December 2007
Coverage leads to more volunteers for iT4Communities
iT4Communities held their annual IT Volunteering Awards and sent Community Newswire a generic Winners Press Release. Community Newswire editor subsequently wrote individual stories for each of the 4 winners and distributed the stories through the wire.
iT4Communities’ Development Consultant Josh Hoole said: ‘Thanks to the work of Community Newswire and the media coverage, iT4Communities increased registrations of volunteers and charities and even had an interview on RNIB’s Insight Radio!’
Media coverage:
Cover story of the Halifax Courier, Mental Health Foundation website and RNIB’s Insight Radio
December 2007
Thanks for your support - we won!
The Norfolk Deaf Association had been shortlisted to receive lottery funding for a mini bus to visit and help people in rural areas with their hearing aids and any other information they need assistance with. They needed media coverage as unfortunately, many people who are deaf or hard of hearing are not able to make telephone calls to vote for the service to win and as such they needed the support of the local public.
Mrs Cym Cant, Vice-Chair Norfolk Deaf Association contacted Community Newswire and asked for some assistance with getting their story out. She was delighted with the support and emailed to say: ‘Thanks for your support - we won!’
Media coverage:
www.norwichdeafclub.co.uk, www.networknorwich.co.uk, Lynn News, Watton & Swaffham Times
December 2007
Skydivers hit local press
A group of daring fundraisers who took part in a sponsored skydive generated £35,000 for two charities. The 35-strong team came from the North London branch of charity Sewa International which supports good causes around the world through its volunteer networks. They will donate the money to Refuge and Macmillan Cancer Support.
Community Newswire ran the story which was picked up by press local to the North London branch.
Media coverage:
Local media
December 2007
Local coverage brings communities together
A Northamptonshire community encouraged newcomers to the area to drop in for the day to learn more about the services it has to offer. The idea for the Discover Corby open day came from the Corby Community Partnership (CCP), which aims to bring people in the community together.
Community Newswire story ran in the local newspapers and local television news.
Media coverage:
Local media including BBC Look East
November 2007
Britain's Bengali Community digs deep for cyclone victims
Community Newswire covered the story of relief charity Muslim Aid's fundraising appeal for victims of Cyclone Sidr, which swept along the Bay of Bengal and into southern Bangladesh earlier this month.
The coverage in the Peterborough local media helped to extend their appeal in this region. The charity said Bengalis living in Britain had responded extremely generously and so far has managed to raise over £300,000.
Media coverage:
Peterborough Telegraph and www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk
November 2007
Celebrity Chefs cook up charity book
Celebrity chefs Jamie Oliver, Nigella Lawson and Ainsley Harriot contributed to a new cookbook in a bid to raise money for an Essex children's hospice.
Community Newswire ran the story which was picked up by the local Essex press, much to the delight of the children's hospice.
The Little Cooks Recipe Book features recipes from the TV chefs along with those from children, families and staff at the Little Haven's Children's Hospice, which cares for life-limited children. The book can be bought via the charity's website.
Media coverage:
Essex radio stations, Echo and Essex FM and various local newspapers
November 2007
Children take over... for the day.
As part of England’s first 11 Million Takeover Day, hundreds of children stepped into the shoes of charity bosses. The Scouts was one of the organisations that allowed children to take over the running of the day-to-day business.
The story went up on the Community Newswire and was picked up by the local and regional media giving good coverage of the Scouts contribution to Takeover Day.
Simon Carter, Director of Communications for The Scout Association said 'I find the Community Newswire Service a real help when we are selling in our stories. The service reaches places and journalists we can't reach by any other method. It's a great service for the a voluntary sector organisation like ours.'
Media coverage:
BBC and ITV Local news coverage and various local and regional newspapers across England
November 2007
New training scheme launched to train North West school cooks
A new training scheme for teachers, school cooks and teaching assistants in the North West was announced via Community Newswire and quickly picked up by local press.
The School FEAST (Food Excellence and Skills Training) centres will work in partnership with St Helens College, Manchester Metropolitan University and the Manchester Primary Care Trust in what is being hailed as a "revolutionary" training move by the Government's School Food Trust.
Ed Balls, Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, said "These centres will train school cooks from across the country and make sure that they are able to prepare meals from healthy fresh ingredients, taking these skills back to their schools.”
Media coverage:
Manchester Evening News, Birmingham Post and www.mmu.ac.uk/news
October 2007
Coverage helps to build a community - literally
Community Newswire covered Henshaw's College’s launch of their £1 million 'Buy a brick' campaign to raise funds for desperately needed on-site accommodation and facilities. Funding will provide fully adapted, spacious living quarters for 22 students with physical disabilities.
The Harrogate college was delighted when their appeal gained extensive local and online media coverage through Community Newswire pointing people to their fundraising website.
