Author Archives: Ethos public relations news

70th Anniversary of VJ Day sees charity membership swell

An increasing number of relatives of Far East Prisoners of War have been joining national charity COFEPOW (Children and Families of Far East Prisoners of War), as the country prepares to commemorate the 70th Anniversary of VJ Day.

COFEPOW was set up to ensure that World War Two Far East Prisoners of War are never forgotten and the charity has seen a 10% increase in new members over the past few weeks as more relatives of those incarcerated in the Far East during the Second World War join to honour their relatives’ heroic past.

New member Tracey Marinelli from Derby says that she joined COFEPOW to be part of the VJ Day commemorations.

Tracey Marinelli joined COFEPOW to take part in the VJ Day commemorations

She said: “My Grandfather, Flight Sergeant John Price, was a prisoner of war in the Far East and was one of the lucky ones who made it home after the war. He kept a diary throughout his time in the Far East, written on cigarette packets and scraps of paper, but back in England he never talked about being a POW. I think it is so important that we remember.”

Says Paul Watson from COFEPOW, the 70th anniversary of VJ Day is a very important one. “Sadly many of the prisoners of war who returned from the Far East are no longer with us and so younger people often do not know about this important chapter in our history. The suffering of many was immense and our new members will be joining others who want to ensure that the suffering they went through is not forgotten.”

Following the fall of Singapore to the Japanese on 15th February 1942, almost 200,000 British and Commonwealth soldiers became prisoners of war in the Far East. Thousands of these left Singapore on prison ships – “hell ships” – to be used as forced labour in other parts of Asia. Nearly 10,000 of these men died building the Burma-Thailand railway with many more dying as a result of starvation, barbaric treatment and tropical diseases.

There will be events across the UK to commemorate Victory over Japan Day 2015 this Saturday, including in Horse Guards Parade in Central London and a Service of Remembrance at Lichfield Cathedral, with an Address by Terry Waite CBE.

For more information about COFEPOW visit www.cofepow.org.uk.

BBC garden expert welcomes Swedish garden enthusiasts to North Wales

Swedish visitors at Plas Brondanw with garden expert Tony Russell (far left) and head gardener John Rippin (far right).

BBC garden writer and broadcaster Tony Russell welcomed a delegation of Swedish visitors to Plas Brondanw in Gwynedd, on their recent tour of the gardens of Wales.

The well known expert was on hand at the Clough Williams-Ellis Estate near Portmeirion to meet and welcome the group of Swedish travellers, who were visiting the gardens of Wales as part of a new tour developed by Janet Redler Travel and Tourism in Montgomery, to help bring more overseas visitors to Wales.

The seven day itinerary took in many of the most spectacular gardens in Wales, from Bodnant in the north to Aberglasny in the south, as well as including a number of intimate private gardens.

Tony Russell said: “I was delighted to welcome the group from Sweden as part of their tour of the gardens of Wales. Wales really does have some of the most wonderful gardens and so I am pleased to able to support Janet Redler Travel and Tourism in their efforts to bring more overseas visitors to our beautiful corner of the world.”

Janet Redler, Chief Executive of Janet Redler Travel and Tourism, said: “We are so pleased that Tony Russell could join us to welcome our inaugural garden tour from Sweden. The tour was extremely well-received and we are already planning a follow up next year. We hope this will be the start of a long and successful relationship between the garden enthusiasts of Sweden and the picture perfect gardens of Wales.”

Esther Roberts, Managing Director of North Wales Tourism, was also happy with the tour and is looking forward to welcoming more visitors from Sweden. “North Wales has many fabulous gardens, from the well-known Bodnant to hidden gems such as Plas Cadnant and Brynbella. We are keen to encourage many more people from around the world to come and see just how beautiful these places are and to experience the warmth and hospitality of a trip to Wales.”

Book launch to raise funds for COFEPOW

A new book about the experiences of a Far East Prisoner of War is being launched in London on Tuesday 28 July, with 30% of the proceeds going to national charity COFEPOW.

The launch of Benedict’s Brother and the Benedict’s Appeal takes place on Tuesday 28 July in London, in conjunction with COFEPOW, at Foyles bookshop and the Victory Services Club. The charity’s supporters and all those interested are invited to go along.

The acclaimed “Book of the Year” novel by Tricia Walker is based on the story of her great uncle who was a Far East Prisoner of War and Tricia has kindly agreed to donate 30% of the book and film proceeds to COFEPOW (Children and Families of Far East Prisoners of War).

COFEPOW is a national charity dedicated to to keeping alive the memory of Far East Prisoners of War and raising awareness of the suffering they endured.

The event takes place from 9.30am to 1.30pm at Foyles on Charing Cross Road, and then from 3.30pm to 5.30pm at the Victory Services Club on Seymour Street.

