Unsworth Sugden Group

Randlay Whites FC U10s

October’s PR pic of the month shows Telford’s Randlay Whites U10s football team in their new kit sponsored by client Barratt West Midlands and was taken by photographer Rob Finney.

We love how Rob managed to get every child looking engaged and excited.  Team or group pictures are often quite hard to make look dynamic but this shot really works.  Standing the children in a parallel line also gives the composition something a bit different.

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?!

All of us here at Unsworth Sugden congratulate housebuilders Barratt West Midlands and David Wilson Homes on celebrating many of its site managers being named winners at this year’s National Housebuilding Council’s (NHBC) Pride in the Job awards. Barratt West Midlands are celebrating three of its site managers winners, and David Wilson Homes are celebrating twelve of its employees winning Pride In The Job awards.

The awards are the most coveted in the housebuilding industry and are given after NHBC inspectors carry out a series of unannounced site inspections to select the best organised and best-built housing developments. The Barratt West Midlands managers who have won the Quality Award are Mike Farrell at Horizon in Wolverhampton, Jon Barker at The Bridles in Bloxwich and Ian Crockford at Clover Mead in Telford.

Overall the Barratt Group have won 76 awards in the Pride in the Job campaign and this is the eighth year running that the Group’s site managers – in charge of Barratt and David Wilson developments around Britain – have picked up more awards than any other housebuilder.

Meanwhile, in the David Wilson East Midlands camp; their winners included Henry Patecki, working in The Hedgerows in Earl Shilton (Impressively, this is his eleventh Pride in the Job award!). The other awards were given to Gary Tebbatt from Syston, Alex Coltman from Market Harborough, Ian Bentley from Forest Town, Mansfield. Other David Wilson winners were Peter Seditas from Kibworth, David Dearden from Hucknall, Ben Derbyshire from Rugby, Kevin Richardson from Newton Park near Bingham, and finally Liam Hathaway, St James View in Hathern.

Additionally, in the David Wilson Mercia group, this being the second year the West Midlands’ leading housebuilder has won five awards, the winners this year are Glynne Garratt at Brecon View in Gornal, Ricki Hughes at Icon in Coventry, Simon Jones at Churchfields Place in West Bromwich, Kirk Raine at Falcon’s Rest in Doseley and Ross Whitehouse at Meriden Gate in Meriden.

This month, teachers and pupils at Busill Jones Primary School in Bloxwich were snapped by Toby Savage looking excited to receive a generous donation from client, Barratt West Midlands. Barratt donated an iPad along with iTunes vouchers to the school, for them to purchase and use Makaton software, as the school has a number of children with special educational needs. The iPad and Makaton software aids children with learning difficulties in the classroom, enabling them to get involved with lessons and learn alongside the rest of their class.

To mark National Apprenticeship Week, Unsworth Sugden have been showcasing the talents of some of our clients’ up-and-coming apprentices.

The week, which took place from February 6^th to February 10^th, focused all eyes on apprenticeships across the country, raising the profile among employers, individuals, teachers, the media and parents.

One young apprentice who has been setting the mark for everyone else is 20-year-old Scott Walker from Sutton Coldfield.

Currently studying towards his NVQ Level 3 in carpentry at South Birmingham College while working as a carpenter at Barratt Homes’ Horizon development, Scott has already scooped two prestigious awards including being named as Apprentice of the Year 2011. Alan Sugar cast your eyes this way.

Scott, who has been an apprentice with Barratt West Midlands for nearly two years, commented: “I’ve been working as a carpenter at Horizon but have also been able to work on other trades such as roofing.

“The variety of jobs is great and I have a really good working relationship with my Site Manager Mike Farrell.

“Winning two awards during my two years at Barratt West Midlands has been amazing. I was stunned when I found out.”

Scott Walker (20) named Apprentice of the Year 2011

Barratt Homes is currently looking for new trade apprentices starting in September 2012 across the country. For more information visit www.buildingcareerstogether.co.uk/graduates-and-apprentices and maybe you could be their next apprentice.

Horizon is situated in the Canal side Quarter of Wolverhampton - a newly emerging urban village located in the centre of the city. The development is a unique architectural landmark capturing the spirit of innovation, a great place for any apprentice to start their career.

Pink and shiny, Valentine's Day summed up in a sweet wrapper

Today is the day to show your other half how much they mean to you. Or politely disincline if you are fed up of seeing couples frolicking around with little floating hearts surrounding them.

