PR In A Jar

Shhh! ... Chatham House Rules

Went to a business breakfast this morning organized as a fringe event to the Labour Party conference in Manchester. All well and good, except that despite the main speaker being a Whitehall lynchpin (and therefore hardly likely to say anything controversial to a business audience), it was 'Chatham House rules'.

Emory Douglas Exhibition at Urbis from October

Exciting new exhibition coming up at the excellent Urbis in Manchester city centre, focussing on Black Panthers graphic artist and self-styled Panthers 'Minister of Culture' Emory Douglas.

RAPAR News

Smith & Smith account manager Alison Short writes:

Our pro bono client RAPAR (the charity that works with displaced people in the community) would like to wish the award winning magazine, the Salford Star, a happy 2nd birthday.

The Star's party is on Saturday 26th July at The Old Pint Pot (Salford Crescent) from 8pm. All are welcome and please go along and support the publication. The magazine has been a great help to RAPAR and its members by publicising their story.

RAPAR’s NEW website is up and running. Please log on here and let RAPAR know what you think!

Aster's Adventures ...

By AJ Read, account manager, Smith & Smith PR

This Bank Holiday weekend I felt very ashamed of myself! As I lay around drinking the odd (?) gin and tonic and having restful days - my pro bono clients were having the adventure of a lifetime. They were crossing Scotland, coast to coast in under 24 hours, to help raise funds for a state-of-the-art MRI scanner at the new Manchester children’s hospital.

Design Initiative seminar graduate exhibiting this weekend

Furniture designer maker David Tragen, who has attended some of our PR seminars for Design Initiative around 'maximizing PR for trade shows', is showing some of his amazing furniture at the Home and Garden Exhibition at Tatton Park, Cheshire this weekend.

David, who designs and makes one-off and limited edition pieces, will be highlighting his beautiful Le Chic coffee table (pictured) at the event, which is made from macassar ebony and stainless steel, but can also be made in walnut and cherry and can be made as an eight-seater dining table; it was designed especially for the event.

For more information visit David's website or e-mail david@tragendesign.com.

Exhibition opening times: 3-6 May, 10am - 6pm.

Bustin' Ghosts at Ordsall Hall, 21 June

The Five Stars Scanner Appeal are looking for 30 brave / foolhardy / scpetical (delete as appropriate) individuals to spend an evening ghost-hunting at Salford's Ordsall Hall on Saturday 21 June in the company of medium Pat Jolly.

Cafe Artistique in Trafford, 13 May

On 13 May the fantastic Waterside Arts Centre in Sale will be the venue for Trafford Artists' Network's Cafe Artistique,
with lively conversation and inspirational debate about contemporary art.

It's A Stitch-Up ... A Week Earlier

Change of date! The It's A Stitch-Up event at The Bay Horse will now be held on Sunday 18th May, collaborating with Up To Something with live music.

Stitches in Time at the Northern Quarter's Bay Horse, 25th May

Two attendees from a Design Initiative PR workshop I gave last week are holding an event in the Northern Quarter on Sunday 25th May that's well worth supporting.

Social enterprise It's A Stitch Up, which provides creative work in a supportive environment for women ex-offenders, will be holding its first ever 'bring and buy' event at the lovely Bay Horse pub on Thomas Street. I saw some of the hand-stitched products yesterday and they're really original, some very quirky!

Unspoilt Countryside and Better Creativity

Gave a talk on social media for Lancashire & Blackpool Tourist Board yesterday, and the venue - the Coldwell Activity Centre near Colne - was so good I just have to write about it.