Our new client is just the ticket

Ethos public relations is proud to announce it will be working with Janet Redler Travel and Tourism to help promote the tour operator’s services across the USA and Europe.

Janet Redler

Janet Redler Travel and Tourism, which has offices in Shrewsbury and Montgomery, specialises in designing tailor-made tours to the UK and Europe, with many of its customers travelling from the United States.

Speaking about the link up, Chief Executive Janet Redler said she was looking forward to working with Ethos public relations to help raise the profile of her business and to promote Wales and the borders to potential overseas visitors.

Janet said: “Europe, and especially the UK and Wales, is a great draw for American visitors due to the fantastic variety of destinations and our rich heritage. At the moment, the very favourable dollar exchange rate is also helping to attract people from the US. Working with Ethos public relations, we are really looking forward to raising our profile further and bringing more visitors to experience all that the UK and Europe has to offer.”

Shaun Fisher, a Director at Ethos public relations, who has first hand experience of American business, said: “We are really looking forward to working with Janet and her team to help promote the services they provide to a wide audience. Janet Redler Travel and Tourism is a great fit for our business as we both share a passion for travel and the international bonds and friendship it can bring.”

Ethos public relations will be helping Janet Redler Travel and Tourism with a wide range of communications support, including public relations, social media and website support.

For more information visit Janet Redler Travel and Tourism.

Technology makes managing money easier

A new text messaging service from London Capital Credit Union will help savers and borrowers keep track of their money by allowing them to find out their account balances using their mobile phone.

Martin Groombridge, Chief Executive at London Capital Credit Union

The locally-owned credit union offers both savings accounts and affordable loans and the text balance service is one of a number of ways that London Capital Credit Union is making managing money easier. Members can already access their accounts online and a new mobile app is due to be launched later this year.

By texting the words “mybalance” to the credit union at any time, credit union members who have registered their mobile phone numbers can receive a text message listing their account balances. Balances are updated in real time, meaning loans, savings accounts and membership account balances are all shown on the text service.

Martin Groombridge, Chief Executive of London Capital Credit Union, said: “Staying in control of your money is easiest when you know how much money you have in your account so we are pleased to be able to introduce this new service to help our members manage their money.

“Our new text messaging service is available 24 hours a day so members can check their balances at any time. Texts are charged at standard rates and it is free for members to receive their balance information.”

Martin added: “We like the human touch and are proud of the advice we can give to our members face to face, but we know there is a role for modern technology to help members keep track of their own finances.”

Find out more at www.credit-union.coop.

New chapter at Ethos public relations

We have always had a global, open view on the world and after more than 16 years of trading from central Manchester and Chester we have moved further south to Shropshire.

Cae Glas Park, Oswestry, Shropshire

Even when based in the North West, our clients have always spanned the UK, from Dumfries and Galloway in Scotland for example, across to Belfast and down to London and the South East. We have even worked across the water in Norway, Switzerland and Brussels, so we are no strangers to serving our clients’ needs wherever that should be.

Over the past 16 years we have seen a massive change in the way media relations and marketing are delivered; we can still remember having to send (usually black and white) photographs to newspapers in the post. A few years later it was possible to fax information through to newsdesks, although the photos still had to be posted.

Later still, technology had advanced enough that some journalists had an email address and in the early 2000s we even introduced live website updates from an event we were working at – that was long before Facebook and Twitter, if, like us, you can remember those days.

Thanks to technology, it is possible to manage a successful PR, marketing and communications business from almost anywhere in the country and what better place to have an office than Shropshire, one of England’s most beautiful counties?

Since setting up in Shropshire, we have been busy making links with local businesses that can support us, but we won’t be leaving behind our friends in Manchester. The very same technology that means we can work in Shropshire means we can also commission work from suppliers around the country, so it’s a win-win situation.

Our two latest clients – London Capital Credit Union and charity COFEPOW – can be assured of the same high quality service from us as any Shropshire based business looking for effective public relations and communications support.

So here’s to a new chapter in the Ethos public relations story.

Donation to help offer affordable finance

A donation of £10, 000 to London Capital Credit Union will help bring affordable loans to those in the shadow of the City of London’s financial centre.

Linklaters, a leading global law firm, has made the donation to help spread the word about credit unions and affordable credit. The donation is part of Linklaters’ commitment to making a positive impact on the neighbourhoods they operate in and providing business support to marginalised communities in areas around their offices.

Speaking about the donation, Martin Groombridge, Manager at London Capital Credit Union (LCCU), said: “As a community based financial organisation we are always keen to work with others to help bring our services to more people in need of debt advice and affordable credit.

“We will be using this donation to promote the credit union to many more people in the communities in which we operate, helping to bring affordable financial services to those who need them and keeping people out of the clutches of payday lenders and loan sharks.”

