The Big Issue’s Stop Mass Homelessness (SMASSH) campaign is calling on the Government to address the £360 million in rent arrears which was accrued during the pandemic, arguing this could save them over £2 billion in the future. The Big Issue team gathered statistics from local authorities across England on how the risk of homelessness has risen area-by-area across the pandemic.

Following the success of the Kids Meals Map, The Big Issue team approached PLMR to turn these statistics into something interactive that could help constituents understand the change in the risk of homelessness their area and take action.

The PLMR digital team created an online tool for the Big Issue to look up how many people are at risk of homelessness in their area and how the numbers have changed throughout the pandemic. The tool also gives concrete calls to action on how you can support the Stop Mass Homelessness campaign.

The Big Issue team were delighted by the results and shared the tool across social media and on their website.

The campaign secured a £316m Homelessness Prevention Grant to help people in England who are homeless or at risk of losing their home.

Visit the tool here: smassh.bigissue.com

Covid-19 has been an immensely challenging period for many different people and for many different reasons. Parents have often been at the forefront of this, trying to balance the stresses of home working and home schooling.

PLMR is a partner of StarLine, a national parent support service established by our client Star Academies to help parents with advice and support through the Covid-19 crisis.

StarLine was launched in April 2020 and is reaching 50,000 parents per week through its telephone helpline, weekly broadcast and social media communications, helmed by expert staff including teachers, mental health experts, parenting professionals and Ofsted inspectors.

Our support for StarLine has included recruiting partners to the programme, managing the media, and securing the support of the Secretary of State for Education Gavin Williamson.

PLMR is the UK’s leading social care communications agency, so we know how important it is to look after the interests of elderly people in society.

South London Cares is a community network of young professionals and older neighbours hanging out and helping one another in our rapidly changing city, reducing loneliness and isolation and helping to create communities across the generations.

In addition to donations in support of the organisation, each year PLMR hosts a Christmas party at our offices where our team can celebrate the festive season with some of the older members of the local community.

As the UK’s leading education communications firm, we understand the pressures faced by children and teachers. That’s why we are proud to support the Mindfulness in Schools Project, including sponsoring their 2019 annual conference. MISP teaches valuable, clinically recognised mindfulness skills in schools and online, which are designed to give participants a lifelong toolkit to build their resilience and enable them to flourish as individuals.

Inspired by Marcus Rashford’s incredible work, PLMR approached the Food Foundation (a key member of Rashford’s Child Food Poverty Task Force) with an idea to help make it as easy as possible for families to find organisations near them that were offering help.

In less than 24 hours, the PLMR digital team launched KidsMealsMap.co.uk, an online map platform designed to show all of the businesses, community organisations and councils who had already announced that they will be providing free meals to vulnerable children over the October half term.

The map was an overnight success – in its first 24 hour the map received over 20,000 visits and was shared on social media by MPs, local councils, celebrities, and the Mayor of London. The map was covered on BBC News, ITV News and received a double page spread in the Guardian highlighting the data the map had amassed.

Over the course of half term, the map achieved

• 50,000+ unique visits since launch
• Over half a million social media users reached
• Over 1,100 businesses listed on the map
• Visits from users in over 687 cities, towns and villages from all across the UK
• Visits from users in over 104 different countries

PLMR has been a longstanding supporter of Elizabeth’s Legacy of Hope, an inspiring charity helping children in the developing world who have lost their limbs through war, accidents, and lack of access to medical care.

We have provided Elizabeth’s Legacy of Hope with free office and meeting space, and sponsored many of their major fundraising initiatives including an annual carol service at Westminster Abbey featuring some of the UK’s most prominent politicians.

In 2014, we also organised the Hope Cup, a charitable football tournament at West Ham’s stadium in East London. Uniting politicians with clients and PLMR staff, the tournament was a hugely enjoyable way to raise almost £25,000 for a fantastic cause.

Combat Stress is the UK’s leading charity providing treatment for veterans with complex mental health problems, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The work they do is life-changing, and often life-saving.

PLMR worked with Combat Stress for a number of years, both as a client and through supporter donations. We are also a proud supporter of the Armed Forces Covenant.

Rotary International is a global humanitarian organisation with more than one million members based at local clubs right around the world. Each Christmas, PLMR supports colleagues to take part in their shoebox campaign, which distributes toys, clothes and useful household items to disadvantaged children and adults in Eastern Europe

The Royal Trinity Hospice is the oldest hospice in the UK, providing palliative and end of life care for people across Central and South West London since 1891.

PLMR has donated several thousands of pounds to the Royal Trinity Hospice over a number of years, and it remains an organisation close to our heart.