Communication specialist Orchard has won three awards at the Chartered Institute of Public Relations PRide Awards for the South of England and Channel Islands region.
The agency scooped the coveted ‘PR Consultancy of the Year’ title and received two further silver awards for client campaigns.
The agency, which is celebrating its 25th year in business, fought off tough competition from four other agencies based around the region to the take the title. Judges gave high praise to the Guernsey-based business commenting that their entry demonstrated ‘strong strategic thinking around business growth, and an investment in staff’.
“To say I am proud is an absolute understatement. Our hard-working team are fantastic, and they have a bucketload of ambition. We don’t enter awards to pat ourselves on the back, we enter because it keeps us at the top of our game and this award confirms that we’re up there alongside the best practitioners in the UK.
“We’re also thrilled that once again Orchard has represented Guernsey on a wider business stage, showing the capacity there is in the island to do award-winning work.”
Orchard’s campaign with Skipton International, launching ‘Purple Monday, took silver in the ‘Regional campaign of the year’ category. Designed to positively impact the community’s wellbeing on ‘Blue Monday’, which is often characterised as the most depressing day of the year, the campaign dispelled the stigma of mental health issues and positioned Skipton International as a wellbeing champion.
Also receiving silver, this time in the ‘Low Budget’ category was Orchard’s work with the Health Improvement Commission. The educational ‘Count 14’ campaign reached local adults with the message that to lower health risks from alcohol they should not exceed 14 units of alcohol per week and ideally they should spread them over 3 days or more.
“We believe in communications as a force for good,” said Brooke. “Picking up these awards reaffirms our belief that we can develop brilliant PR campaigns that make a real impact for our clients, so I must say a big thank to you them for choosing to work with us,”
Orchard employs a team of 13, specialises in digital, social and PR and collected its ninth industry award in the last five years with this win.
The CIPR PRide Awards, this year presented by former BBC Breakfast presenter Louise Minchin, recognise and reward outstanding work across nine UK regions over the last 24 months. They are a celebration of exceptional talent and a reflection of public relations best practice.
