PLMR Group Media Snapshot: September 2024

September was a very busy month for sports, politics, and the ever-changing weather! This month the Summer Paralympics 2024 came to an end with Team GB ending the tournament with 124 medals, including 49 golds. Glasgow was also formally announced as the host for the Commonwealth Games in 2026.

September also saw the return of the party conference season, with PLMR colleagues attending the Lib Dem Conference, the Labour Paty Conference and the beginning of the Conservative Party Conference. We were delighted to return to the Labour Party Conference this year with our most highly attended PLMR Policy Hub yet. Across 18 carefully curated and organised events, we hosted Government Ministers, Metro Mayors, and senior policymakers to discuss the critical issues affecting a variety of sectors, from animal health and education to health, social care and skills.

Our wide range of events included panel discussions on how Britain can deliver clean power and make it work for consumers; how we can develop a fair and sustainable funding system for higher education; and how we can overcome the hurdles to spreading innovation in social care. Party conferences represent a strategically important moment of each calendar year for our clients, enabling them to engage with key stakeholders, keep informed on policy proposals, and build professional networks with relevant industry figures.

In equal effort, we continued to secure a fantastic array of international, national, broadcast, trade and regional coverage for our clients. Read on to find out more about some of our media highlights for September 2024!

The Guardian: How going phone-free taught pupils at English secondary ‘to socialise, old school’

Client: Ormiston Academies Trust

Sector: Education

PLMR supports Ormiston Academies Trust to raise the positive profile of its academies, leaders, and expertise across their communities and the education sector. In September, PLMR helped Ormiston to launch an announcement for all its academies to start going mobile-phone-free moving forward. This follows specific guidance from the Department for Education and growing evidence around the negative impacts of mobile phones on children’s learning, behaviour and mental health, and has been a topical focus for many schools and Trusts in recent months.

PLMR worked with Ormiston to craft a positive story around its decision to go phone-free, securing the opportunity for a journalist from The Guardian to visit an academy which had already gone phone-free, alongside pitching an article which represented the Trust’s focus on learning opportunities and student wellbeing. The initial article made the front-page splash in The Guardian on Saturday, alongside online articles from the Trust and the individual academy.

The story quickly picked up media interest, securing 78 pieces of coverage for the Trust overall across national, trade, and local media. This included an interview with the CEO on BBC Breakfast, articles in The Telegraph, The Times, Daily Mail, LBC, The Mirror, The Independent, the BBC and various BBC streams including BBC Radio 1, Radio 5 Breakfast, and the Today Programme.

Construction News: Homebuilding targets risk piling pressure on workers’ mental health

Client: SOS Silence of Suicide

Sector: Charity

Suicide prevention charity, SOS Silence of Suicide, approached PLMR Advent to help it publicise the launch of its new mobile wellbeing hubs, which proactively take mental health support out into parts of the community that need it most.

The charity’s priority was to first engage with the business community. After consulting with the charity, we identified that construction workers are four times more likely to take their own life compared to workers in any other sector – and so we set our sights on exploring ways that the charity could effectively reach decision-makers in the industry.

At the time, the PLMR Advent team identified the government’s recently-announced plans to build 1.5 million new homes as a strong news hook to base a thought leadership piece on, which explored what impact these new targets could have on construction workers’ mental health – while also talking about the wellbeing hub and the role it could play.

Construction News, one of the industry’s leading titles read by senior construction professionals, was our target publication. We successfully pitched to them and helped to place the charity and its aims in front of a core target audience.

Care Home Professional: Expert panel of MPs and leaders discuss the future of social care

Client: PLMR

Sector: Home Care

PLMR’s healthcare team worked closely with the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE), a leading independent social care charity, to co-host a panel at the Labour Party Conference and position social care at the forefront of the week’s conversations and policy agendas.

For the panel, we secured Anna Dixon MP for Shipley, who has formerly served as an advisor to the Department for Health and Social Care and as CEO of the Centre for Ageing Better; Ben Coleman MP, who formerly held the role of Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Social Care in Hammersmith and Fulham; Dr Clenton Farquharson CBE, Associate Director of Think Local Act Personal (TLAP); and Sarah Jones, Chief Executive Officer of Anchor for the event.

The panel was chaired by SCIE’s CEO, Kathryn Smith, and explored how we can overcome barriers to innovation in social care. The discussion covered everything from the role of technology and integration to breaking down silos, funding, the role of the workforce, improving local areas to be more accessible, and the relationship with the NHS.

The venue was packed, standing room only, and audience members enjoyed hearing from the panel’s two recently elected MPs about their experiences of social care innovation that they are bringing to Government. A highlight of the event was a powerful question and answer session with the audience, during which people shared their personal experiences and ideas for enhancing the healthcare system.

CN First Site Podcast: The Grenfell Tower Inquiry Report with Gill Hancock and Tom Thurlow

Client: Association for Project Management (APM)

Sector: Project Management

Following the tragedy at Grenfell Tower, APM chaired Working Group 10 under the Competence Steering Group as required by the Building Safety Act 2022. Working Group 10 produced a 15-page report regarding the competence framework for project managers working across the built environment which contributed to the overall government report and official discussions on future high-rise building safety in England. This meant APM was well-placed to comment on the Grenfell Inquiry Final Report.

Therefore, in advance of its publication, we drafted and pitched to trade media APM’s preview statement and availability to comment with critical analysis both on the day and reflectively. This proactiveness earned a spot on Construction News’ dedicated Grenfell podcast along with editorials in several other leading trade magazines. The reaction comment achieved more than 20 cuttings.

Tes: 5 practical steps our school took to boost attendance

Client: Bradford Diocesan Academies Trust

Sector: Education

PLMR has supported Bradford Diocesan Academies Trust (BDAT), a multi-academy trust based in Bradford, since 2021, working to promote the Trust’s initiatives and best practices across local and trade media.

To address the national pupil absence crisis felt within many schools across the country, one of BDAT’s secondary academies, Bradford Forster Academy, designed and implemented a robust attendance strategy to support its pupils and families to achieve better attendance.

PLMR engaged leading trade publication, Tes, to commission a top-tips article from the Academy’s Headteacher, Gemma Earles, who oversaw the attendance strategy alongside many key staff members. Within the article, Gemma shared advice based on the positive experience of the Academy as it embedded its attendance strategy, as well as key learnings from engagement with the school community. The article serves as an example of the Trust’s commitment to supporting pupils and families and promoting best practices across the sector in one of the leading trade publications.

In other news...

Labour Party Conference - A busy, yet flat affair

Client: PLMR Healthcomms

Sector: Health

This year’s Labour Party Conference in Liverpool marked a significant moment as the first for the party in government in 15 years. With 20,000 attendees and a sold-out business day, the atmosphere was bustling, yet many described it as surprisingly flat given the party’s recent electoral triumph.

While ministers were present at various events, feedback from businesses highlighted frustrations over limited engagement and access, starkly contrasting last year’s enthusiasm. As discussions unfolded, it became clear that the transition from opposition to governing presents challenges, particularly in rebuilding confidence among business leaders.

As we look ahead to the upcoming Budget, the expectation for clarity and actionable plans grows. The government’s success hinges on its ability to deliver on key priorities: economy, health, education, and law and order.

We’ll be back next month with PLMR Group’s latest media hits, but in the meantime you can read more about PLMR’s award-winning PR services over on our case studies page.

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