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Political Headlines – Brexit summit at Chequers and Trump baby will fly

July 6, 2018/0 Comments/in Political Headlines, Government, Public Affairs Political Services, Political Database Blog Posts /by Thomas Stevenson

Today’s Political Headlines include the Brexit summit at Chequers, the Labour Party’s antisemitism code, German minister accused of putting security at risk,and the Trump baby.

Brexiteer ministers expected to confront Prime Minister during Brexit summit
The Daily Telegraph expects at least six cabinet ministers to confront Theresa May during today’s summit at Chequers, following the revelation that her proposed deal would see the UK promise to obey EU standards on many goods after Brexit, with British judges following European rulings ‘where relevant’. A leaked document also reveals that this would make reaching a trade deal with the US harder. The paper says International Trade Secretary Liam Fox appears to have withdrawn his opposition after being given ‘personal assurances’ by the Prime Minister, but Jacob Rees-Mogg has claimed that the proposal is ‘not Brexit’.

Labour Party criticised over new antisemitism code
The BBC says that the Labour Party has been criticised by campaigners and some of its own MPs for its new code of conduct on antisemitism. While the party claims that the code meets the full International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism, critics including the Board of Deputies of British Jews, the Jewish Leadership Councils and MPs Chuka Umunna, Liz Kendall and Anna Turley have accused it of omitting elements.

German minister accuses EU of putting security at risk in Brexit talks
The Times claims that German interior minister Horst Seehofer has attacked EU negotiators for putting the ‘security of citizens at risk’ during Brexit talks. He made the claims in a confidential letter to the European Commission. Seehofer has caused chaos in Germany’s coalition government this week over his stance on migration.

Hammond refuses to overhaul business rates
The Daily Mail says that Chancellor Philip Hammond has been accused of ‘betraying struggling high street retailers’ after he refused to overhaul business rates. Writing to MPs, he said that he would not consider the issue until after an inquiry into taxing digital firms was completed. Former retail boss Bill Grimsey, who has written a report on saving town centres, claimed that Hammond was ‘divorced from reality’.

McVey rejects calls for a further apology
The Guardian reports that Work and Pensions Secretary Ether McVey has refused to apologise to MPs for misleading them about the progress of welfare reforms, despite being forced to appear in the Commons to answer an urgent question. She has only apologised for claiming that the National Audit Office had called for the process to be sped up.

Brexit shows dangers of global trade war, Carney says
The Financial Times carries remarks made by Bank of England Governor Mark Carney in which he warns world leaders that the UK’s economic performance after Brexit shows the dangers of deglobalisation. He warned that the imposition of further tariffs as part of an international trade war would hit global growth.

Williamson would accept amnesty for IRA terrorists in return for one for soldiers
According to The Sun, Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson has written to the Prime Minister to say that he would back an amnesty for IRA terrorists if this allowed former British soldiers to escape investigation over killings of civilians during the troubles in Northern Ireland.

Giant baby Trump to be flown during presidential visit
The Daily Mirror reports that Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, has given permission for a giant blimp in the shape of a nappy-wearing Donald Trump to be flown during the US President’s visit to the UK next week. Strict conditions will be imposed on the flight of the £16,000 inflatable baby from Parliament Square Gardens.

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Spotlight with Top LGBT blog LesBeMums

July 5, 2018/0 Comments/in PR Pulse, PR, Blogger, Blogger Spotlight Media Database, PR, Press and Bloggers Blog Posts /by Holly Hodges

LesBeMums was created in 2012 by Kate Everall and her wife Sharon when they started their journey to become parents. Recently ranked second in the Top 10 UK LGBT+ Blogs, LesBeMums now posts about family life with young T, and reviews days out and family activities. We spoke to Kate about the LGBT+ community (and why the bloggers are so supportive), politics and working with PRs who understand the value in bloggers.

What makes your blog unique?
Not only are we a same sex family, but we are two mums raising a son. In a male dominated world, we have the challenging task of making sure we raise a decent man, while also making sure he is not automatically hated for his gender. We talk a lot about tackling outdated stereotypes, raising a feminist, and hitting prejudice in the backside.

What’s the LGBT+ blogging community like to be part of?
When we first started blogging, and reading blogs prior to writing one, the LGBT+ blogging community was almost non-existent, especially in the UK. Most of the blogs we read were in Australia and the US. Because of this, we decided to start our own blog and build on that community, to make families feel less isolated and to find others just like us.

Over the years the community has grown, and I am proud to see a number of families online and being visible; from adoptive two-dad families to single gay-mum families. It’s a wonderful community to be a part of – I don’t know anything quite as supportive.

What’s the biggest issue facing the LGBT+ community today?
While the UK is moving forward when it comes to LGBT+ rights, it seems the rest of the world (especially the US) is moving backwards. One of the biggest issues I see for the LGBT+ community at the moment is religious freedom. While I respect those that believe in religion, I see no purpose for it in modern society if it means members of the LGBT community – humans – are being denied the same rights and services as heterosexual people.

