Launching the South Pennines Park

Pennine Prospects is a small organisation with a huge ambition. It wants to attract Respect, Recognition and Resources for the South Pennines Park — an area of England covering 460 square miles of Yorkshire, Lancashire and Greater Manchester.

It is (currently) the only upland in England that is not a designated National Park or Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It wants recognition as new type of national park to unlock financial resources and enhance the natural environment, biodiversity, jobs and opportunities available within the park.

It tasked Viva with developing a Comms and Media Strategy that would get its story told in a way that would generate both national and regional activity, engage key stakeholders and support its leader through a period of unprecedented media scrutiny.

Media strategy:

An exciting multi-faceted project, Viva delivered a communications strategy that grabbed the attention of national media, whilst also engaging local stakeholders living, working and visiting the park, to achieve national, regional, business and lifestyle media coverage.

Viva worked with the CEO of Pennine Prospects (now renamed South Pennines Park) Helen Noble to develop and deliver key media lines to take and messaging. We also prepared Helen for national and regional media interviews.

Media Relations:

The media activity as a result, Helen appeared on BBC Breakfast, Farming Today, BBC Look North, BBC North West, Country Life, Folk Radio, Heart FM, BBC Radio Manchester and BBC Radio Lancashire. She was also interviewed by The Sunday Times.

Coverage was widespread across all formats and included an Op Ed in The Telegraph praising the initiative and one in the Yorkshire Post, while the Halifax Courier launched its own campaign on the back of the launch activity to get greater recognition for the South Pennines Park.

Stakeholder Engagement:

Engaging local stakeholders was key to this project, not only for PR purposes, but to boost future engagement and support for the South Pennines Park. Sparking national interest has opened doors for future discussions about the environmental and socio-economic importance of the South Pennines Park, and the part it plays in connecting a stronger northern economy and conservation strategy.

Taking control of the Park’s social media channels for the launch period (nine days), Viva created engaging content to raise awareness of the South Pennines Park, engage with prospective and existing stakeholders, and share the ethos behind the Park’s new model.

Viva organised media activities to showcase the Park’s celebrity ambassadors O’Hooley and Tidow and Sally Wainwright, and Park supporter Amira Patel through videography, case studies, press releases, and social media content.

Viva also played a key part in organising media activity for the Park’s launch event, held at the Kala Sangam Arts Centre in Bradford.

A mini campaign, including the stencilling of lyrics from the specially commissioned song from O’Hooley and Tidow ‘Chimney’s Moors and Me’ were also stencilled in prominent locations across the Park area, which involved liaising with the communications teams for a number of councils including Burnley, Blackburn, Rossendale, Bradford, Kirklees, Calderdale, Rochdale and Lancashire County Council.

Social Media:

Viva designed and managed multiple media activities to celebrate the launch of the park, ensuring coverage was achieved across the project’s expansive footprint, and compassing conservation, transport, business, tourism and hospitality.

Viva identified and coached park ambassadors, coordinated videography and photography, managed social media accounts, and even spray-painted lyrics from the park’s theme tune onto local pavements.