Celebrations in the Midlands as professionals honour outstanding public relations practice

The Midlands’ finest public relations practitioners gathered in Coventry this evening to celebrate the 2014 CIPR Midlands PRide Awards. 

Over 300 leading public relations professionals attended the black tie event, which took place at the Ricoh Arena. Sky News’ Lisa Dowd and Tom Parmenter hosted the celebrations and led the entertainment for the consultancies, freelancers and in-house teams in attendance.

Big winners on the night were Willoughby Public Relations, receiving both the Consumer Relations Campaign and Best Use of Media Relations Gold Awards for their launch of the ‘Two together railcard’. Willoughby also received the prestigious accolade of Regional Campaign of the Year for their work on the Aegon Classic, with judges commending the use of “community engagement as being key to the campaign’s success, which helped the event sell out for the first time in its history.”

Other multiple Gold Award winners included Gough Bailey Wright, South and City College Birmingham, and spottydog communications.

Team Gold Awards were presented to HROC PR for Outstanding PR Consultancy, Clarity Comms for Outstanding Small Consultancy, and to West Midlands Police for Outstanding In-House Public Relations Team.

Lisa Jones, Chair of CIPR Midlands, said:

"Winning a CIPR PRide Award is a massive achievement which rewards individuals and organisations who are committed to best practice and recognises the professional and accountable way in which public relations is being delivered across the Midlands. This was an inspiring and exciting celebration of communication, and I'm grateful to all of our sponsors for making it a memorable evening."

Full Gold Award winners from the 2014 CIPR Midlands PRide Awards:

• Corporate and Business Communications Campaign: Giving EUM a voice in the ECO debate, The Marketing Pod
• Issues or Crisis Management: Liquid saves a school, Liquid
• Best Internal Publication: Powerlines, Western Power Distribution 
• Healthcare Campaign: The missing link between alcohol and obesity: what's your tipping point?, Slimming World
• Best Event: Young Driver Education Week - Creating safer young drivers, Connect PR
• Best Use of Digital: Influencing the Influencers for Heritage Bathrooms. spottydog communications
• Not-for-Profit Campaign: Makes You Think, Practical Action
• Public Affairs Campaign: The Belgrave Road Flyover, Gough Bailey Wright
• Best Use of Media Relations: Launching the Two Together Railcard, Willoughby Public Relations
• Internal Communications Campaign: Pass it on at Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust, spottydog communications
• Public Sector Campaign: Business is GREAT PR campaign, Syndicate Communications and Department of Business, Innovation and Skills
• Best Use of Photography or Design: PDSA Pet Fit Club 2013​, PDSA
• Community Relations Campaign: Keep the Hive Alive Campaign, Central England Co-operative 
• Integrated Campaign: Celebrating over 50s women, Smarts
• Best External Publication: Young Person's Course Guide, South and City College Birmingham
• Best Use of Social Media: Have Fun with Fruittella, McCann PR
• Low Budget Campaign: Launch of Penguin Ice Adventure, Gough Bailey Wright
• Regional Campaign of the Year: Game Set And Match - The Aegon Classic, Willoughby Public Relations
• Consumer Relations Campaign: Launching the Two Together Railcard, Willoughby Public Relations
• Outstanding Young Communicator: Pete Hitchman, Whistle PR
• Best Use of Research, Planning, Measurement and Evaluation: Young Person's Course Guide, South and City College Birmingham
• Outstanding Small Consultancy: Clarity Comms
• Outstanding In-House Public Relations Team: West Midlands Police
• Outstanding Public Relations Consultancy: HROC PR
• Midlands Student of the Year: Danielle Hudspith, Birmingham City University

​Further information on the Awards’ winners, including Silver winners and case studies, will be published after the results announcement via the CIPR Midlands PRide Awards website.