We devised and launched the Calor Rural Community Fund, a scheme where off-grid communities are encouraged to submit applications to help fund local community projects.

Our main objective was to increase awareness of the organisation as a genuine rural brand, and the initiative was launched with a multi-channel media relations campaign. This resulted in thousands of applications for the fund being submitted to a dedicated website where registered users could vote for their favourites.

Those with the most votes became finalists, reviewed by a panel of independent judges featuring Business in the Community, Rural England, mental health charity Mind and Calor.

From coverage in local press to regional glossies and nationals, as well as an extensive and diverse range of community media pick-up, we secured more than 560 pieces of coverage in total, with 2.7 million opportunities to see in key media publications. The fund was also promoted through local influencers including parish councils, community foundations and MPs, as well as via social media and video content.

Due to the success of the campaign, we won both the Consumer Relations and Media Relations categories at the PRCA Dare Awards for the Midlands, while also being named Best Media Relations campaign for the whole of the UK at the national PRCA Grand Prix Awards.