Dinnington, North Tyneside who served on HMS Coventry which was hit by three Argentinian 1000lb bombs, sinking the ship with the loss of life of 27 of John’s shipmates.

“I will never forget the horrific things I witnessed in the South Atlantic,” said John. “I am very proud of the time I served in the Royal Navy and was only too glad to give Janet technical advice about my experiences during the conflict.”

The digital age has opened up Janet’s books to a new generation of readers who use Kindles and e-readers to purchase e-books online through bookstores and giant internet companies.  The electronic readers have given Janet the opportunity to re-brand her traditional books. Now, each book cover uses actual old photographs of her ancestors and “For Love and Glory” her daughter Amy who was only too happy to model for her mother.

“It is a bit weird to see my face on the front of the novel and even stranger to think that people will see the main character as being myself,” said Amy, (22) who is a nursing student at Manchester University. “It is a family tradition now to feature on the covers so I am really happy to be involved.”

Janet has been delighted by the increase in the sales figures for her other e-Books too including “The Jarrow Trilogy” which is based on the early life of Catherine Cookson. The three books in the trilogy are in the Kindle top 100 of Amazon’s e-Book chart, a chart that features approximately one million books.

This photo was taken by Angela Carrington of The Bigger Picture.
The story behind it will be revealed in a radio show on Radio Northumberland.
You will be amazed. I was terrified!

A Royal Navy reservist from Crook in County Durham is setting sail for London for a very important meeting.

Lieutenant Commander Ian Berry has been awarded the MBE for his part in operations in the Gulf and he is looking forward to meeting Her Majesty the Queen.

Lt Cdr Berry, who is based at HMS Calliope on the banks of the Tyne at Gateshead, has been a reservist for nearly 30 years. His nautical career has had many highlights including time spent in command of minesweepers and fast patrol boats, being a full time trainer for reservists and a Principal Warfare Officer on board a Type 42 destroyer.

The MBE has been awarded however, in recognition of his sterling service with Royal Navy and US Navy forces in the Gulf.

Although awarded the MBE in 2011, Lt Cdr Berry has been unable to collect the honour due to operational requirements in the field including the Libyan crisis where he was deployed with NATO on board an Italian warship and a period conducting anti-piracy duties off the coast of Somalia.

“I’ve had a fantastic career as a reservist and I’ve been to parts of the world that I never thought imaginable,” he said. “I am honoured that my work has been recognised in this way and pleased that I have been able to bring my front line skills and experiences back to HMS Calliope to incorporate into the training of other reservists. The Royal Navy is all about teamwork and without my shipmates and colleagues help, there would be no MBE. I’ve simply been doing my job with my team.”

The RNR are now actively recruiting at HMS Calliope. Anyone interested should contact the unit on a Monday evening on 0191 477 2536 and ask to speak to Lieutenant Commander Pauline Jones, or telephone through the week to express an interest, your details will be passed on.

If the Royal Navy can trust Highlights PR to look after their PR needs, so can you!

Give Keith a call now on 07814 397951