Where is the best Pride event?
I’m biased when I say Brighton, but what more could you want from a Pride event? Sun, sea, and (stone) beaches. It’s a wonderful place to be during the Pride weekend, with an amazing atmosphere, and while I’d love to visit other Pride’s across the world, Brighton will always have my heart.

What do you make of Theresa May’s LGBT Action Plan?
While it is a step in the right direction, it doesn’t take much research to see Theresa May’s voting history when it comes to LGBT+ rights, and as a member of the LGBT+ community I will never forgive the implementation of Section 28 in the 1980s. Therefore, I am always apprehensive when it comes to new Tory legislation. Nevertheless, I am pleased to see that the Government has listened to so many voices and I welcome any work that changes the way schools can address homophobic bullying as well as how Police can tackle hate crimes, but I want to see results (and real funding!) before I start dishing out the praise and high fives.

What one thing should PRs know about you?
Being a two-mum family, we’re open to something that bit different. Not THAT you filthy animals(!), but something that may challenge gender stereotypes and norms, or even challenge what ‘family’ looks like. We would love PRs to think outside the box and be more inclusive when choosing families to be a part of a campaign. If I don’t feel represented it puts me off a product. I want to see a variety of families taking part in campaigns.

What are the best campaigns or collaborations you’ve been part of?
Being a part-time blogger, I don’t often have the time to take part in massive campaigns. We’re often overlooked because our stats are a lot lower that others, but one of the biggest campaigns (for us, anyway!) to date, is collaborating with Camp Bestival. We’re still pinching ourselves to this day that they invited us to work alongside loads of other wonderful travel and family bloggers. The festival really represents us as a family, and considering we had only been once the previous year it really gave me a confidence boost that I was doing something right as a blogger. It proved to me that stats weren’t the priority or that important, but instead the interaction and engagement we got from our loyal audience during the festival was much more valuable.

Do bloggers need their own industry association?
Absolutely! Blogging as a business is hard work (which is why I still work full-time in a difference sector!) and it’s made even harder when either the media make a mockery of bloggers and ‘influencers’, or when PRs are still offering peanuts (and expecting a lot) for the work we produce. It’s hard to fight back when we don’t know where we stand or what our rights are.

There needs to be clear guidelines and rules like any other job role in another industry. Bloggers clearly have a purpose and a role to play, otherwise why else would 66% of marketers in 2017 use blogs as their social media content? Not to mention the money that’s now being invested into bloggers (we’re talking thousands for some).

What other blogs do you read?
Other rainbow families are always going to be at the top of our list, families like Tom & Daniel from The Unlikely Dad, Amy and Laura from MamaEdenandMe, or Kirsty and Clara from My Two Mums, but we also like reading lots of other blogs, like Nyomi from Nomi Palony and Lauren from Scrapbook Blog who each tick different boxes for me, which I love. We’ve been reading blogs a lot longer than we’ve been writing them. We love finding new blogs to read!

LesBeMums, Kate and Sharon are listed on the Vuelio Influencer Database along with thousands of other bloggers, vloggers, journalists and opportunities.

The number one LGBT+ blogger in the UK – Justin Myers

July 5, 2018/0 Comments/in PR Pulse, PR, Blogger, Blogger Spotlight Media Database, PR, Press and Bloggers Blog Posts /by Holly Hodges

Justin Myers writes The Guyliner, the number one LGBT+ blog in the UK. Blogger, writer, columnist and novelist, Justin uses the Guyliner to write about everything from dating advice to LGBT+ issues – and, of course, his famous Guardian Blind Dates reviews. Justin told us about the uphill battle that LGBTQ people face to be accepted in society, the joy of Pride and what it means to have a space to just be you, and why PRs need to be relevant.

What makes your blog unique?
This is a very good question but I’m not sure I’m the best person to answer it – you’d have to ask my readers. I suppose I have built up a loyal following over the years by being consistent. I speak honestly about issues and am not interested in being controversial just for a second under the spotlight.

The issues I write about resonate with people but I also vary my tone – I am lucky in that I can write about very emotive or serious subjects, and also write comic or satirical pieces, and can find an audience for both. I can’t speak for anybody else, or to a particular uniqueness, but light and shade can be hard to pull off, especially in the world we live in right now, which is one of extremes.

What’s the LGBT+ blogging community like to be part of?
I’m proud to be recognised as an LGBTQ blogger and journalist, and there are some fantastic writers and commentators out there. I like to think we are generally supportive. Journalism can be filled with people pulling the ladder up after them but I prefer to pay it forward – I know lots of others are the same.

What’s the biggest issue facing the LGBT+ community today?
We are still oppressed. Homophobia and transphobia are still rife; it hasn’t just fallen away thanks to marriage equality. Trans people are taking a battering from the press and this is a concern, as we all know this kind of resentment filters down.

