In Brief: Tourism kiss; New contract, new staff for MCG PR; Iris scoops industry awards; Lucre wins Little Chef

AS part of its tourism campaign, visitors to Pennine Yorkshire are being invited to capture their favourite scene from the region on film – with the initiative commemorating the 110th anniversary of Yorkshire film The Kiss in the Tunnel.

Widely acclaimed as the world’s first ever film to be edited, it was produced by Holmfirth-based Bamforth & Co in 1899. 

Now, tourism partners in the region have launched a national competition where visitors to the region can submit their favourite 60-second clip of the region, either by mobile phone or camcorder.

Tourism Kiss: Thomas Danby College students Lee Watson and Gina Metcalf recreate The Kiss in the Tunnel as Liz Tattersley from Pennine Yorkshire launches the film editors campaign at Ingrow Railway Centre.

As well as offering prizes, the best entries – as judged by a panel including Screen Yorkshire and the West Yorkshire Tourism Partnership – will be given a film festival-style premiere later in the year, while footage will be used on the newly launched www.pennineyorkshire.com website to promote the region around the globe.

Pennine Yorkshire has been launched to boost short breaks in Yorkshire and increase visitor spend in the region. 

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LEEDS-based MCG PR has been appointed by Optima Legal, the UK’s largest specialist multi-jurisdictional law firm, and added two new members to its team.

Bradford-based Optima Legal, which was previously a division of DLA Piper, has tasked MCG with handling its business communications programme.

The firm provides property, recovery and litigation services to a number of the UK’s leading financial services organisations.

It recently announced the acquisition of Dickinson Dees’ volume business d3 Legal and previously acquired the volume legal property services division of Walker Morris. Recent mergers has also given the firm a presence in Newcastle and Glasgow.

New MCG team member, Katie Hayes, joins as senior account manager from the Leeds office of Weber Shandwick and brings with her more than six years of experience across consumer and corporate public relations.

Rachel Husband joins the team as account executive after completing a Masters in Communication Studies at Leeds University.

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YORKSHIRE-based creative marketing agency Iris has won a matching set of gold, silver and bronze awards at the Cream of Yorkshire Awards.

The agency’s work for Little Chef ‘Bring Back’ microsite won it a gold award in the Digital category, while ‘Sheffield, a city you’ll love’ brochure for Creative Sheffield won a silver for Corporate Literature.

The ‘Everything you ever needed to know about ProCo’ mail piece scooped a bronze in the Direct Mail/Promotion category.

Iris provide strategic and creative marketing support to businesses in both the private and public sectors across a wide range of on and offline campaigns.

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ROADSIDE restaurant chain Little Chef has appointed Lucre to handle its consumer PR activity.

Leeds-based Lucre was handed the brief following a competitive four-way pitch.

With 175 strong restaurants across the UK, Little Chef is headquartered in Sheffield.

Last year the company celebrated its 50th anniversary and is keen to build on recent activity including its Bring Back campaign and the Channel Four ‘Big Chef Takes on Little Chef’ series with Heston Blumenthal.

Lucre’s campaign will not only seek to capitalise on such activity but also support a wider range of initiatives planned throughout 2009 including the next summer menu launch and Little Chef’s sponsorship of National Family Week.