redheadPR’s 121212 Fundrasing Event celebrating 10 years is a roaring success: nearly £3000 raised for local charities

redheadPR, the dynamic, independent public relations consultancy, raised nearly £3000 for local charities in their 121212 event, celebrating ten years in style at Christ Church in Sara’s home town, Swindon, last night.

In total, a huge amount, nearly £3000, was raised at the event, supporting the Christ Church renewal and development fund, the Old Town Christmas Lights and Willows Counselling Service. Sara Tye was thrilled: “I can’t believe we raised nearly £3000. I’m so grateful to everyone who gave so generously. It was one of those moments where I felt utterly proud and privileged to be part of the Swindon community, and to know all of these wonderful people”.

The black tie fundraising event, 121212, celebrated a momentous year which has seen the London 2012 Olympics, Her Majesty the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, 160 years of Christ Church, Swindon’s own Jahmene reaching the X-Factor final, and the recent announcement of a Royal baby. The event also took place on Sara’s birthday.

Christ Church was buzzing with array with high profile guests, including The Mayor Councillor Mick Bray, and Mayoress Ruth Bray.

The bells of Christ Church started peeling out at 6.45pm to open this fabulous event, with guests walked up a red carpet aglow with Christmassy candles. As people began to arrive, collection Guitarist, Jeremy Moss, whose repartee includes renaissance, Spanish and rock genres, was first to entertain guests with his mellow music. A quartet of Christmas-Carol singers followed, spreading plenty of festive jollity. The music entertainment ended on a high note, with Swindon’s highly talented 18 year old recording artist, Shannon Saunders, singing a variety of her own written songs and some fantastic covers.

A glamorous cocktail reception greeted guests, courtesy of Baker Street, complete with luxurious Red Martinis. Heartfelt speeches from high profile guests were given throughout the evening, including, Reverend Simon Stevenette and Area Dean of Swindon, and Trystan Williams, the Principal of Springfields Academy, winner of the SEN Provision Award at the annual Education Business Awards.

A lavish galaxy of homemade Italian-style food was laid out in a buffet style in the central aisle of Christ Church, with everything from delicious Melanzani Ripieni, stuffed aubergines, Polpettie Di Carni, meat balls in a lavish tomato sauce, and Insalata Di Riso, a delicious rice salad, topped off with high quality ice-cream, Mario’s Gelato, and tiramisu. With such a feast, the buffet table was never deserted.

Sara Tye is immensely pleased at the moneys raised for local charities: “I’m just so glad to give something back to this community which has been my home for so long now”, says Sara.

For further information visit www.redheadpr.co.uk

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Editors Notes

Sara Tye, Founder & Managing Director, redheadPR

Sara Tye, an award winning top 500 international PR, and Evening Standard Green PR of London, founded redheadPR in London. The vision was to create a company of passionate people who understood how to identify opportunities and deliver the best return on investment for ambitious brands, individuals and organisations.

Sara has worked with Green & Black’s, Frangi Tie Rack, Blue Dragon, Nokia (corporate and CSR), Belu Mineral Water, Centrepoint, Raleigh International, Cardiac Risk in the Young and crocus.co.uk. She has over 20 years of communications expertise and was a finalist in the first Cosmopolitan Women of the Year Awards in 1999. Sara played a key role in the implementation of BT’s environmental policy and the development and management of the philanthropic Best Practice process at Yellow Pages. 

The Make Your Mark for a Tenner campaign, which Sara helped develop, was commended by the CIPR (Chartered Institute of Public Relations) as a sustainable PR programme. Sara was also responsible for the Impact on Society section of The European Foundation of Quality Management Model and Award, which Yellow Pages won in 1999.

Sara developed stakeholder relations at Thames Water Utilities, headed up communications at Yellow Pages and spent three years managing the personal PR at home and abroad of globally for The Body Shop founder, the late Dame Anita Roddick. Sara took The Body Shop online. Client experience includes British Heart Foundation, Black Tower, Latina, S&A Foods, WHSmith, CDNOW.com, sports.com, Yell UK Web Awards, Carlton Interactive, and Sony.

Sara has experience of all forms of media, on and offline, and has worked with most global outlets, from The Philippines Inquirer, 60 Minutes Australia and the Financial Times to Pamela Wallin live in Canada.

Prior to founding redheadPR, Sara built two PR agencies, running international brands such as Packard Bell and Nokia with 360 degree stakeholder communication plans and online and social networking strategies. She has judged both the PRCA Awards and PR Week Awards and was a member of the PRCA Members and Marketing Committee.

Sara is also experienced in crisis situations, having run the Ken Saro-Wiwa campaign against Shell while at The Body Shop. This involved working with some of the most senior global figures in politics, industry and journalism, from Glenys Kinnock’s office in Strasbourg. 

As well as studying management for six years, Sara has also started up a Mexican restaurant, helped run a residential home for the elderly and hotel in St Ives, Cornwall.

Willows Counselling Service

Willows are a local Charitable Trust, which was set up at the joint request of the Area GP Committee and the Council of Churches. We offer professional counselling to adults or couples who refer themselves by phone, in person or via a form from the website.  Counselling can be low cost or free because of subsidies via joint projects with other organisations, donations from churches, Friends of Willows and so on. Willows takes a special interest in supporting those who are recovering from early life neglect, trauma and abuse. We also work alongside a variety of other agencies to support those with enduring needs, including the NSPCC and Barnados at family centres, the Salvation Army at Booth House, and support voluntary placements. Our Training Programme includes Counselling, from Introductory up to Diploma level, and other related areas of therapeutic and pastoral care.

Christ Church Swindon

Christ Church has been a focal point for worship, service and celebration for nearly 160 years – coming particularly into its own during periods of war, conflict, public and private mourning and has provided a backdrop for everyday births, marriages and deaths."  Over the last 159 years, Christ Church Clergy and community have been at the heart of the improvements in health, education and social care in Swindon. We plan to make Christ Church a lighter, warmer, more accessible and more comfortable place to meet.  It will become a space that can be adapted to a far wider variety of uses. We intend to replace the old heating system, level the floor and introduce more comfortable and flexible seating arrangements.

For more information, please contact Emma De Maio or Maria Bretti at redheadPR
Tel: 07921 160 134 or 07854 819 213
Email: emma@redheadpr.co.uk or maria@redheadpr.co.uk