Unsworth Sugden Group

Rachel Pulham

Come Monday morning I found myself strangely calm due to the reassuring comments on this blog so I shall now attempt to present future interns with that same level of reassurance!

As another one of those ambivalent English students who has no definitive idea of their future careers I really wanted the opportunity to dip my toes into as many industries as possible. Due to Unsworth Sugden’s varied work in PR, Advertising, Marketing and Web Design it was an obvious choice!

Upon arrival, Hannah the Director of PR warmly welcomed me to the company and as a previous Southampton University English student herself we had lots to talk about! I was given a varied list of tasks for the week, fortunately enough to keep me busy. I was then given a tour of the company and introduced to the seemingly exhaustive list of names and friendly faces.

Once I settled down at my desk to work I was thrilled to see that my tasks were indeed real jobs for the company. Hannah had made every effort for me to feel that I was being useful and was truly part of the PR department. A small sampler of my jobs included; shopping for promotional products; researching events for advertisement opportunities; compiling media directories; creating  presentations and writing blog posts. My fellow colleagues were continuously helpful yet not overbearing and luckily very patient over my constant mispronunciation of the company name. (A note for future interns – practice beforehand!)

Soon enough my brief but busy time at Unsworth Sugden was over. I’ve a learnt about what the role of a PR agency is and how Unsworth Sugden is specifically designed to meet every customer’s needs regardless of size. Even more surprisingly for such a trim office is the copious amounts of cake, doughnuts and brownies everyone consumes!

If you are looking for experience in a lively yet productive agency then Unsworth Sugden is the place for you. I’d like to thank everyone for having me but specifically Hannah, Dave, Kayleigh, Sarah and Sophie in PR for being so welcoming!

Kathryn Murrell

‘They’ say that the ultimate goal of working is to actually enjoy yourself when at work; if you can work hard to achieve set goals, to better yourself and to work in a cohesive team,  then you’re golden. Well, I can honestly say that I think I’ve achieved that goal this week!

Having just finished my Undergraduate American Studies degree at the University of Leicester, and starting my Masters degree in PR in October, I wanted to gain some experience in the world of PR before I really get my teeth stuck into the job market.

I honestly couldn’t have come to a better place to attain some experience and comprehension into what a job in PR truthfully involves. From the first day, I was treated like one of the team. I had a list of goals I was expected to achieve by the end of the week (Everything from creating a database of the contact details of editors and reporters who work on national newspaper’s property sections, to writing up press releases and making them into entries on the company’s blog, to creating a presentation on the usefulness of Twitter for PR agencies and their clients, to attending a photo-shoot at Newby Castleman of their employees who have just received a promotion).

The work was challenging, yet it wasn’t too much to handle at all. I was encouraged to work at my own pace and to not get too caught up about feeling like I had to finish all the tasks that were listed.

Even though some of these tasks were rather daunting, the team made me feel completely at ease. The open plan office we work in has a relaxed atmosphere, even though each member of the team is working hard (And often multi-tasking). Even to the attitude of ‘We’re all equal here, we don’t have a receptionist, we all answer the phone and get coffee’, the whole working environment at Unsworth Sugden was a joy to work in.

I was made to feel completely comfortable in the working environment; surprisingly I didn’t feel like the irritating ‘new girl’. I had no hesitations of asking both really basic and complex questions, to get a better handle on what my job role involved.

The night before I started the work experience I did feel a little apprehensive, as I knew Unsworth Sugden was a small, intimate, close-knit company, and I thought this would make it hard to fit in. In fact, the opposite is true. Sharing an office with Hannah, Sophie, Kayleigh and Dave was a pleasure.

Having done quite a few internships previously, I can only say this has been the best of the bunch. The work ethic of the people who work at Unsworth Sugden, was a strong yet reassuring one. Absolutely massive thanks, well, really to everyone.  Although the biggest thank you goes to Hannah, the main person who oversaw my progress during the week, and also shares my love of the BBC drama Torchwood!

Emma Hollyhead, sales adviser for Barratt West Midlands

June’s PR pic of the month comes from client Barratt West Midlands’ Summer Sizzle campaign, with employee Emma Hollyhead cooking delicious-looking sausages on the BBQ.

The Summer Sizzle campaign gives customers the chance to receive £250 worth of DIY vouchers, to spend in either B&Q stores, Homebase stores, or Wickes stores, if they reserve a Barratt Homes property before 29th July 2012.

Thanks to photographer Toby Savage for pulling some great shots out of the bag for this job, despite the torrential rain.  Who needs sunshine for a sizzling summer BBQ?!

Eight in a cupboard!

Rowan Homes, one of our esteemed clients, has spoken out against claims from the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) this week that new homes don’t provide enough storage after it managed to fit eight people into an under-stairs cupboard.

From working with them, we at Unsworth Sugden know that at only a year old, the company has already earned itself a reputation for building spacious and traditional new homes in Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire by putting the needs of homebuyers first.  Rowan Homes prides itself on providing generous sized new homes with plenty of storage, as well as a garden shed with every property.