Racism toward LGBTQ people is a problem, both within and outside the LGBTQ community. Intersectionality is often dismissed by those on the outside but the fact is, being an LGBTQ person in the UK today is never just about being ‘gay’ or ‘trans’ – there are other factors affecting your life too, and most of these are about changing others’ perceptions of you, which can be fruitless and exhausting.

Youth homelessness, too: the Albert Kennedy Trust says 22% of young homeless people identify as LGBTQ and an astonishing 77 percent of them found themselves in that situation because of coming out to their parents. Again, this is about changing how other people treat us for just being, not something we have actually done wrong. The battle is all uphill but we can’t stop.

Where is the best Pride event?
I went to Stockholm Pride once and that was fun. Obviously, I live in London and that is a huge event, as is Manchester. But I think I’d like to give a shout out to the smaller UK cities who don’t have huge corporate sponsors and have a community with more diverse needs and less of a ‘scene’: Pride in Hull seems to be doing some great work, as does Edinburgh, Leeds and Bradford.

Pride can seem like a huge party in some cities – and that’s no bad thing – but in smaller towns and cities with less access to LGBTQ services, venues and general support, they can be a huge lifeline, a chance to truly be! But I couldn’t really pick between any of them – they’re all generally a force for good.

What do you make of Theresa May’s LGBT Action Plan?
Any publicity for LGBTQ issues is obviously a good thing, but some of these action points are just previous pledges rehashed. The proposed ban on ‘gay conversion’ therapy made a lot of headlines, but what about the more insidious forms of conversion therapy, through religion, peer or parental pressure, or even societal norms? Society as a whole must see that all forms of coercion and conversion are unacceptable if we are to live free, happy lives.

What one thing should PRs know about you?
I only talk or write about issues that I feel my readers would generally be interested in, are relevant to my or their experience, and would make sense to them. The last thing I want someone to say is, ‘Why the hell is Justin talking about this?!’ I say no to much more than I say yes. I want to talk about things that matter, or entertain, or that people will love.

Political Headlines – Brexit customs plan, hospitals missing targets, JLR’s warning and McVey

July 5, 2018/0 Comments/in Political Headlines, Government, Public Affairs Political Services, Political Database Blog Posts /by Thomas Stevenson

Today’s Political Headlines include the new Brexit customs plan, hospitals missing targets on the NHS’s 70th birthday, Jaguar Land Rover’s Brexit warning and McVey misleading parliament.

Government reveals some details of its new Brexit customs proposal
The BBC reports that the Government has set out some details of its new customs plan, as Theresa May prepares to meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel today. The ‘facilitated customs arrangement’ would allow the UK to set its own tariffs, with technology used to determine whether UK or EU tariffs would be payable on goods, and the UK would mirror EU regulations, with Parliament deciding where to deviate from them. The Daily Telegraph claims that Brexit Secretary David Davis has written to May to warn her that the plans will not work and that the EU will reject them.

Hospitals missing targets as NHS celebrate 70th birthday
An investigation conducted by The Times to mark the 70th birthday of the NHS has found that just one hospital trust met its main targets last year, with 25 out of 139 trusts failing on all three main targets – seeing 95% of A&E patients in four hours, treating 85% of cancer patients in 62 days, and offering 92% of non-emergency patients treatment in 18 weeks.

Jaguar Land Rover warns of hard Brexit impact
The Financial Times says that the Chief Executive of Jaguar Land Rover, Ralf Speth, has warned that a hard Brexit would cost the firm £1.2bn in trade tariffs and that the wrong deal would lead to the firm having ‘to close plants here in the UK’. He revealed that the company needs certainty in order to invest £80m over five years and that it has already spent £10m on contingency plans for Brexit.

McVey faces calls to resign after she admits misleading parliament
According to The Guardian, Labour and the Lib Dems are calling Work and Pensions Secretary Esther McVey to resign after she had to apologise for misleading parliament. She had told MPs that the National Audit Office had called for the roll out of universal credit to be sped up, but the body’s head Sir Amyas Morse said that this was a misinterpretation of its report on the programme which had actually called for a ‘pause’ in implementation.

New cybercrime court announced
The Times reveals that the Lord Chancellor David Gauke has announced that a new specialist court to tackle cybercrime and fraud is to be constructed at a cost of £300m. Gauke said that the new court would be ‘a further message to the world that Britain both prizes business and stands ready to deal with the changing nature of 21st century crime’.

Councils better at improving inadequate schools, research shows
The BBC carries details of research commissioned by the Local Government Association that shows that council-maintained schools are better at improving schools judged to be inadequate than sponsor-led academies. Changes introduced in 2016 mean that all schools found to be inadequate must now be taken over by an academy chain or trust.

Corbyn calls for bank holiday if England win World Cup
The Daily Telegraph says that Jeremy Corbyn is calling on the Government to introduce a bank holiday if England win the World Cup. Meanwhile, Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Secretary Matt Hancock has accused the SNP of deliberately forcing votes in the Commons during England’s game against Columbia.

