CIPR Awards: Brian Beech honoured; Hat-trick for Peppermint Soda

INDUSTRY veteran Brian Beech’s commitment to the North West PR sector over the last 20 years was recognised last night at the annual CIPR awards.

More than 350 people attended the CIPR PRide Awards at Lancashire Cricket Club, where Beech, who leads Havas PR, was hailed as Outstanding PR professional.

Cumbria County Council was crowned as the North West’s Outstanding In-House Public Relations team whilst Manchester-based JAMpr was named Outstanding Small Consultancy.

Fast-growing Hale-based agency Peppermint Soda scopped a hatrick of awards for its #LiveTransplant campaign which streamed the first ever live hair transplant. Rick Guttridge’s Smoking Gun PR was another notbale winner, collecting two awards.

The regional  arm of Weber Shandiwck collected three gold awards on the night and was named as the Outstanding Public Relations Consultancy of the Year.

There was a special award on the night for Margaret Aspinall who was presented with the Communicator of the Year award in recognition of her 25-year fight for justice for the families of those who died in the Hillsborough disaster.

CIPR North West chair Erin Portsmouth MCIPR said “It makes me extremely proud to see so much talent and creativity being recognised here in the North West.

“The standard of entries this year was incredibly high and all of those who were shortlisted or who won an award should be congratulated on designing and delivering some of the best public relations campaigns in the UK.”

The full list of the 2013 North West PRide Awards winners is as follows:
 
 
•    Corporate and Business Communications Campaign – Sealed Air: Will it break? – Weber Shandwick
•    Not-for-profit campaign – Crufts Factor 2013 – Smoking Gun PR
•    Internal Communications Campaign – Your Voice, Our Manchester – University of Manchester
•    Community Relations Campaign – Not a game – United Utilities and Judge & Howard
•    Public Sector Campaign – Free breakfast launch – Blackpool Council
•    Low Budget Campaign – #LiveTransplant – Peppermint Soda
•    Healthcare Campaign – Love your Liver 2013 – Democracy
•    Consumer Relations Campaign – #LiveTransplant – Peppermint Soda
•    Best Use of Media Relations – Hats off to Love Hearts – RMS
•    Integrated Campaign – Superfoods – Cameron Wells/PMI Health Group
•    Best Use of Social Media – The BMX Supercross comes to Manchester – Rule 5
•    Best Technology Campaign – Death of the Desktop – MC2
•    Best External Publication – This is our life – Regenda resident annual report 2012 – The Regenda Group
•    Best Internal Publication – Staff magazine gets star treatment – Cumbria County Council
•    Best Use of Digital – #LiveTransplant – Peppermint Soda
•    Best Event – #LiveTransplant – Peppermint Soda
•    Corporate Social Responsibility Campaign – Simple Actions – The Kaleidoscope Consortium
•    Issues and Crisis Management – David vs. Goliath: Putting the right stone in the sling – Democracy/Black White Denim
•    Best Use of Photography or Design – Weber Shandwick help Zip World reach new heights – Weber Shandwick
•    Outstanding Young Communicator – Lee Cullen MCIPR – de Winter PR
•    Outstanding Small Consultancy – JAMpr
•    Outstanding In-House Public Relations Team – Cumbria County Council
•    Outstanding Public Relations Consultancy – Weber Shandwick
•    Best Use of Planning, Research, Measurement and Evaluation – Crufts Factor 2013 – Smoking Gun PR
•    Outstanding PR Professional – Brian Beech MCIPR
•    Communicator of the Year – Margaret Aspinall