Media coverage:
Harrogate Advertiser, Yorkshire Post, Ripon Gazette, www.9XB.net, www.knaresborough.co.uk and www.yorkshire-forward.com
October 2007
Local coverage raising local awareness
A card to help people with autism in Essex and Suffolk to explain their situation to others was launched to coincide with the start of Autism Awareness Week.
The Essex Autistic Society launched the campaign in association with local police hoping to reduce misunderstanding by authorities of young people with autism. As part of the campaign local MP Bob Russell presented a giant version of the card to a young boy with autism.
This story was picked up straight from Community Newswire and ran online and locally, raising the profile of the new Autism Alert card within the local community.
Coverage achieved:
Clacton and Frinton Gazette, www.essex.police.uk/news, www.24dash.com, www.bbc.co.uk, BBC action network, www.essexonline.gov.uk and www.essexinfo.net
October 2007
Hopeful boost for volunteer numbers from successful coverage
In October the Mayor of Wandsworth met with some of the volunteers involved with the Wandsworth Active Futures project and officially opened a photographic exhibition at the local library about Active Futures.
Active Futures staff were pleased the story was picked up straight from Community Newswire and ran online and locally. They hope that the successful coverage will encourage more people to volunteer to help them in the future.
The Active Futures project, run by the Volunteer Centre Wandsworth, works with people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.
(Photo courtesy of PA photos)
September 2007
Independent success for British Liver Trust
Community Newswire reporter Natalie Chalk wrote an article regarding the response by British Liver Trust to a recent survey.
The survey found that the amount of alcohol consumed every week by young people has almost doubled in five years and is leaving teenagers at risk of significant health problems in later life.
The story was picked up immediately from the Newswire and ran the following day in the Independent.
Sarah Mathews from British Liver Trust was thrilled with the result and said ‘It’s great to get coverage in The Independent’.
September 2007
Busy air ambulance service receives local coverage
Community Newswire ran the story regarding the country's busiest air ambulance service who felt it was time they received Lottery funding to help save lives.
Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance (WNAA) said it had been told its service did not meet the criteria of Big Lottery Fund, the National Lottery's largest distributor of money to good causes, but had not been given reasons why.
After the story went out on the Newswire it received prominent coverage in the Northampton Chronicle & Echo, as well as numerous local radio stations.
Carole Scott said “Community Newswire is an invaluable resource and I am always keen to work with your journalists whenever I can. Appearing on the UK’s leading newswire adds a weight to a story, but also means that it is fed in to newsrooms directly."
September 2007
Survey Reveals patterns between faith and fortune
Community Newswire ran the story by Professor Allan Brimicombe, head of the centre for geo-information studies at the University of East London which found that religion is a stronger determinant of residential segregation in London than ethnicity, a study has revealed.
The story was picked up directly from the Newswire by LBC radio.
Patrick Wilson Head of Public Relations University of East London said: "Community Newswire provides an excellent service and we have found it effective in communicating our relevant news and events to a wider audience."
September 2007
Mr Motivator inspires MS sufferers
Community Newswire covered the launch of an exercise DVD with TV fitness guru Mr Motivator inspiring people with multiple sclerosis to get moving.
Following research which found almost half of people with the debilitating neurological condition do not take regular exercise, the Multiple Sclerosis Trust produced the DVD titled 'Move It For MS'.
The story was covered by ITN news.
Simon Webster at Multiple Sclerosis Trust said “"We are really pleased that Community Newswire and ITN picked up on the launch of 'Move it for MS'. In the DVD, Mr Motivator makes exercise for people with MS accessible and fun and we hope this coverage will help us reach as many people as possible."
For more information about the 'Move It For MS' DVD, see www.mstrust.org.uk/moveit.
August 2007
Paintings highlight Indian-Caribbean heritage
Dharma Jyotir Sabha, which means from darkness into light is an organisation which has been looking after the needs of the over 50s from the Indian-Caribbean community for more than 20 years. They approached Community Newswire asking for help to get their story out there.
They wanted to let people know about their free exhibition of paintings telling the story of their forefathers who came from various parts of India - Bihar, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh - and arrived in Trinidad and Guyana in 1845, to raise awareness of the Indian-Caribbean heritage and share our experiences with the wider community.
General secretary Irene Singh greatly appreciated the help with writing her first press release.
August 2007
Grandmother calls for ban on teens using air guns
Community Newswire team helped Mary Knott, grandmother-of-five from Kent, who runs animal rescue centre Cats in Crisis, to write her first press release and put her story out.
She started her campaign for tougher restrictions on the use of air rifles after a cat was found dead in nearby village with a number of pellets in its body. Mary felt there had been a recent increase in the use of BB guns, pellet guns and air rifles to shoot at animals, the elderly and the disabled in Thanet.
Mrs Knott wants the age of ownership increased to 21 and a ban to prevent anyone younger from buying or using them and has set up an e petition - petitions.pm.gov.uk/restrictairguns
Mary was delighted with the help and support offered by Community Newswire.