Mordaunt becomes first MP to use sign language in Parliament
The Sun reports that Equalities Minister Penny Mordaunt made history yesterday, becoming the first MP to use sign language in Parliament. She was making a statement announcing the Global Disability Summit on 24 July, which will be jointly hosted by the UK and Kenya. Speaker John Bercow also responded in sign language.

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Interview with leading LGBT+ blog Daddy & Dad

July 4, 2018/0 Comments/in PR Pulse, PR, Blogger, Blogger Spotlight Media Database, PR, Press and Bloggers Blog Posts /by Holly Hodges

Jamie Beaglehole and his partner Tom write Daddy & Dad, which was recently ranked in the UK’s Top 10 LGBT+ Blogs. Covering life as a two-dad family, with adopted boys Lyall and Richard, Daddy & Dad features everything from the adoption process and the realities of parenthood to days out with the kids. We caught up with Jamie to find out more about the LGBT+ blogging community, why Leicester has the best Pride and how the blog works with PRs.

What makes your blog unique?
I started producing the Daddy & Dad blog back in 2014 when Tom and I adopted our boys, Lyall and Richard. Back then, there was very little first-hand information from same-sex adopters online.

I set out to plug the gap with stories about the reality of adoption with an honest, unfiltered approach. There are already hundreds of ‘Pinteresty’, pastel-coloured parent blogs which omit the difficult bits, so I include all the ‘bad’ bits too – sibling rivalry, soft play centres, school run tantrums, supermarket squabbles but, equally, the cuddles, fun and games we have together.

The blog’s unique because Tom, the kids and I all get involved in Daddy & Dad features and collaborations; it’s a team effort!

What’s the LGBT+ blogging community like to be part of?
I’ve been lucky enough to meet several like-minded bloggers through events and awards ceremonies, not least The Dad Network (of which I’m an active member) and their network of lovely dads. I’m also a member of a regional blogging group who meet up at PR events in the local area.

Thinking about the LGBT+ blogging community, the LGBT+ parenting niche is still fairly small so I tend to find myself rubbing shoulders with the wider blogging crowd. That said, we do get involved with the local LGBT+ community through trips to pride and the gay pub in town – the locals absolutely love Lyall and Rich!

What’s the biggest issue facing the LGBT+ community today?
There is a prevailing masculine culture that tells children that boys and girls are supposed to behave in a particular way. It leads to LGBT+ children hiding their true feelings from their friends and families. It ultimately contributes to mental health problems and suicide among LGBT+ kids.

As a gay little boy back in the 1980s myself (a dark time for gay people), I’ve experienced how insidious homophobia creeps into the classroom, usually unchallenged by teachers. Lyall and Rich are eight and nine and neither of them are aware of a single LGBT+ pupil in their whole school of 400 kids. For me, alarm bells are ringing. Why are LGBT+ kids still hiding in plain sight in 2018 when they can look forward to a happy life of marriage and kids of their own? It’s very worrying.

Where is the best Pride event?
We love local Pride events. Our favourite Pride is Leicester Pride. We take the boys along every year. Lyall and Rich love the rainbow flags, the fairground rides and the colourful people. We sing and dance to the pop groups and drag queens on the big stage and wave our flags around all afternoon.

Leicester Pride’s grown from quite a humble event into an enormous festival; this year we’re expecting around 3,000 people in the parade and over 10,000 at the festival in Victoria Park. It’s on 1 September – fingers crossed for sunshine!

What do you make of Theresa May’s LGBT Action Plan?
When Tom and I watched Justin Trudeau’s tearful apology for the wrong-doings by Canada towards its LGBTQ2 community, we wanted to swap him for Theresa May immediately. But, to be fair, she has

spoken on behalf of LGBT+ people in this action plan. So-called gay cure therapy should have been outlawed years ago – it’s torture – to be honest I’m always stunned that it exists. The PM needs to push this through quickly and enforce legal action against anybody who continues to try to cure gay people.

Tackling bullying in school? Blimey. Mrs May is going to need a lot of help. This is an issue for society as a whole. It requires full cooperation and no ambiguity, with a loud, clear, public message from politicians, influential celebrities, the media, school teachers, faith school leaders, religious leaders, parents, local councillors, everybody. I honestly don’t know how she’ll manage it, but I’ll be watching closely and doing everything I can to help.

What one thing should PRs know about you?
One thing? Oh crikey. We’re established, we have an engaged audience and we’re ready to work with you!

As a family, we throw ourselves into PR and brand collaborations enthusiastically (literally if it’s a new waterpark). The whole family gets involved – our boys had a very turbulent start to their little lives so we like to make up for lost time by enjoying all these amazing new experiences together.

What are the best campaigns or collaborations you’ve been part of?
We’ve been very lucky to attract the attention of some prestigious household brands.

So far this year, we played ‘Never have I ever’ with Pizza Express dough-balls in an unscripted TV advert – that was fantastic fun although we were more than a little nervous about what the boys might say on camera! Tom and I also appeared in the 2018 Birds Eye #Solidaritea film alongside some of the UK’s favourite parenting influencers.

