UPWARD CURVE PR NAMED BEST PR AGENCY OF THE YEAR

UPWARD CURVE PR COMMISSIONED TO LAUNCH NEW CHARITY TO REVITALISE CARPET INDUSTRY IN WAR-TORN AFGHANISTAN

Upward Curve PR, has been commissioned to launch a new charity which aims to improve life for people in war-torn Afghanistan.

The new project, called Afghan Action, will provide training in carpet weaving to young people in Kabul. It will set up trade links between Afghanistan and the UK, as well as revitalising one of the Country's traditional industries.

Upward Curve's role will start with the development of a 12-month PR and marketing strategy for the organisation, which will be undertaken on a Pro Bono basis. Additional work includes the development of an identity and producing its first marketing literature and media relations support to launch the charity.

The three-year project will boost local economic development in Kabul by training and equipping 350 young men and women, including some disabled people. Trainees receive up to 9 months' training in carpet weaving, literacy and numeracy and are then employed in the factory or elsewhere. Afghan Action provides fair wages and good working conditions in the training school and factory. It also provides daily lunches and medical care for staff and trainees.

The trainees will be making handmade carpets for sale initially in the UK. The carpets will be made out of mainly natural products - wools and vegetable dyes - and based on traditional Kazak tribal designs. Profits from carpet sales will be re-invested into the scheme in Afghanistan and the charity hopes to expand into other areas of the country where there is desperate hardship and need.

Project founder, Chris Beales, commissioned Upward Curve earlier this year and says: "We have been very impressed with them. They are putting together a strategy, as well as launching us to the media and taking care of our branding and marketing needs. It's extremely fortunate to have all of these services from one agency - especially one that understands the charity sector so well."

The charity will officially launch later this month and it is hoped that carpets will be available in the UK from early 2006.

For more information visit:

www.afghanaction.com

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Upward Curve PR is delighted to have brought home a trophy in The Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) PRide Awards 2005/6. Its campaign, promoting the Kingston First Vote' has been recognised in the award's best 'Business-to-Business Campaign' category, which highlights the successful targeting of a business audience through public relations.

The vote campaign was the culmination of a two year marketing and consultation campaign to promote Kingston First; a partnership between Kingston Town Centre Management and Kingston Council to introduce the UK's first business improvement district (BID). Under the scheme, businesses in Kingston town centre were asked to vote on whether they wanted to pay a 1% supplement on their business rates in order to create a £3.5 million plus budget, over five years, to spend on services to make the town centre cleaner, safer, better maintained and promoted.

This year, the awards received over 1000 submissions, and winners were announced at the Goodwood Park Golf & Country Club, West Sussex on Thursday 9 February 2006.

The campaign has also been shortlisted for the Institute of Public Relations Local Government PR Awards under the 'Successful Partnerships' category.

Helen Ashley, managing director of Upward Curve PR, said "We are delighted with this award. The campaign's success was also due to the hard work and commitment from the team at Kingston Town Centre Management and from Kingston Council who worked in partnership to make sure business rate payers in the town centre were kept fully informed about the vote and the benefits the BID would bring to the town centre.

The campaign, which used a number of techniques including media relations, a dedicated website, advertising, marketing, and direct engagement, was a particularly exciting project for us as the Kingston Business Improvement District (BID) vote was the first in the country. It presented us with the challenge of educating businesses in the local area on what a BID meant for them, as well as promoting the importance of voting."

CIPR Director General and Chairman of the Judges Colin Farrington, said: "The PRide Awards are about raising professional standards by identifying, recognising and rewarding the first-rate work going on in the PR industry outside of London. They are also about advancing the profession by clearly demonstrating just what PR can achieve at its best, as a strategic management function that manages relationships and reputation. "

"The PRide Awards judging process is rigorous and to win is a tremendous achievement. Upward Curve PR is a worthy winner."

For more information visit:

www.kingstonfirst.co.uk

www.cipr.co.uk/prideawards

Building on a very successful campaign in 2005 (PR Week, 20 May 2005) Coeliac UK is planning its third awareness week, 15 - 21 May, which will be handled this year, by issues specialist Upward Curve PR. The 'Are you 1 in 100?' campaign will press for early diagnosis of the condition after it was found that 1 in 100 people nationwide are estimated to have the disease, yet around two thirds of these are undiagnosed.

Coeliac UK is a charity supporting sufferers of coeliac disease, an illness caused by an intolerance to gluten. Symptoms can include bloating, fatigue and anaemia and can lead to more serious illness such as osteoporosis and bowel cancer if undiagnosed. Once correctly diagnosed, treatment includes following a gluten free diet for life.

Coeliac UK believes that the high levels remaining undiagnosed are due in part to GPs general lack of information about the disease, which can result in diagnosis being made for other illnesses with similar symptoms, the most common of which is Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). The campaign will highlight the need for GPs to be given more information about the disease, and will press the case for early diagnosis among government, GPs and the general public.

