February 18th, 2013
Jane’s Going, Going And Nearly Gone – Just For Will!
I’ve been searching for something for quite a while now and finally, after a few months of looking around as avidly as the Man from Del Monte, I have found something worthy of my attention, which will hopefully prove to be really fulfilling and give me a real feel-good factor when I get out of bed each morning.
Having had a few offers of free PR seemingly snubbed by charities, I sat down at the start of the year with my client Mountain Goat and, after the meeting, Robin, who works there, said he’d seen my offer online and wondered if I would consider helping the cause of a friend of his, Will Clark.
For those who don’t know, Will Clark, aged 17, had just completed a charity swim on the morning of July 7, 2012 when he and some friends set off to cycle around Thirlmere, in the Lake District. A stick stuck in his wheel and he fell, sustaining very severe neck and spinal injuries. He is now paralysed from the shoulders and is still breathing through a ventilator.
Will was a local fell runner, keen skier and cycler and now faces a very different life in the Middlesbrough Spinal Injuries unit. He wishes to return to his home in Grasmere and thanks to the support of his friends, the Will Clark Fund has been established, to raise money to allow him to do that, through modifications to his home and support for his family who need respite care.
When Robin told me about the Will Clark Fund, I didn’t think that the two days of free PR support that I offer to charities, on a regular basis, would be enough. On this basis, following discussion with Robin, I have decided to put £1000 of my time up for auction – 2-3 days of PR up for grabs to the highest bidder.
Just to let anyone know, who isn’t familiar with Catapult, I have 23 PR awards in the trophy cabinet from Catapult alone. We are still the only consultancy from outside Manchester to have ever become NW PR Consultancy of the Year, which I achieved within just two years (and was runner-up in my first year). We were Small PR Consultancy of the Year in the NW in 2005, then I was Best Freelance PR Practitioner in the NW in November 2011. In May 2012, I won the Best Freelance PR Practitioner Award at the national CIPR Excellence Awards in London, being deemed best in Britain and receiving my award from the lovely Colin Jackson. I have also won writing awards, best business awards and have more runners-up certificates than I have ever bothered to count. Hopefully, my time is worth bidding for. I can also work for a business anywhere in the country.
I will be taking bids as from now, logging any (and let’s hope there are some!) and issuing updates as to where the bid stands. My time, as purchased by the winner of the auction, can be spent on PR and promotional work for a business, or in helping a business prepare sales pitches, or copywriting for brochures, website or leaflets, or a number of other things that are time, rather than cost-related (within reason!).
We have to start the bidding somewhere, so please get in touch with me by emailing jane@catapultpr.co.uk with your details, business name and phone number and, most importantly, your bid. The auction will close on April 6, 2013 and the time will need to be used before June 13, 2013.
Additionally, I will donate £1 per like to the first 50 people to follow me on Facebook from today’s date (18 February 2013) – www.facebook.com/catapultpublicrelations
I will be tweeting about all of this at www.twitter.com/catapultpublicr so watch that page and please retweet.
I have to have some rules and so existing clients cannot bid. However, they can spread the word, tell friends and family, put it on social media and generally help raise awareness. More details of the Will Clark Fund can be found at www.willclarkfund.org or at www.facebook.com/thewillclarkfund Let’s try and give this person who had just done his bit for charity some support through this charity initiative! I’d like to think someone would do the same for me.
