Archive for November, 2011

Happy Birthday Townhouse Communications!

Yes it’s eight years to the day since the doors swung open at Townhouse Towers for the first time.  Time has indeed flown and it doesn’t seem like yesterday when the call came through from our first client RS Components that we had won the project bid and we were all systems go.   Work for safety equipment manufacturer Combisafe quickly followed which made a nice Christmas present and we still work for them, all these years later.

Old this chilly November morning we thought we’d liven up your day with a few facts and figures about the number eight:

• Eight in China and Japan is a lucky number
• A byte is eight bits
• Eight is the atmoic number for oxygen
• All spiders, and more generally all arachnids, have eight legs. Orb-weaver spiders of the cosmopolitan family Areneidae have eight similar eyes
• The lowest stop on a pipe-organ is the eight-foot stop, which is approximately eight feet in length
• In the 2008 Games of the XXIX Olympiad, the official opening was on 08/08/08 at 8:08:08 p.m. local time in Beijing, China
• In cooking recipes, there are approximately 8 pinches to a teaspoon
• Force eight is the first wind strength attributed to a gale on the Beaufort scale when announced on a Shipping Forecast

During the last eight years we’ve worked for some big brands including Starbucks and Vodafone.  Our current client list spans household names such as Sainsbury’s and the National Lottery who we have been working with since 2004, plus great established family businesses like Salts Healthcare.  Many clients have been with us for the majority of the eight years including Dun-Bri Group, Howards and Combisafe.  Looking to the future new clients in our eighth year include The North Face, Peligro Group and Arthur Price.  And so on these occasions its nice to sit down and look back at some of the mad things we have done.

In no particular order here’s a few highlights (well eight actutally, yes I know we are a PR firm):

• Launching a National Lottery scratchcard called ‘Rabbit Riches’ in a village called Bunny
• Creating the world’s first Starbucks Poet Laureate in Birmingham
• Climbing up onto a bridge for a Combisafe photoshoot with a nurse in tow due to the extreme weather conditions (we survived thanks for asking)
• Launching the world’s first Costa Coffee ‘drive-thru’ in Nottingham
• Creating an ad campaign for Dun-Bri Group which was voted one of the most memorable in the commercial vehicle press
• Our first social media campaign for The North Face
• Our first print run for first client RS Components.   The press pass, the fulfillment details…lots of working through the night… and voila a very proud team with our first ‘Townhouse’ produced item
• Going global…BBC World live broadcast to celebrate the largest EuroMillions draw…all from Smethwick in Birmingham

There are lots of other stories but I’ve run out of time plus there’s a few memorable things I simply can’t mention for fear of causing embarrasment to both us and others.

So happy birthday to us and thanks to all those past and present who have helped the gang reach the ripe of age of eight.  Here’s to our tenth, those hormonal teenage years, 21st and so on.

A Nottinghamshire civil war landmark and a Derbyshire forestry centre are set to go head to head in a competition to receive a visit from a BBC Radio 1 DJ and a TV comedian – as part of a celebration of the massive £30m raised each week by National Lottery players for Good Causes across the UK.

The National Lottery has launched a new Facebook campaign featuring BBC Radio 1 DJ Sara Cox and comedian Rufus Hound.  Called ‘Cox & Hound Hit The Road’, the campaign will see the duo spend five days (14-18 November) driving from Scotland to the South coast to explore the projects that have benefited from National Lottery funding.

Where they go and what exactly they do will be determined by public vote through a specially-designed app on the National Lottery Facebook page www.facebook.com/TheNationalLotteryUK.

Ten projects have made the shortlist from the 365,000+ projects to have received funding since The National Lottery began in 1994, revealing a snapshot of the enormous range of Good Causes to have benefitted all over the country – from charity and community to education and the environment, from sport and the arts to health and heritage.

At each project, the duo will have to complete a challenge – from old-fashioned ploughing, woodland laser combat and Welsh choir sing-offs to tubing, sand sculpture competitions and Segway racing.

However, only five of the projects will actually receive a visit from the duo based on Facebook votes from members of the public.  In the Midlands region its Derbyshire versus Nottinghamshire and the battle will be fierce!

Sconce and Devon Park in Newark, Notts is a hive of activity that offers a breadth of opportunities for the surrounding community. An abundance of wildlife can be explored, there’s outdoor play equipment to drag the kids away from their computer screens and Civil War re-enactments centred on the famous Queen’s Sconce monument.

Rosliston Forestry Centre lies at the heart of The National Forest in South Derbyshire, a woodland haven offering outdoor activities, holiday accommodation, family fun and all-year round events.  Thanks to lottery funding, the Centre now offers a whole host of schemes that help people stay active, including cycling, woodland laser combat and falconry.

Road tripper Sara Cox said: “I think the roadtrip is a great idea chance to show everyone who plays or has played The National Lottery, just a glimpse of what their money actually means to local communities.”  Fellow passenger Rufus Hound added: ‘I’ve bought a few National Lottery Scratchcards in my time – I’ve even won a few quid over the years!  For those times I didn’t get lucky, it would be good to see the impact of that cash and how other people have benefited.”