This approach stems from the fact that, as part of North Hertfordshire Homes, a Registered Provider of social housing, and the company has no shareholders to answer to, can choose to build exactly what the market demands.

Managing Director Nick Wright said, “It’s no surprise to us that this report from RIBA has found so many people stuck for storage space in their new home.  In these hard times it can be very difficult for developers to provide all the amenities we used to take for granted.

“At Rowan Homes however, we operate differently.  All the money we make as business is ploughed back into North Hertfordshire Homes so there is no obligation for us to maximise profit at the expense of quality. This puts us in the unique position of being able to design genuinely traditional homes that have lots of storage space, plenty of cupboards in the kitchen and even a garden shed.”

To prove the point about Rowan’s Homes being spacious, here at Unsworth Sugden, we decided to test these claims; Instead of the question ‘How many people can you fit in a phonebox?’, we organised a photoshoot to ask ‘How many people can you fit in an under-stairs cupboard?’. The answer? Count for yourself.

Ian Fawcett, Tax Partner at Newby Castleman

Olympic torchbearers who are considering selling their torches on eBay after the historic relay came to Leicestershire earlier this week, are being warned by client Newby Castleman Chartered Accountants of possible tax implications. The eagled-eyed Unsworth Sugden PR team noticed this national news story and have been able to bring awareness of it to a local audience.

The Olympic Flame is currently a few weeks into its 8,000 mile journey around the UK but
already the iconic metre-long torches have appeared on the online auction site eBay,
attracting bids of up to £150,000.

Some of the 75 or so people, who carried the torches through Leicestershire, may be attracted to selling their torches on websites such as eBay. However, it has become more apparent that they need to be aware of the tax they may have to pay if they do sell it.

Ian Fawcett, Tax Partner at Newby Castleman, comments “Should a torch bearer sell his or her torch for more than £6,000 then this will be classed as a chargeable gain and could see them paying Capital Gains Tax (CGT), depending on what other gains they have accumulated in the tax year. This rate will be charged at either 18 per cent or 28 per cent, depending on their total income for the year.”

Two new tax apps have recently been launched, much to the public’s approval, and both Newby Castleman Chartered Accountants and HM Revenue & Customs have launched iPhone and iPad applications

The Newby Castleman app, which provides accountancy and tax advice for business owners and individuals, was for a time ranked first in the Finance category for iPads worldwide after people flocked to download it for free from the App Store. It was for a time the eighth most downloaded accountancy app for iPhones, which in part is down to the careful work and attention of the Unsworth Sugden team, who helped the mlaunch their new app, with an innovative and expert integrated marketing campaign.

Meanwhile, HM Revenue & Customs have recently launched a new free tax calculator app, which aims to help businesses and individuals with their finances, and is welcomed by a leading firm of chartered accountants.

Stephen Castleman, partner at Newby Castleman said, “Whilst we welcome anything which helps small and medium sized businesses feel more confident about their finances, we feel this initial version of the HMRC app has some limitations. This is in contrast to our own free app which offers a number of interactive features, including tax calculators and tax tables, alongside the latest business news and advice on tax saving… This is a step in the right direction for HMRC.”

The Government app aims to provide taxpayers with an idea of how much tax they pay and where this is spent on key areas such as welfare, health, defence, education and the environment. Others are due to follow throughout 2012 and 2013 which also aim to help improve record keeping.

A David Wilson Homes development in Lincolnshire

The end of June marks a huge show of David Wilson Homes support for the RAF. The company showcased its homes and moving packages during the RAF Air Show at Waddington air base, in the last weekend of June. In addition to this, the company was out in force for Armed Forces personnel during the RAF Coningsby family day.

The Unsworth Sugden team have been proud to support David Wilson Homes in their effort to champion the military, in this weekend of community spirit. In Waddington, Service men and women were given the red carpet treatment, courtesy of the popular home builder, with extra Special Forces packages offered throughout the weekend, to make purchasing a brand new home even more tempting. This is in conjunction with the Government backed schemes ‘FirstBuy shared equity’ and ‘NewBuy’, which are military exclusive deals.

Sales Director for David Wilson Homes, Jan Ruston said “We are excited to be part of the event and our team of Sales Advisers are here to look after our Armed Forces visitors helping them move to a fabulous brand new David Wilson home which even comes with a five year guarantee”

In Coningsby, the Servicemen and women buying a brand new David Wilson home were able to create the style of their home before moving in, by qualifying for up to £1,000 in vouchers to spend on bespoke fittings and upgrades from the David Wilson Expressions range. Jan Ruston also commented “We understand that stepping onto the property ladder can be a daunting experience, so our Sales Advisers will be able to answer everything visitors need to know about moving to a pristine new home.”

The events bolstered support and awareness for cohesion and backing of the work the Armed Forces do, and it was an absolute pleasure for the Unsworth Sugden team to be involved.