FOCUS: THE MIDLANDS - A new view of middle England/Thanks to the fact that its manufacturing base has remained relatively intact, Midlands PR firms are finding little difficulty in attracting national and international clients. Karen Dempsey reports

The Midlands is in good shape. Confidence is growing, business is buoyant, and the cracks that appeared in the economy at the end of the recession are no longer visible. The Midlands - the region defined by the IPR as stretchi ng from Birmingham to Northampton to Milton Keynes - is enjoying a cultural and economic renaissance. The challenge for Midlands PR practitioners is to communicate this fight-back to a wider audience.