Voluntary sector - Club gets knitting to keep hens warm

Client: Monkton Elm Garden & Pet Centre's Craft Centre
PR team: Porcupine PR
Timescale: March 2010
Budget: Within monthly retainer of £2,000

A knit and crochet club at Monkton Elm Garden & Pet Centre's craft centre knitted jumpers to keep former battery hens, which are often missing feathers, warm.

OBJECTIVES

- To raise awareness of the craft centre

- To promote the knitting campaign

STRATEGY AND PLAN

The PR team set up a partnership with Little Hen Rescue in Norfolk. The story was issued to local, trade and national press.

MEASUREMENT AND EVALUATION

The story was covered in the Somerset County Gazette, Western Daily Press, Western Morning News, Western Mail, Daily Mail, The Sunday Times, The Week, Love It, Pet Business World and Crafts Beautiful. The story was also covered on This is the West Country and BBC Bristol websites.

The story appeared Stateside in People USA, Discovery Channel's Planet Green and Northern California Angora Guild. Miranda McPherson, craft centre supervisor, was interviewed on BBC radio. Two former battery hens appeared on The Alan Titchmarsh Show.

RESULTS

Sales at the craft centre increased by 15 per cent compared to March 2009. The centre printed 500 patterns for hen jackets and so far 100 jackets have been donated to Little Hen Rescue. Traffic to the website reached 1,400 hits in one day.