The Facebook app and public voting is live on www.facebook.com/TheNationalLotteryUK. However, voting for each area of the country will close two days before the pair are due to visit. The project (and the challenge) in each area that receives the most number of votes will win, with the next leg of the journey being decided.

Midlands Regional Visit:  Wednesday 16th November

Midlands Voting Closes:  Monday 14th November

Over 70% of the 365,000+ lottery grants made to date have been £10,000 or under, benefitting local communities the length and breadth of the UK.

At 3pm today (Friday 4 November) there is exactly just one calendar month left for the owner of a winning EuroMillions ticket worth £1m  bought in the Cannock Chase district winning ticket to come forward and claim their prize.

Every week EuroMillions Millionaire Raffle guarantees to create two millionaires – one on Tuesday and one on Friday – but with the draw on 7 June 2011 15 UK millionaires were created, with only two of the £1 million prizes still waiting to be claimed.¹ Players in Cannock Chase, where one of the tickets was bought, are being urged to check and double-check their unique EuroMillions Millionaire Raffle selection for the chance to become an instant millionaire.

For every EuroMillions line played, UK players automatically receive a EuroMillions Millionaire Raffle selection printed on their ticket. The winning selection on 7 June 2011 was MWC424302 and the lucky ticket-holder has until 3pm on Sunday 4 December 2011 to make their claim.

If no-one comes forward with the winning ticket before the prize claim deadline, then the prize money, plus all the interest the prize has generated, will go to the Good Causes – adding to the £26 billion already raised through sales of lottery tickets since The National Lottery launched in November 1994.

A National Lottery spokesperson said: “We’re desperate to find this mystery ticket-holder and unite them with their winnings – this amazing prize could really make a huge difference to somebody’s life. Being able to guarantee two UK millionaires every week with Millionaire Raffle is fantastic and we’re urging everyone to check their old EuroMillions tickets again or look anywhere a missing ticket could be hiding so that this
prize can turn someone into the newest member of the lottery millionaire club.

“Try checking in the pockets of clothing, in wallets, bags and down the back of the sofa. We have the champagne on ice and our fingers crossed  hat the lucky winner comes forward to claim their win.”

Anyone who believes they have the winning ticket for any of the National Lottery draws within the 180-day deadline should call the National Lottery Line on 0845 910 0000. Anyone concerned about lost or unchecked tickets may like to consider either setting up a National Lottery Subscription, playing online at www.national-lottery.co.uk or on their mobile phone through Play By Text.  Numbers can be entered in advance and lucky winners are notified online if their numbers come up. For further information call 0845 912 5000 or visit www.national-lottery.co.uk.

¹The EuroMillions Millionaire Raffle draw on 7 June 2011 saw 15 Millionaire Raffle Selections drawn, thereby creating 15 UK millionaires. The number of winning EuroMillions Millionaire Raffle selections still outstanding from this draw correct at time of issue of this release.

We have been appointed by Lichfield based cutlery and gift manufacturer, Arthur Price, to raise its regional profile, launch a series of new colourful and fashionable product ranges targeted at younger audiences, and help with its trade communications.

The family-owned company was founded in 1902 and has been at the forefront of quality cutlery manufacturing and design for over a century. In recent years it has introduced a wide range of contemporary cutlery collections to take society’s changing lifestyles and fashions into account.  Arthur Price has also, in partnership with the likes of designers Laurence Llewleyn-Bowen and Sophie Conran, created many new and exciting gift and china collections and the Townhouse team has been charged with targeting these at a younger audience.

Simon Price, Chief Executive of Arthur Price said “The team at Townhouse were recommended to me and I was impressed with not only their creativity but their passion for my brands and for Lichfield.  Also, all their ideas were on brief and already we are seeing them deliver results.  I’m delighted that we have a new injection of creativity and that we’ve appointed a local company.  I very much believe in supporting local businesses.”

November is the 8^th birthday of Townhouse and the firm is celebrating yet more new business and project wins as it looks back on a successful 2011. Julian Fisher, Townhouse Communications Director said: “We have just been awarded another project with The North Face having started work with them in April this year.  Many of our existing clients are expanding their activity and the addition of Arthur Price to our portfolio is the icing on our birthday (cake) month.  I’m so looking forward to working with a recognisable local brand that has a very proud historic past but also a bright and contemporary future.”

Pictured above is (L-R) Townhouse Account Manager Jane Thomas, Simon Price of Arthur Price and Julian Fisher, Townhouse Director.

Townhouse Communications has also announced that it has chosen ‘We Love Lichfield’ as its charity of choice for 2012.  The money raised by the company in 2012 will be added to the pot, which is already at around £50,000. The money is invested on the stock market, under charity commission guidelines, and the dividends from the fund will then be distributed to local voluntary organisations and groups who apply for a grant in the future. To find out more about making a donation, call the Staffordshire Community Foundation team on 01782 683000 or visit www.staffsfoundation.org.uk/welovelichfield.

Townhouse Communications works for the likes of AXA, Costa Coffee, Decathlon, The North Face and the National Lottery.  Arthur Price is the second local family-owned company on the Townhouse client list – joining 300 year old Birmingham-based medical devices manufacturer Salts Healthcare.