Approach PR glistens with gold and silver CIPR award wins after picking up the Regional Campaign of the Year category at the 2014 Chartered Institute of Public Relations’ PRide awards.

The annual awards ceremony is the region’s biggest PR event, with many of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire’s leading PR agencies and practitioners all vying for top honours.

The CIPR award wins are in recognition of our work for the Ilkley Carnival which helped to raise a record £15,000 profit for local charities. PRide judges praised Approach for our “strategic, high profile and creative PR and social media campaigns that were instrumental in the rebirth of the community event”

Speaking about the CIPR award wins, Suzanne Johns, managing director of Approach PR, said: “The Ilkley Carnival was on the brink of folding in 2011 but our involvement in the annual event – which included investing free-of-charge time, expertise and resources to deliver sustained media and community relations – has transformed the carnival into a profitable and hugely popular family event which now has a solid future.

“To receive recognition for the team’s dedication and formidable expertise is a true honour for us all: it is an accolade which demonstrates Approach PR’s dynamic, creative and results-driven vision of what successful regional PR campaigns can look like.”

The double win was completed when we were awarded the silver gong for our working partnership with Sheffield-based barbecue restaurant, Smoke. With only two weeks’ time on our side, we worked tirelessly to reach an audience of over 500,000 through regional media relations and blogger engagement.

Gary Taylor MCIPR, chair of CIPR Yorkshire & Lincolnshire, said: “The PRide Awards continue to highlight the best work of the region’s talented individuals and agencies. Everyone nominated for an award tonight should be proud of their work and the contribution they have made to the region’s success. My congratulations go to our Gold winners this evening, all of whom have demonstrated the highest professional standards of public relations practice.”

The two accolades are the latest additions to a long list of successes Approach has enjoyed in its 13-year history, with this year’s gold and silver triumphs taking its tally up to 24 industry wins.