Matt Sparkes, Global Head of Corporate Responsibility at Linklaters, said: “As a Living Wage employer, we recognise the importance of ensuring all of our people can maintain a good quality of life. Our investment in LCCU strengthens this commitment by enabling them and others to borrow at fair rates and with a lender who is focused on their wellbeing. We would urge other businesses to also show that they want the best for local people and so invest in this important initiative.”

To find out more about becoming a member of London Capital Credit Union, please visit www.credit-union.coop.

Investment boost for Northumberland home care service

Five of Bell View Help at Home’s newly appointed care workers.

A social enterprise dedicated to providing high quality home care to older people in north Northumberland has been launched with the help of a loan from Big Issue Invest.

Bell View Help at Home is a social enterprise which delivers home care with an emphasis on well-being, allowing older people to socialise with others and live successfully in their own homes.

Bell View is a registered charity which has been in operation since 1998 and runs a purpose built resource centre in Belford, Northumberland, offering care and support facilities for the elderly in the area. Now, thanks to a loan from Big Issue Invest, the social investment arm of The Big Issue, Bell View has established a new Help at Home service, to provide reliable and consistent care and support to older people in their own homes.

“We wanted to deliver an innovative way of providing care for older people,” says Jane Field, Service Development Manager at Bell View. “Not like the old kind of home care, chucking breakfast in front of you and going out the door. We wanted to offer an integrated package of support to people in the community.

“Although, in many ways, a social enterprise is just like any other type of business, it can be difficult for traditional lenders to see that our aims go beyond profit, and they are sometimes wary to lend to us. That’s where Big Issue Invest came in.”

Rod Jones, Regional Director for the North East and Cumbria at Big Issue Invest, explains: “As a lender we exist to help worthwhile social businesses like Bell View Help at Home to access the funding they need to grow and develop, so that they can help more people and communities.”

Running a home care service in an area which covers 150 square miles between Alnwick and Berwick is no mean feat. Qualified carers help with everything from supermarket trips to cleaning, but older people are also offered the chance to get out of the house and join lunch clubs at Belford day centre or in participating village halls. Local volunteers help out with transport and befriending services, making it a true community enterprise.

Bell View Help at Home has been going since February, and is already delivering over 300 hours of care a week, allowing elderly people to remain independent and live more flexibly in their own communities. Those who otherwise might be housebound by chronic illness have still been able to get out and do their own shopping, while one lady uses Help at Home two days a week to give her family a break or when her other carers go on holiday.

Families are pleased, too. One customer said: “The Help at Home service is the best thing that has happened to our family. My father is like a different man.”

Rod Jones adds: “Bell View Help at Home is a revolutionary service providing real care for elderly people, allowing them to remain independent and live more flexibly in their own communities, and Big Issue Invest is pleased to have been able to help them.

“At a time when many small businesses are struggling to access finance, Big Issue Invest is here to support social businesses in the North East, be they charities, co-operatives or social enterprises like Help at Home. People can find out more at our website www.bigissueinvest.com.”

A busy week at Ethos public relations!

It has been another busy week for us at Ethos public relations, working on a wide variety of projects as usual.

At the weekend, we attended a new business meeting with a national charity, which is developing an exciting anniversary project for next year. It was lovely for us to meet such enthusiastic, committed people.

On Monday, we set up a BBC radio interview for one of our clients, which was broadcast yesterday. In addition, we have arranged an interview for a community radio programme, which will be recorded next week.

For the last few days, we have been liaising with a graphic designer and one of clients to develop a new logo for an online business. We have also been working with a client on a naming project for a new system they are implementing.

There’s never a dull moment at Ethos public relations!

If you would like to know more about how we can help help you, please do contact us.

Sea Shanty Festival in Ellesmere Port

The fourth National Sea Shanty Festival takes place at the National Waterways Museum in Ellesmere Port over the Easter weekend (18-20 April 2014).

Over 3, 000 visitors are expected to visit the Festival during the weekend, and visitors will be able to explore the National Waterways Museum, listen to the shanty singers during the day and find out more about the seafaring traditions of the North West.

Coinciding with the Annual Boat Gathering at the museum, the Shanty UK festival brings together nearly 100 performers in seven different venues within the museum for three exciting days of singing, concerts, boat trips, museum tours, nautical poetry, puppet-making, face painting and much more.

According to Julia Batters of Shanty UK, the Festival is designed as a fun event for the whole family. Julia said: “The UK has a long tradition of sea shanties and maritime singing and our annual Festival is helping to keep this tradition alive for future generations.”
The highlight of the Festival is two concerts taking place within the museum on Friday and Saturday nights, which feature a number of acts from across the UK and Europe.

Entrance to the National Waterways Museum for the Sea Shanty Festival and Annual Boat Gathering costs £6.50 for all three days (10am – 5pm). Tickets for the evening concerts are £10 each night and can be reserved online at www.shanty.org.uk/our_festival