We reviewed a monthly board game for Asmodee, promoted a ‘Hobbit Hole’ holiday for Campsites.co.uk in a Lake District travel feature, launched a new Lazer Quest toy, starred in our own My Magic Story books and last weekend we reviewed a beautiful penthouse apartment in Canary Wharf. And that’s just the highlights!

Do bloggers need their own industry association?
I don’t know much about this, to be honest. But, I do have experience with PR work and blogging as a business. The blogging industry is unregulated and compensation for similar jobs can fluctuate drastically. I know some people expect fledgling bloggers to work for free or for the promise of exposure. I can’t think of any other industry where that kind of transaction could legally work.

As a copywriter, I tend to apply my writing rates to blogging work. Generally speaking, every collaboration or sponsored feature can be broken down into chargeable segments. Like any other business, a blogger should at least charge for the parts and labour (travel expenses, time and effort).

If everyone collectively said no to free work, or work in lieu of exposure, businesses would sit up and listen.

What other blogs do you read?
My favourite blogs tend to be relatively small and beautifully written. I love travel blog Birkenstocks and Backpacks, aspiring writer Rachel Horne’s blog Let’s Get Real, freelancing blog Michelle Abrahall, and Mush & Bean Daddies, which follows young couple Joe & Craig in the early stages of their adoption process – they’re just starting out on their own Daddy & Dad adventure!

Daddy & Dad is listed on the Vuelio Influencer Database along with thousands of other bloggers, vloggers, journalists and opportunities.

Vuelio podcast with Chris Player of Playerbakes

July 4, 2018/0 Comments/in PR Pulse, PR, Blogger, Podcast, Blogger Spotlight Media Database, PR, Press and Bloggers Blog Posts /by Jake O'Neill

Chris Player is the genius sourdough baker behind start-up Playerbakes. With fresh bread deliveries, a weekly menu and baking classes, Playerbakes is going from strength to strength as Chris looks to grow his business organically (much like his sourdough starter).

We caught up with Chris to talk about the trials and tribulations of starting your own business from scratch and how best to use digital media – including his blog and popular Instagram account – to promote yourself online. Unsurprisingly, we also talked a lot about bread, including the health benefits of sourdough!

Check out the podcast below:

Let us know if you like the podcast on Twitter, and get in touch if you’d like to take part in a future podcast.

Political Headlines – Vote Leave, Brexit, fishing and Unite

July 4, 2018/0 Comments/in Political Headlines, Government, Public Affairs Political Services, Political Database Blog Posts /by Thomas Stevenson

Today’s Political Headlines include Vote Leave to be found guilty of breaking electoral law, the dangers of a hard Brexit, post-Brexit fishing plans and Unite’s stance on Brexit.

Vote Leave campaign expected to be found guilty of breaking electoral law
The BBC says that it has been told that the Vote Leave campaign is expected to be found guilty of four charges of breaking electoral law. A draft of an investigation by the Electoral Commission concludes that the Brexit campaign broke spending limits and failed to obey campaign rules, but former Vote Leave chief executive Matthew Elliot has denied the claims.

Hammond to warn of hard Brexit dangers at Cabinet summit
The Times alleges that Theresa May has asked Chancellor Philip Hammond and Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Secretary Greg Clark to warn of the dangers of a hard Brexit for tax revenues and businesses when the Cabinet meets on Friday. According to The Daily Telegraph, May is set to face an ‘almighty row’ with Eurosceptic ministers, with a source telling the paper her plans were ‘a fiction designed to keep us in the EU and single market’. The Financial Times adds that May is ‘pleading’ with EU leaders not to reject her proposal, with an EU diplomat telling the paper she didn’t ‘want to be fighting on two fronts’.

Gove sets out post-Brexit fishing plans
The Daily Telegraph reports that Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary Michael Gove is to set out his post-Brexit fishing plans in a white paper today. The proposals would see the UK own the sea and the fish it contains for up to 200 miles from the coast, with a ‘zonal attachment’ scheme based on the distribution of fish stocks replacing EU quotas.

Unite says it is ‘open to the possibility’ of a vote on the Brexit deal
The Guardian says that Unite has issued a statement at its conference, claiming that it is ‘highly unlikely’ that Labour will back Theresa May’s Brexit deal in parliament. The union also reveals that it is ‘open to the possibility’ of a public vote being held on the deal. The paper suggests that this ‘could increase pressure on Jeremy Corbyn’ to follow suit.

NHS may offer medical cannabis ‘within weeks’
The Times claims that medicinal cannabis may be available from the NHS ‘within weeks’, following a review by Dame Sally Davies, the Chief Medical Officer. Her report said that current controls on the drug were ‘very difficult to defend’. A further report on rescheduling the drug will now be produced by the advisory council for the misuse of drugs.

