Search for a hero

It’s Chhhrrrriiissssttttmmmaaaasss!

Oh wait. No, it isn’t. It’s January.

And yet the seeds of work planted before Christmas can still come to fruition in the new year.

Throughout December we promoted the efforts of Horwood House, a luxury hotel near Milton Keynes, in its search for a ‘local hero’. All about community building, it centred on recognising and rewarding somebody who had gone above and beyond for others with the hotel’s surrounding region.

Whether a neighbour who supports vulnerable residents, a volunteer who gives their time selflessly or an unpaid carer who always puts others first – the campaign aimed to shine a spotlight on the people who embody the spirit of giving.

With people nominating worthy individuals, their reward them was an overnight ‘rural retreat’ package including access to the spa and food. Highlighting the initiative to press secured coverage via the likes of the MK Citizen, the Bucks Herald and Destination MK – key local titles.

A second push, where we highlighted the flood of entries coming in – with more than 50 individuals put forward – resulted in another round of coverage. And now, we’re still in position to extend the focus on Horwood even after the Christmas period has passed, as we highlighted the subsequent winner’s story to relevant press last week.

This resulted in another round of coverage in the MK Citizen and Bucks Herald, while the story was also syndicated by MSN, putting it in front of a much larger audience. A quick example then of how you can carry the season of goodwill over into the New Year to help promote your offering. And that’s our Pic of the Week!