But here at Unsworth Sugden it is a great chance to show clients that little bit extra TLC and make the most of the one day of the year where everything seems to turn red and pink.

Across the country star struck people will be celebrating love in one way or another with the usual cards, chocolates and grand gestures, and the PR team are no exception working hard on promoting what special offers are available from our clients.

The David Wilson Homes South Midlands team have been busy playing cupid by not only matching buyers to their dream homes but also by helping them to make that leap of faith up the aisle as well.

The team made a one-off offer to pay for a good proportion of the cost towards buyers wedding day (£5,000 in fact) when purchasing with them - and you can bet that couples all over Cambridgeshire were scrambling among one another to beat last weekend’s deadline of reserving their dream homes to start their lives together.

However if you did miss the boat, no need to panic because there are plenty more offers available to help make the Valentine’s Day loved-up feeling last longer.

Barratt West Midlands and David Wilson Mercia still have £500 up for grabs towards a romantic getaway with your loved one when you reserve a property between now and February 26^th and legally complete the sale before June 22^nd. Just quote ‘Cupid01′ to your sales advisor when enquiring.

These are just a few of the ways the PR team try to use seasonal events to generate a news hook and grab buyer’s interest for our clients.

But fear not if you don’t have a special someone to celebrate today with, here is a small reassuring fact to take away with you for those of us who wonder if they are the only single person left on the planet. In South Korea it is a tradition for single people to get together on a designated day of their own and unite over black noodles called Jajangmyeon, and mourn their single lives two months after Valentine’s Day on April 14.

It’s not a tradition I can see catching on in the UK but who knows, it’s always an option for those not lucky enough to be in love and looking for property.

A LOT of the work done in the Unsworth Sugden PR department for our property clients involves contacting homebuyers - or as we know them Happy Buyers - for third party testimonials and drafting their stories into press releases.

They are the unbiased voices of people, who our clients including Barratt Homes and David Wilson Homes, work so hard to please (hence the name Happy Buyers).

Calling buyers up and asking them about their moving experience has been one of my favourite bits of what I have done during my work experience so far, but it has at times proven to be difficult.

Not everyone wants to share the details of their move with you and sometimes it’s hard to catch people when they’re busy working.

But it is always nice to get to the end of an interview and say as a thank you they can have a complimentary bottle of champagne and keep copies of their photographs taken by our dedicated photographers in their new homes.

Happy Buyer’s illustrate the benefits of buying new and buying with the Barratt or David Wilson brand, their stories – as Hannah, director of PR tells me – are the bread and butter of the work carried out by the PR team. They really do bring a press release to life and give it that human interest.

My first Happy Buyer case study I attempted was contacting a retired couple who had moved to the beautiful Water’s Edge development built by Barratt West Midlands in Stourport-on-Severn. They were very friendly and helpful and told me all about how satisfied they were with their brand new home and the convenience of its location.

Brenda and Richard in their new Barratt Home at Water's Edge

So thank you to Richard and Brenda Millis for taking the time to ease me into talking to Happy Buyers, hopefully before my week’s experience is finished I will have been able to attempt a few more.

Client Barratt West Midlands had some extraordinary visitors at its Monarch Fields development in Telford during a Part Exchange event weekend this month.

A selection of animals from Hoo Farm Animal Kingdom located a few minutes drive from the development on Humber Lane were out to meet and greet visiting families, and included a meerkat, a Burmese python, a racoon and a barn owl.

Don’t forget, The Lyng - a major regeneration project by client Barratt West Midlands - will officially kick off this weekend (Saturday 16th April), with the help of West Bromwich Albion legends Tony Bomber Brown and Brendon Batson.  For details contact 0121 585 5605 or visit www.thelyngalive.co.uk.

Tony in 1978, picture thanks to West Bromwhich archivist Laurie Rampling

The legend that is Tony ‘Bomber’ Brown will be opening a development of brand new homes for client Barratt West Midlands on Saturday 16th April.  At 10.30am the former West Bromwich Albion player will be attending The Lyng, a new regeneration project from Barratt which is set to change the face of West Bromwich.  Tony, who will be joined by another Baggies legend, Brendon Batson MBE will be cutting a navy and white ribbon into the new show homes and be available for autograph signings and photographs.  Anyone interested in going to the event should call 0121 585 5606 for details or go to The Lyng marketing suite on Lyttleton Street on the day.