Home Office forced immigrants to take DNA tests
According to the Financial Times, the Home Office has admitted that it forced some foreign parents of British children seeking to remain in the UK to take DNA tests, despite this contravening the department’s own policy. After the paper informed the Home Office of the cases, immigration minister Caroline Nokes ordered an urgent review.

Corbyn tells Unite conference Labour is ‘the political voice of the working class’
The Mirror reports that Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn told Unite’s policy conference that ‘Labour is back as the political voice of the working class’. He said that more needed to be done to ‘give a real voice to working class communities who feel they aren’t heard in politics’ and accused the Conservatives of ‘posturing’ over Brexit, putting jobs at risk.

Reports warn of Brexit’s regional economic impact
The Guardian says that two reports have found that Brexit will make people outside London worse off. Analysis by the Institute for Public Policy Research warns that households outside the capital will be disproportionately affected by price rises in the event of a hard Brexit. Research by Oliver Wyman found that poor areas would be worst hit as households spend a greater proportion of their income on weekly shopping and transport.

Find out how Vuelio Political Services can keep you informed of the latest political updates.

Travel story telling with top travel blog Along Dusty Roads

July 3, 2018/0 Comments/in PR Pulse, PR, Blogger, Blogger Spotlight Media Database, PR, Press and Bloggers Blog Posts /by Merryn Williams

Along Dusty Roads is a brand-new entry in the Top 10 UK Travel Blogs. Written by Andrew Sim and Emily Gough, Along Dusty Roads celebrates slow travel and focuses on savouring the country you’re in. We caught up with the self-confessed tea addicts, who told us how travel blogging has changed, the joy of chicken buses and working on positive PR collaborations.

What makes your blog unique?
Aside from our unrivalled ability to drink lots of tea, we think there’s a few things that make Along Dusty Roads a little different.

Our photography and travel story-telling style, with a strong design aesthetic, helps us to stand out in a crowded space and seems to genuinely grab people’s attention. Our readers really value our in-depth and experience-based advice on destinations to help them plan their own adventures and make their own travel memories; the number of messages we receive each month about how people have relied solely on our posts for short and long-term trips is quite remarkable! In the age of instant and constant social media, having content that looks at things a little differently, a little more in-depth, and in a way which feels like a conversation between like-minded travellers, most certainly still has a place and powerful voice.

We know how we like to travel, and everything we do is to really help people to travel more and travel better – we think that resonates with people once they find us.

How has travel blogging changed since you started?
The growth of Instagram and YouTube has certainly changed the expectations of what some travel content should be and look like, while also increasing the overall numbers of sources that people go to for travel advice and inspiration. This has meant that travel bloggers have had to diversify their product and focus on several different platforms. When we started, Instagram took up none of our time – now it takes up an awful lot.

However, our main platform is our blog and we’re immensely proud of that. Despite the growth of various other channels, we’ve found that established blogs remain extremely valued, trusted, and respected by travellers looking for inspiration, advice and guidance.

What’s the community of travel blogs like to be part of?
When we moved back to London after two-and-a-half years on the road, it meant that we had a ready-made network to plug in to. That made such a difference for us and we’ve made life-long friends out of it. Starting the blog, we had absolutely no idea about the existence of such a community, and everyone is incredibly supportive to help the travel blogging sector improve its professionalism, reach, and output.

What’s the best travel experience in the world?
Hopefully something we haven’t done yet! For us, it will usually involve a road trip, a hike, and a moment that feels utterly unique. Ranking experiences in travel is something that’s difficult to do as well – so often something which could be very simple and forgettable to someone else, may actually make your entire trip!

What’s the best mode of transport you’ve ever experienced?
Public buses in Guatemala (usually referred to as ‘chicken buses’) are mostly colourful refurbished American school buses. Usually jam-packed, usually bumpy, they are always an experience; much more fun than a tourist shuttle with air-con.

What was your scariest experience while travelling?
Honestly, we’ve both been incredibly fortunate in our time travelling (both individually and as Along Dusty Roads) – up until now nothing, touch wood, has gone majorly wrong. A big part of that will be luck, but we also like to think that we’re overall quite sensible when on the road and very much aware of our surroundings.

What should PRs know about you?
Our partners often tell us that our professionalism and business-like approach is refreshing within the blogging industry. We also work bloody hard because we want our partners AND our readers to be happy.

Essentially, if they like what we do at Along Dusty Roads and partner with us, they can rest assured that all the content we create will be as thoughtful, meaningful and unique as everything that made them want to work with us in the first place.

What are the best campaigns you’ve worked on?
All the campaigns have been overall positive experiences for everyone involved, but the very best have been those that have really allowed us the time and space to deliver a true ‘Along Dusty Roads’ experience somewhere. A degree of flexibility on both sides of the table is so important in the initial stages when devising what will work best for our partner’s aims, and our audience.

We’re currently GWanderers (brand ambassadors) for G Adventures, a global adventure travel company, and it’s great to have a partner that values our ideas and approach to content creation so that we can deliver something beautiful, different, and engaging.

