Sixty Years of Austin Healey Sprite and MG Midget

It's the 60th Birthday of one of Britain's favourite sports cars - the Austin Healey Sprite and MG Midget. The Midget & Sprite Club has organised a celebration of this milestone at Wroxhall Abbey Hotel on Sunday 26th August 2018. This prestigious venue isn't far from where the first Frogeye Sprite prototype rolled off the production line in Warwick.

The Midget & Sprite Club approached Harlequin Media Consultancy to create and distribute PR about the event to Classic Car Magazines and local newspapers in the areas that manufactured the marque - Warwick, Abingdon and Longbridge.

Promotion for the event is now well underway, so let's hope that this great British sports car gets the birthday it deserves. The general PR release is detailed below with links to the Club's website.


SIXTY YEARS OF AUSTIN HEALEY SPRITE AND MG MIDGET

Sunday 26th August 2018, Wroxall Abbey Hotel CV35 7NB

In 1956 BMC boss Leonard Lord tasked Donald Healey with developing “a sports car that a chap could keep in his shed.”

The result was the Mark I Austin Healey “Frogeye” Sprite which was unveiled to the motoring press at Monte Carlo in May 1958. The cheeky look of the simple little sports car was an instant hit. Over a period of 21 years of production there were fourteen different versions with production ending on 7th December 1979, the last vehicle being a Black 1500 Midget.

To mark 60 years of “Spridgets” the single marque Midget and Sprite Club is organising a great gathering of Sprites and Midgets at Wroxall Abbey, not far from Healey’s Cape Works in Warwick, on August Bank Holiday Sunday 26th August 2018. Significant and historical Sprites and Midgets will be on Show, as well as a ‘Pride of Ownership’ competition. Trade stands and food stalls will be on site and all owners of Sprites, Midgets and derivatives are welcome. Entry is £10 per car to include a commemorative Rally Plaque and Goody Bag.

Booking details are on the Midget and Sprite Club website at http://www.midgetandspriteclub.com/sprite-60th/

For more information about this event or the Midget and Sprite Club,
please contact Stuart Watson stuart@thewatsonz.com

Main picture courtesy of Classic and Sports Car Magazine

PR Goes National for Stourbridge Rugby

Stourbridge Rugby recently launched the RFU's 'Return to Rugby' initiative at the Club, aiming to attract former rugby players back to the sport. Harlequin Media Consultancy helped with the local launch which has been a great success for the Club and the RFU's campaign in the area. 

Thanks to Return to Rugby, Dick Jeavons-Fellows, a former player and Chairman at Stourbridge, took the opportunity to have a run out with his twin sons, Alfie and Zac. The picture of the 3 family members created so much interest on the Club's social media channels, we decided to send out a piece of PR in the hope of creating some more interest - here's what we sent out:

Family Time on the Pitch Thanks to ‘Return to Rugby’

The RFU recently launched a new initiative called ‘Return to Rugby', aimed at encouraging players who have left the sport to get back into training and to turn out for the odd game.

Stourbridge RFC has signed up to this initiative, asking people in the local area to get back into playing, or even to throw a rugby ball around for the first time. The Club is holding regular Wednesday night training sessions, which are supported by RFU coaches to ensure that the players are eased back in gently. The next session is on Wednesday 23rd November 2016, starting at 7:30pm and will be hosted by RFU Regional Development Officer, Adam Blackford.

‘Return to Rugby’ player Dick Jeavons-Fellows, a past Chairman of the Club whose family has had a long association with Stourbridge, recently turned out for the Grasshoppers XV alongside his twin sons Alfie and Zac, who both play for Stourbridge Colts. The game was against local rivals Wolverhampton IVs and all three of the Jeavons-Fellows family managed to score a try in the closely fought win.

Dick said, “It was a great opportunity to play in the same team as the boys, it gives a whole new meaning to quality family time!”

The new RFU initiative has even inspired the current Club Chairman, Robin Edwards and Director of Communications, Mark Denison to put their boots on again. Mark commented, “With O2 Touch and Return to Rugby now being hosted at the Club, I can keep on top of my fitness playing a sport that I love. Next season I’ll also have a chance to play alongside my own son Jacob, as he will qualify for senior rugby.”

Stourbridge is also resurrecting its Gazelles XV to play a series of six games throughout the season on Friday nights against local Clubs that have also taken up the Return to Rugby initiative.

PR Goes National

We didn't realise how much interest this would create when it was first sent out. The Stourbridge News, Stourbridge Chronicle and Express & Star all ran with it, as it was good local story. However, it didn't stop there. First of all, the best-selling Rugby magazine, Rugby World, agreed to publish the story, making it a truly national (maybe even international) story. Then the RFU asked for permission to approach Dick and the twins for a more in-depth interview for their website and their monthly newspaper, Touchline.

As a result of all this positive coverage, the twins have now been approached by Channel 4 to appear on a programme they are making in the New Year about twins - they were only too happy to oblige.

This was the first PR job taken on by Harlequin Media Consultancy, which has been a resounding success for Stourbridge Rugby and the RFU.

If you'd like more information of getting your company, brand or general news noticed, please give us a call on 07875 337295 or e-mail communicate@harlequinmediaconsultancy.com

Harlequin Media Consultancy Launches

What a week it's been! After more than 11 years at Porter and Woodman, I've finally taken the plunge and started up on my own - Harlequin Media Consultancy has opened for business!

I won't lie, it's not going to be easy starting from scratch, but we're all excited about the prospect of starting something fresh and new; and hard work has never been a problem, whether it's for myself or my clients.

Here's a brief outline of what Harlequin will be offering:

With over 30 years experience in design, marketing and communications, Harlequin Media Consultancy offers a wide range of services to help clients reach their target audiences more effectively.

Marketing & Communications
A single channel campaign or co-ordinated delivery of a campaign across all of the media below. 

• Marketing Project Management - from concept and design through to delivery
• Social Media - from initial set-up through to a managed service of a client’s social media
• E-mail Marketing - regular newsletter and targeted marketing campaigns
• Blogs & PR - taking the client’s news and ideas to create newsworthy blogs & PR stories

Design
A comprehensive range of design services from simple business card layouts to marketing collateral, newsletters and corporate identity.

Print Management
Managing day-to-day print requirements or finding the most efficient way to manage a specific print project.

Administration Systems
Using software available on a client’s own network or cloud-based software to create simple workflow systems for clearer internal communication.

Training
On-site staff training on all of these services to enable the client to take control of their own projects.

PDF File Conversion
Have you been supplied with a PDF file that you can't edit? We can convert PDF files to Microsoft Word, PowerPoint or Excel; or Photoshop PSD or jpeg files for you.

PDF Conversion Prices - £5.00 set-up charge and £2.50 per page - a 10 page document would therefore be a total of £27.50. Discounts available for larger documents. More complex formatting requirements will be quoted on a job-by-job basis.

For more information, please call 07875 337295 or e-mail communicate@harlequinmediaconsultancy.com for more information.