August 2007
Regional press cover cheeky charity stunt
Malecancer.net is a website dedicated to raising awareness of testicular and colon cancer to young men. As a way to fundraise and broaden reach, "Mr Testicles", the charity's mascot, thumbed lifts from Land's End to John O'Groats, stopping in more than 20 towns and cities along the way to talk to the public about male cancer.
Community Newswire ran the stories and photographs for each leg of the journey. The walk was subsequently covered by numerous local media, essential to the project as locals were being asked to offer free accommodation and sustenance to the team.
Patrick Cox, Male Cancer Awareness Director, said ‘Thanks to Community Newswire we received a great deal of news coverage all along the route and received warm and friendly welcomes. Community Newswire is a fantastic service and I highly recommend it!’
July 2007
A true success story - Claremont Community Centre
Community Newswire helped Nalia Hussain, the director of the Claremont Community centre to put together a press release and get the story out to journalists through the Newswire service. A true success story, The Centre in Bradford is designed to bring together people from all ethnic backgrounds.
Coverage was obtained accross a wide range of media including the Telegraph & Argus , BBC Bristol, and the jobsgopublic.com website news section.
Nalia said to the Community Newswire team, "Thank you so much for all your help in preparing the press release. It looks great.
We will also be getting a slot on Bradford Community Broadcasting and BBC Bristol came to film us when I was being interviewed as part of a program they are making on the subject of immigrants.
Many thanks again."
July 2007
Moss Side Pride
Community Newswire helped Moss Side Pride to write their first press release and put it out on the Newswire service. The story was to raise coverage and awareness for an event in Moss Side staged to encourage a "feel-good factor" in the south Manchester suburb notorious for gang culture and gun crime.
The event was also a chance to bring together people from Moss Side's diverse communities and for families from the area to meet representatives from voluntary organisations and learn about the local services available to them.
Natalie Teniola from Moss Side Pride was delighted after Moss Side Pride were interviewed by M Channel a local community TV station.
(Image © saraina. From BigStockPhoto.com)
June 2007
Blackpool Tiggers triathalon sucess
Two children who have rare genetic disorders recently undertook a special "triathlon" to raise money for Blackpool Tiggers, a volunteer-run sports club for children who have autism, and the Culpepper Western Charity Show Team, which stages Wild West re-enactments to raise money to support local children with disabilities.
The Triathalon story got some excellent coverage in the local newspapers. The Blackpool Evening Gazette spoke with both sets of parents and asked for a photo of both children together and put a 3/4 page report in the paper and the reports also ran in the Lytham Express and the Fleetwood Gazette/Express.
"So once again a big thank you to Community Newswire for their excellent coverage and help."
June 2007
Chance to Shine
Community Newswire ran the story regarding a cricketer who coaches in local schools through Chance to Shine, who had been called up by the West Indies for the next one-day match with England Lions at Worcester.
Head of Communications for Chance to Shine, the campaign run by the Cricket Foundation to regenerate the sport in state schools, said “ Thanks to the speedy reaction of Community Newswire to my story, it was picked up by The Times straight away. Community Newswire is a fantastic service – thanks again.”
May 2007
Plea for calm in sacred bull row
Jay Lakhani, director of the Vivekananda Centre, a small London-based Hindu educational charity submitted a press release to Community Newswire ‘Plea for calm in sacred bull row.’ Mr Lakhani attempted to hose down a row over the fate of a sacred bull which was due to be slaughtered after testing positive for bovine tuberculosis.
Shambo the bull lives at the Skanda Vale Temple in the hamlet of Llanpumsaint, west Wales, which is host to a community of 20 Hindu monks and six nuns.
The six-year-old bull had become the focus of a high profile campaign, with temple leaders warning his death could spark outrage among Hindus around the world. The story was picked up BBC Asia Net, BBC Radio Wales and ITV in Wales.
May 2007
National press success
The National Autistic Society sent their press release “All locked up and no place to go” to the Community Newswire. The release covered effects on the human rights of people with autism following the government’s announcement of proposed changes to the Mental Health Bill.
PA journalist and Community Newswire editor Ros Hutt, wrote a story on the Mental Health Bill which included the concerns of the National Autistic Society. The article was picked up by Daily Mail who ran the story the following day.
The National Autistic Society said ‘We made the Daily Mail with your help - thanks very much!’
April 2007
Volunteers invest skills in Time Bank scheme
Time Banks UK is the national umbrella charity linking and supporting time banks across the country. Time banks link people locally to share their time and skills. Everyone's time is equal: one hour of your time earns you one time credit to spend when you need to.
The story on Community Newswire included details of one of the most successful time banks, Torridge Time Bank in Devon run by Help the Aged where more than 1,000 hours were exchanged in April. The story was picked up by BBC Radio Devon and on the back of that the local paper also did a piece. The organiser is delighted and so is Help the Aged as the time bank is aimed at older people and part supported by them.
