Poppy PR sails into Mercia Marina with contract win

Castle Donington-based Poppy PR has landed a contract with one of the largest inland marinas in Europe.

Boating, leisure and retail destination Mercia Marina, based near Willington, South Derbyshire, has instructed Poppy PR to handle all aspects of its public relations and social media.

Poppy PR, which was last year crowned winners in the Creative & Media category at the East Midlands Business Masters Awards, will be promoting the marina’s shopping, eating and office space at the 77-acre beauty spot as well as the venue’s forthcoming investment and growth plans.

Tina Clough, managing director of Poppy PR, said: “Mercia Marina is an amazing location. We are so proud to have added another award-winning business to our portfolio. We are literally beaming.

“Our PR crew can’t wait to show the wider public just what this hugely popular destination has to offer.”

Phil Stubbs, Clough’s fellow director at Poppy PR, had formerly worked with Mercia Marina for a number of years through his previous firm Stubbs PR.

“I was delighted to receive a call asking us to pitch once again for this fantastic account,” he said. “Mercia Marina is so much more than a marina – there’s so much going on there all the time, so it was always a joy to discover what they were up to next.

“With 800,000 visitors every year and over 600 moorings, which have always been at or near capacity, there’s always an endless supply of inspiration for good news stories. And the spectacular scenery always makes a great splash in terms of photographic possibilities.”

Robert Neff, Mercia Marina’s general manager, said: “It is great to be working with Phil again. We knew who to call when we took the decision to reinvigorate our PR.

“We have bucked the trend here at the marina and, while city retailers have seen a dip in sales, businesses here are expanding. We have some exciting projects ahead so it is great to have Tina, Phil and the rest of the team on board to help raise awareness of them.”