Do bloggers need their own industry association?
Any body that supports standards, shares best practice and creates clearer guidelines for both bloggers and their potential partners is always a step in the right direction.

What other blogs do you read?
We don’t tend to read any blogs on a regular basis, but when we’re seeking information or inspiration on a new destination, they are our go-to resource.

Andrew, Emily and Along Dusty Roads are listed on the Vuelio Influencer Database along with thousands of other bloggers, vloggers, journalists and opportunities.

Talking beauty with top beauty blogger Jasmine Stewart

July 3, 2018/0 Comments/in PR Pulse, PR, Blogger, Blogger Spotlight Media Database, PR, Press and Bloggers Blog Posts /by Holly Hodges

Jasmine Stewart writes Jasmine Talks Beauty, the beauty blog that was recently ranked in the Top 10. Covering beauty for all budgets, Jasmine Talks Beauty is not a tutorial site but an outlet for Jasmine to share her love of all things beauty.

Jasmine told us about Instagram’s influence on beauty trends, the development of her blog and working in the right way with PRs for long term success.

What makes your blog unique?
I’m not sure that there’s such a thing as uniqueness in a blog any more, but that doesn’t bother me as such, I just try to give my honest, in-depth thoughts on the products I’ve tried in a chatty and engaging way. If that connects with people then amazing!

How has your blog changed from when you first started to now?
When I started, my design and photography definitely wasn’t good! These are both things I’ve really invested in, both in terms of getting better equipment and in terms of time to hone my skills. Content-wise I still think I do a mixture of single-product reviews and more general posts. I’m just lucky enough to receive products to review now, meaning I can create more content that people are interested in.

What is the biggest trend in the beauty world right now?
Instagram makeup is huge at the moment: the bold brows, overlight nude lips, lots of highlighter and flawless full coverage base.

What will the next big thing in beauty be?
You also have the response to the Instagram look with brands like Milk Makeup and Glossier, which have a very minimalist makeup vibe; that is definitely more my sort of thing. I see more and more brands bringing out natural, fresh makeup-skincare hybrid products.

What’s your favourite beauty brand?
I really love ColourPop at the moment – they bring out such exciting, high-quality, low-cost products. I’m also loving independent makeup brands.

What should PRs know about you?
I often think PRs don’t realise just how many products bloggers receive! We physically can’t review every single one but, unless the product was sent without asking, I will always let my contact know if I liked something, if I didn’t and what content I’ve made on it or if I’ve decided not to feature it.

I know some are willing to post ‘reviews’ after short periods of time, however I really test out a product and share my honest thoughts on them. Most do appreciate it, though there are a few out there who either get annoyed if you don’t sing a product’s praises or chase you for reviews.

My aim here is to: a) try the product properly and b) include it on my blog in a way I think people will enjoy. The vast majority can appreciate this and these are the people I develop long-term relationships with, but if PRs are funny about me not liking one product in a box of five, just send out blanket press release emails or hassle me a lot about something I’ve literally just received, then I just don’t think that’s compatible with how I work, so I don’t choose to work with them again.

What are the best campaigns you’ve been part of?
I’m pretty selective about the campaigns I’ve been included in so all of the work I’ve done has resonated with me and I’ve been excited to create and post the content. I really enjoy doing campaigns where I get to talk more about my personal experiences – I recently did one for a classic summer product so got to talk about some of my holiday memories and earlier in the year I was part of a skincare campaign, so got to discuss my skin journey over the years and the routine I’ve found that works for me.

What other blogs do you read?
There are so many! I love the photography and aesthetic of Pint Sized Beauty, Beauty By Kelsey and Gemma Louise. I read pretty much every post on Beauty Drama Queen, Laurzrah and LPage Beauty because they’re always posting on topics and products I’m interested in.

Jasmine and her blog are listed on the Vuelio Influencer Database along with thousands of other bloggers, vloggers, journalists and opportunities.

Political Headlines – Brexit, fuel and alcohol price rises, LGBT Action Plan and Windrush

July 3, 2018/0 Comments/in Political Headlines, Government, Public Affairs Political Services, Political Database Blog Posts /by Thomas Stevenson

Today’s Political Headlines include post-Brexit customs, a potential price rise for fuel and alcohol, May’s LGBT Action Plan and Home Office reform needed after Windrush.

New customs plan will be a ‘significant step forward’, Downing Street claims
The BBC says that it has been told by a Downing Street source that a new plan for post-Brexit customs to be shown to ministers on Friday will be a ‘significant step forward’, allowing both an independent trade policy and friction-free trade. The Times asserts that Theresa May’s attempts to reach agreement with her cabinet were ‘plunged into chaos yesterday’, with ministers complaining about not seeing the plans and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson defending Jacob Rees-Mogg’s warning that the Government risked collapse.

Treasury considers lifting freeze on fuel and alcohol duty
The Guardian claims that the Government is close to ending the freeze on fuel duty, in a bid to raise billions of pounds in order to boost public spending, including the planned NHS funding boost. Other plans being considered by the Treasury include lifting the freeze on alcohol duty which was announced in last autumn’s budget.

