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Gloucestershire Police have made their own positive headlines by winning a new and prestigious communication award. The press office of the county's police force picked up the Vivid-sponsored Communicator of the Year Award at the annual Gloucestershire Business Awards. The award was given for their role as the communications hub during last year's flooding in large parts of the county. The press office became the primary source of news and information on the emergency put out by the nation's media. For 12 days, it served as a 24 hours-a-day news centre, providing information, warnings and advice. It kept tens of thousands of local people, and the rest of the world, up to speed. That included: - Daily press conferences, attracting scores of journalists and television crews
- Regular updates of the force website
- Ongoing briefings for senior officers and partner agencies
- Co-ordination production and distribution to every household in the county of health and safety advice leaflets in five languages
Superintendent Dave Wasley of Gloucestershire Police said; "We are delighted to have won this award and would like to take this opportunity to formally thank everyone involved for their hard work and dedication during what was a very testing time for the whole county. "This award is an accolade to the huge collective effort, good will and spirit of the press office staff and our partner agencies, in particular the local authorities, as well as the local, regional and national media who worked tirelessly with us to ensure that key messages and crucial information were distributed to the public when they needed it most. It was thanks to the incredible team work of all these people, as well as the continuing support of Gloucestershire residents, that our communications during the crisis ran so smoothly, reflecting the great community feeling of this county." The police's entry was one of a shortlist of three, along with Metrology Direct, a world-supplier of measuring and inspection equipment and Oriel, a financial services outsourcing company. The judging panel of six included Andrew Blair, Managing Director of Gloucestershire Media and Professor Barry Davies, Associate Dean of the Business School at the University of Gloucestershire. The Award was open to organisations in the private, public or voluntary sectors. Its winner was the one judged to have communicated most effectively with its target audience (internal or external) over the past year. Entries could include examples of an on-going programme or a one-off campaign. They could have used a variety of channels such as media relations, public relations, the internet or other media. The judges were interested in the business benefits that resulted from these activities. The Business Awards evening attracts an average of 600 guests and is one of the biggest events of its kind in the country. Although it is now in its 11th year, this is the first time communications has featured. It follows an approach to the organisers of the event - Gloucestershire Media - by county-based PR consultancy Vivid. "The event is a well-respected and major event on Gloucestershire's calendar. It includes categories such as Business of the Year, Business Innovation, Workforce Development, Design Excellence and e-Business and we felt strongly that effective communications should be among them," said Vivid Director Hilary Allison. "People talk about the need for organisations to take communications seriously but if no one ever reminds them of its value, it will never be taken as seriously as it should be." "We always talk to clients about the value of effective communications at a strategic and a tactical level and about its role as a key business tool," said fellow Director Caroline Rawlinson. "When it came to the Gloucestershire Business Awards, we decided (literally) to put our money where are mouths are and sponsor a Communicator of the Year Award." The success was particularly pleasing for Allison, a former Public Relations Officer with Gloucestershire Police and then Head of Corporate Communications with Thames Valley Police. She and Rawlinson formed Vivid last year. They are communications professionals with more than 30 years experience in journalism and PR. It includes backgrounds in the media, public, private and voluntary sectors and experience of working in-house, in consultancies and as freelance consultants across many sectors. Vivid's services include strategic communications, PR & brand consultancy, media relations, communications audits, issues & crisis management, promotional materials, web development and communications training. http://www.gloucestershire.police.uk/item3926.html |
