Bristol public relations firms are celebrating success in prestigious 2014 CIPR South of England and the Channel Islands PRide Awards held in the city last Friday.
The eagerly-contested awards, staged by the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR), champion the best PR campaigns, practitioners and organisations with many of the region's major agencies and in-house teams featuring on the shortlists.
This year the list of contenders was drawn from a much enlarged region stretching from Kent to Cornwall and taking in the Channel Islands. 
Topping the honours board was Bristol-based brand engagement agency Synergy Creative, which received four Gold awards. Its haul included two for work with engineering, construction and mining equipment firm Caterpillar which picked up the prizes for Integrated Campaign and Best Use of Research, Planning, Measurement and Evaluation.
Judges commended Synergy for “transforming Caterpillar, previously a small player in the rubber tracks industry, into a major player – increasing sales across Europe, Africa and the Middle East by 137% against a target of just 50%.”
Synergy also won Best Internal publication award for the Stories from the Heart employee magazine it produces for Experian, while its Bringing Vision and Values Alive campaign for international law firm Olswang was awarded the Best Internal Communications Campaign.
Synergy director Gemma McGrattan said: “We are obviously always delighted to win awards but it’s always satisfying to be recognised on your local patch. The PRide Awards attract a huge number of entries from some great agencies and in-house teams so we’re thrilled to been successful in so many categories.”
Also winning big at the event, which was attended by 300 people, was Bristol PR firm Inside Media.
Inside Media founder Simon Russell collected two Gold and one Silver award.
He said: “To enjoy such success, given the reach this year was all of the South of England, is really pleasing and testament to the great work the team here consistently produces.
“For us, the PRide Awards are a measure of the support we offer clients and if our peers believe that that merits recognition we must be getting things right for the people we work with and that is important.”
Pam Lloyds, CIPR South West group chair and owner of Bristol-based Pam Lloyd PR, added: “Winners of the first ever South of England & Channel Islands CIPR PRide Awards should be very proud of themselves their teams and their work.
“It took a lot of belief to enter this year, to compete for a PRide award which represents the highest standards in public relations and now extends right across the south of the country and beyond. The CIPR South West committee has been delighted to welcome members from all over the extended region to Bristol.”
Southern Water, based in Sussex, won the Community Relations Campaign and Best External Publication Gold Awards, and was also recognised as the Outstanding In-House Public Relations Team.
The prestigious award of Outstanding Public Relations Consultancy went to Channel Islands’ Liquid, and the Gold Award for Outstanding Young Communicator to Charlotte Merryfield of Gloucestershire County Council.
Regional Campaign of the Year was awarded to the University of Winchester which, in partnership with Hyde900, led an archaeological excavation to find the final resting place of Alfred the Great.
The event as staged at the Bristol Marriot City Centre Hotel and was hosted by writer, broadcaster and comedian Viv Groskop.
Gold Award winners from the 2014 CIPR South of England & Channel Islands PRide Awards were:
- Corporate and Business Communications Campaign: Growing a £1bn marketplace with best practice.Target Public Relations
- Not-for-Profit Campaign: Winning Hearts and Minds: Presenting Arguments Against A Cull Through The Wounded Badger Patrols. Gloucestershire Against Badger Shooting
- Internal Communications Campaign: Bringing vision and values alive. Synergy Creative and Olswang
- Community Relations Campaign: Drama in the drain. Southern Water
- Public Sector Campaign: Ordnance Survey Minecraft map of Great Britain. Ordnance Survey
- Low Budget Campaign: Stop Bus Bullies: Launching the Vodden Report. Wildwood PR
- Best Sporting Campaign: Sky Sports Living for Sport – Inspiring Schools through Sport. Midnight Communications
- Consumer Relations Campaign: Project Baobab: good for you, good for Africa. Wild Card
- Best Use of Media Relations: Conti Media Cup: Great Results for Continental Tyres. Inside Media
- Integrated Campaign: Rubber Tracks Campaign. Synergy Creative and Caterpillar
- Best Use of Social Media: Fit For Festive Fashion. Octane
- Best Technology Campaign: SETsquared – celebrating 10 years of nurturing technology start-ups. Carswell Gould
- Best External Publication: Friendly annual reporting. Southern Water
- Best Internal Publication: Stories from the Heart Employee Magazine. Synergy Creative and Experian
- Best Use of Digital: A Grand Tail. Renegade Media
- Best Event: Conti Media Cup: Great Results for Continental Tyres. Inside Media
- Issues or Crisis Management: Washed Out Chirstmas, Flooded out Valentines. Bournemouth Borough Council
- Regional Campaign of the Year: The Search for Alfred the Great. University of Winchester
- Outstanding Freelance Practitioner: Karen Tippett-Lehane MCIPR. TippettPR
- Outstanding Young Communicator: Charlotte Merryfield. Gloucestershire County Council
- Outstanding Small Consultancy. Cultural Communications
- Outstanding In-House Public Relations Team. Southern Water
- Outstanding Public Relations Consultancy. Liquid
- Best Use of Research, Planning, Measurement and Evaluation: Rubber Tracks Campaign. Synergy Creative and Caterpillar.