Julie Legge, Deputy Chief Executive at Coeliac UK says: 'Early diagnosis of coeliac disease will vastly improve the lives of millions of people in the UK. Far too many people are unnecessarily suffering uncomfortable symptoms which interfere with their day to day lives, and risk their long term health, which could be easily rectified by following a gluten free diet. The 1 in 100 campaign will include lobbying, fundraising, marketing activities, a media relations push and events and activities by local groups.

We are launching a new website which will include a section for healthcare professionals to help them identify and deal with coeliac disease. The aim is to push coeliac disease up the public health agenda and helping ensure GPs are given the support and information they need to enable them to more easily diagnose coeliac disease.'

To support the 2006 campaign Upward Curve PR will be carrying out a survey of Coeliac UK members to find out about their experience of the disease. A campaign brand will be designed and media relations will form the main part of Upward Curve PR's role.

"We chose Upward Curve PR because they offered the best mix of creativity, broad media experience and campaigning experience for our campaign" says Julie Legge, Deputy Chief Executive at Coeliac UK.

"We're delighted to be able to add value to such an exciting campaign, improving awareness of this little known disease which affects so many people," says Helen Ashley, Director, Upward Curve PR.

For more information visit:

www.coeliac.co.uk

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Home-Start, the UK's leading family support charity, has appointed Upward Curve PR to provide media relations support for a national campaign being launched during Volunteers' Week, 1 - 7 June, to help the charity recruit an additional 500 trustees to support its 337 local schemes.

Home-Start acting chief executive, Kay Bews said; 'Home-Start provides a life-line to families in their own homes, but we couldn't do it without the invaluable support of the volunteer trustees who manage our local schemes.

'Financial, business management, HR and fundraising and marketing skills are just some of the experience that we need behind the scenes, to guide and support the staff and volunteers who make the difference on the front line.'

Home-Start developed the 'We're asking' campaign, based on research which shows that 11 million people say they would volunteer if only they were asked.

Upward Curve PR will develop and implement a PR strategy on a national and regional level to encourage members of the business community to share their skills by becoming a Home-Start trustee.

Upward Curve PR managing director, Helen Ashley added; 'We are excited to be working on this project with Home-Start. Time is a precious resource, but many people are looking to put something back into their local communities and would welcome the chance to use their professional skills to help run a local charity that makes such a difference to vulnerable families in their community.'

For more information visit:

www.home-start.org.uk

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A1 BOROUGH: PIONEERING REVAMP FOR ISLINGTON LAUNCHED

The A1 Borough project builds on the benefits that will come from the building of the new £400 million Arsenal stadium, as well as those from the £25 million regeneration of Finsbury in the south and the regeneration opportunities of Archway in the north.

An eight-week consultation period was launched on Thursday 2 June 2005. This includes a launch at Sadler's Wells Theatre, media relations activity, a dedicated area on Islington Council's website, consultation literature and consultation events for a range of stakeholders from the public to the local business community.

The busy A1 forms the spine of the borough stretching down from Archway, on to Highbury Corner, along fashionable Upper Street and down through Goswell Road on the city fringes. The multi million pound A1 Borough project is the backed by Islington council, public and private sector partners and Transport for London (TfL). The scheme will attract both public and private sector cash with at least £4 million of pump-priming cash being spent this year with millions more expected overt the life of the scheme.

The aim is to make it easier and safer for people to walk to local services; and cut the number of car journeys on local roads. Eight new or improved public spaces with the A1 running through them - at Archway, Whittington Park, Nags Head, Holloway Road, Highbury & Islington, Angel, Goswell Road and Old Street - are proposed. These are aimed at enabling people to come together to enjoy the street without reducing the ability of the road to carry people into and out of central London or pushing traffic onto neighbouring streets.

Commenting on the launch of the A1 Borough consultation, Cllr Bridget Fox, Islington's executive member for sustainability says:
"This is a unique way of bringing about inner-city renewal. The A1 is a major artery into and out of London. But it is also at the heart of Islington and at the heart of local life for shopping, business, study and leisure. So we want to make sure that better transport, better safety and a better local environment benefit the surrounding areas as well as the length of Islington's main street. Transforming the A1 in this way will turn the A1 from a congested traffic artery into a place for Islington's diverse community to come together."

www.islington.gov.uk

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As well as providing pro bono PR support in the form of strategic advice, media relations, marketing support and event management, the Agency is also sponsoring 10 year old Bikhas Thapa, based at the project's hostel in Nepal.

Set up in 2002, Pegasus provides a home, food, clothing and an education for street children in Nepal who would otherwise be fighting for survival on the streets, vulnerable to abuse and attacks from other children and adults alike.

The Project has successfully established the 'Happy Home Hostel' for boys aged 5 - 14 years old who attend the Pegasus English School.

This year Pegasus want to raise more funding to enable the hostel to become self-sufficient by growing their own fruit and vegetables, and by keeping animals for food, eggs and milk.

It also wants to look at providing support for girls on the street and developing an outreach service in Kathmandu.

For more information please visit:

www.worldofrhythm.com/pegasus