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Public Sector Department of the Year
WINNER
Shelter
Over the past year, the full-time PR team at homelessness charity Shelter has impressively delivered on its objective of securing 'maximum media coverage for campaigns on bad housing and homelessness'. It has done this with high-impact campaigns and swift, strategic responses to the changing news agenda - and all on a limited budget of under £25,000 pa.
To avoid the trap of preaching to the converted, the Shelter method has been to either subvert expectations or to use humour to bring a serious message to a wider audience. One example of this has been the UK tour of its 'red chair'. More than 5,000 members of the public and 50 celebs, including singer Jarvis Cocker and Big Brother presenter Davina McCall, have sat in the chair to film a protest at bad housing for children. As well as securing local coverage at each stop, their footage was played at an exhibition at London's Oxo Tower.
But it has also been a busy year for Shelter for other reasons. This year marks the charity's 40th anniversary. It started 2006 with a press push to secure features on the commemoration. The Guardian was among the first papers to run an in-depth feature on this, and the charity has also played an instrumental role in shaping the BBC's forthcoming homeless season, which marks 40 years since the airing of drama Cathy Come Home.
While Shelter might have been an obvious place for the BBC to turn to on its homeless season, the charity has worked hard to ensure its voice is heard elsewhere. In May the local elections saw a rise in the number of BNP councillors in some London boroughs. As a result, Shelter's director Adam Sampson was interviewed on Radio 4's Today to discuss how the far right was capitalising on a lack of social housing to whip up a blame culture among different ethnic groups. This was a perfect example of seizing a news story and turning it into a PR opportunity.
The result of all this means Shelter has seen a 100 per cent increase in media coverage in the past two years. It also seems to be having an effect at a political level, too. Gordon Brown, in his 2005 pre-Budget report, said that increasing the provision of social housing will be 'a priority'.
HIGHLY COMMENDED
Refuge
To reach the women who experience domestic violence, Refuge's comms team has delivered exceptional media coverage with little budget. A briefing to an all-male media buying team secured the charity £350,000 of free advertising space and spin-off PR opportunities to promote its 'Don't Ignore it, They Can't' campaign. Refuge celebrated its 35th anniversary by working with Cosmopolitan, and the charity has stuck to its roots, too. It has been involved in two high-profile cases where women have been killed due to domestic violence. Calls have since increased by 50 per cent.
FINALISTS
Equal Opportunities Commission
Stockport Council
The British Library
Click here to view the interview with the winner
