PR students enhance reputation of 'real' organisations

Two organisations have benefited from the help of Edge Hill University's Public Relations students who have worked tirelessly on campaigns to raise their profiles.

The University took the unique step of having its students from all three years on the PR degree course work with actual organisations for practical hands-on experience instead of creating ‘mock' scenarios in the classroom.

Not only has the initiative given the students a realistic flavour of the demanding and competitive world of PR but it has actually enhanced the reputation of two charities who have reported much success as a result of their hard work.

Home Start West Lancashire, which provides support and friendship for families, was in desperate need of more volunteers and also wanted to recruit trustees. The group of students who were asked to work with the charity to help them achieve their goals contacted community groups and visited popular places where families visit, such as supermarkets to find potential recruits. They also organised an awards ceremony to acknowledge the contribution volunteers make and put on some family-orientated events. By going the extra mile the charity now has 16 extra volunteers and seven extra potential trustees.

Ann Morgan, Scheme Manager for Home Start, said: "The students have been absolutely fabulous. We really appreciate everything they've been doing for us.  We intend to continue everything they've started and I'm really looking forward to meeting the potential volunteers.  We really can't thank the students enough for all their hard work."

The National Blood Service wanted to encourage more employees to give blood and wanted a campaign that was specifically targeted towards a workforce audience. The group of students working on this project organised their own networking event and also attended a number of road shows and breakfast meetings to raise awareness about the importance of becoming a donor.

Pam Prescott, Media & PR Officer for the NHS Blood and Transplant Service, said: "It's been a pleasure working with the students who have shown the utmost professionalism in helping to organise a business networking event for the National Blood Service. The event generated some great support for blood donation and we are hopeful that we can recruit those who have shown an interest and register them as full time blood donors."

All the students involved in the live campaigns have been very enthusiastic about their experiences and realise that they have definitely made the right career choice.

Laura McGarry, a third year student who worked on the Home Start campaign, said: "It has given me such a great insight into the world of PR and I know that it is the right career choice for me. It was lovely to know that we had made such a huge difference to a small charity, Home Start was really pleased with what we had achieved and said we had exceeded their expectations so that in itself was rewarding."

Emma Camden, also a third year student who worked on the National Blood Service campaign, said: "We liased with a PR company who gave us some expert advice for organising our own event and reaching our target audiences, which was invaluable.  The project was a good experience and we worked together as a team to overcome any pitfalls and handled the campaign professionally. The business people we spoke to were impressed that the University had allowed us to embark on this type of project and complemented us on the quality of our work."

Congratulating the students on their achievements, Paula Keaveney, Lecturer in Public Relations, said: PR is about creating a buzz and enhancing the reputation of individual clients and companies and I wanted our students to understand what a challenging industry it is. Choosing to help two real organisations meant there was obviously an element of risk because if anything had have gone wrong it would have damaged the University's reputation. But I had every confidence that our students would be able to deliver - and they did. Not only did they exceed the expectations of the organisations who put their trust and faith in them but they have enhanced the reputation of the University with their professionalism and quality of work."