Last year, we provided PR and copywriting support to Eliot Kennedy and the Invictus UK Trials’ Big Gig in Sheffield which resulted in the Trials featuring on BBC The One Show, BBC Breakfast and across print and radio.
We went on to support Invictus veterans, James Rose and Darren Young, on their ‘Road to Kili’ challenge – with James becoming the first military double amputee to reach the top of Kilimanjaro.
Cause UK secured Brian Blessed to back their campaign and went on to place Brian, James and Darren on the sofa at ITV Good Morning Britain. TV appearances also included Sky News and Channel 5 News, with widespread print, including a double page feature in the Sunday Mirror.
In the past decade projects include:
Hidden Wounds – Charity Concert
Cause UK helped stage the first charity concert – Hidden Wounds – to highlight mental ill-health amongst veterans. Cause UK event managed the concert, dinner and auction alongside tickets and media profile for Eliot Kennedy’s gig, featuring Gary Barlow.
We told the ‘Hidden Wounds’ story, with veteran case studies, thought leadership pieces and profiles of Jo Heselden-Edwards – the daughter of the late Jimi Heselden, who invented the Hesco-Bastion blast wall – who supported the gig.
The event raised £60k for Help for Heroes, raising awareness of mental health issues among veterans. Kensington Palace tweeted support for #HiddenWounds, alongside video messages of support from Bear Grylls and Donny Osmond. We worked with veterans to tell their stories in the media, with widespread coverage on ITV and BBC regional news and in print.
Veterans’ Artisan Bakery
Back in 2011, almost ten years ago, we worked with supported veterans’ housing scheme at Catterick Garrison, The Beacon, and raised funds to open the Veterans’ Artisan Bakery, recruiting Marco Pierre-White to back the media campaign.
Media over several years for the bakery included features on BBC Radio 4, Forces TV and extensive regional broadcast and print. As directors of the Veterans’ Artisan Bakery Community Interest Company, we recruited Rosemary Shrager as Patron.
Rosemary appeared on many primetime national TV shows to raise money for the bakery, such as Celebrity Catchphrase and Celebrity Antiques Roadshow.
We also worked with the BBC’s Peter Snow to back a campaign to raise awareness of homeless veterans in winter.
Over those years, we interviewed many case studies of veterans at risk of homelessness, whose lives had been turned around by The Beacon. Features include the story of ex-commando Sean Percival Scott for the Yorkshire Post . His story later ran in the Evening Chronicle with Sean interviewed for BBC York radio and BBC Teesside. Sean’s story went national in the Daily Star.
Other features include ‘A Beacon of Hope for a new start’ the York Press, a Northern Echo Leader, the Daily Echo, Windsor Express and many others.
We invited Brian Blessed to attend The Beacon with Walking with the Wounded, which helped raise further funds, raise profile and Brian donated Flash Gordon memorabilia for charity auction.
Broughton House
We helped raise profile and funds for the retirement home in Salford for veterans. Work included invited the West End show, War Horse, to attend the home to lift the spirits of veterans, and put their plight – to raise money for the retirement home refurb – in the news.