May launches LGBT Action Plan
Writing in the Daily Mirror, Theresa May sets out her £4.5m LGBT Action Plan, which contains over 70 commitments based on the findings of the world’s largest LGBT survey. These promises include introducing a ban on gay ‘cure’ therapy, appointing an adviser on health inequalities and investment in anti-bullying programmes.

MPs call for ‘root and branch’ reform of the Home Office after Windrush scandal
The Guardian carries details of a report by the Commons Home Affairs Committee, which concludes that the ‘appalling treatment’ of Windrush migrants by the Home Office means that the department is in need of ‘root and branch reform’. The committee recommends that the Government reconsiders its hostile environment policies, establish why it ignored warnings and provide accurate information on the scale of the problem.

Nurseries could close under Government spending plans
The BBC reports that Conservative MPs have claimed that state-run nursery schools might close owing to Government spending plans which would see them lose almost £60m a year from 2020. MPs warn that children with special educational needs and disabilities will be especially affected, as private nurseries have no obligation to admit them.

NHS launches largest ever recruitment drive
The Financial Times reports that the NHS is launching the biggest recruitment drive in its history today. The ‘We are the NHS’ campaign, which will cost £8m, will target those aged between 14 and 18 and is particularly focused on increasing the number of nurses. It aims to increase job applications to the health service by 22,000 and to double the number of nurses returning to practice.

Mercer calls for reform of the armed forces
The Daily Telegraph previews a speech to be given by Conservative MP Johnny Mercer, a former soldier, to the Royal United Services Institute today. In the speech, Mercer calls for the armed forces to ‘do more with less’, warning that they are at risk of becoming a ‘jobs club’. He told the paper that funding increases should be on a ‘cash for reform’ basis.

Plans to encourage energy users to switch supplier hit by new data protection rules
According to The Times, plans to encourage energy consumers to switch suppliers by allowing rival companies to send them marketing literature could be put in jeopardy by new data protection rules. Lawyers for the ‘big six’ energy firms have warned that the companies risk being fined if they comply with the Competition and Markets Authority’s plan.

Do you need Vuelio Political Services? Learn more about how we can help.

5 Crisis Comms lessons with Greater Manchester Police’s Amanda Coleman

July 2, 2018/0 Comments/in PR Pulse, PR, PR Club Media Database, Media Monitoring, News Distribution, PR, Comms Blog Posts /by Jake O'Neill

Amanda Coleman recently presented the Vuelio webinar: Crisis Comms, Lessons from Greater Manchester Police. Amanda, who is head of corporate communications at GMP, talked us through the Manchester Arena bombing and the importance of keeping people at the heart of your response.

The webinar included a live Q&A, but due to the flood of questions coming in, we didn’t have time to answer them all. Amanda has very kindly found time to answer the rest, so we can present five (additional) Crisis Comms lessons.

Can you walk us through exactly what steps you took after the Manchester Arena attack?
The on-call press officer was contacted and called me, as head of branch, to run through a tweet we were putting out to say we knew something was happening and that we would provide further updates. That was sent out without any further authorisation around 20 minutes after the first call to police.

A more detailed statement confirming it was an explosion and that there were fatalities went out 40 minutes after the first call coming in. Regular updates were provided via Twitter and the first press conference was given by the Chief Constable at 3am and then another at 7am. During the night there were four staff in and we worked closely with the operational commander to ensure we could provide accurate and timely information.

I spoke to heads of communications in key agencies including Manchester City Council, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service, and British Transport Police during the night. In the first few hours it was about preserving and protecting life and that had to be our focus. There was so much more we did after but that gives you the initial response.

What did you learn from the Manchester attack? What didn’t go well and what would you have done differently? Did you have any issues with other public services?
With every major incident there is a huge amount of learning. For me, it is very much along the lines of what I said within the webinar: people have to be at the centre of everything, welfare must be a priority for organisations and we need to be better at recognising the impact on us as comms teams.

I was really clear about what I would have done differently on the webinar, and that is to call for mutual aid much quicker. We also needed to recognise that the national plans would not fit and the liaison between the national counter terrorism communication structures in London and us in Manchester was going to add some delays into our plans. Working with the partners and other public services was good and, because we knew each other, we were able to have open conversations from very early on in the night. We have a strong network and meet regularly, so working between services was much easier to manage.

Do you ever have situations needing internal crisis communications at Greater Manchester Police?
Yes and the approach is very similar. We need to provide an open and honest response, provide timely information and do it over the whole lifetime of the event or incident. Being visible from the top of the organisation is also critical. Above all, keep the views of the people affected at the heart of how you decide to respond.

Do you have any experience of benefiting from ‘coming clean’ before a crisis is otherwise revealed/comes to light?
Being proactive is at the heart of communication for me. We should ask why we are not providing information rather than why we should provide information. If organisations or businesses look like they are withholding information, even if it is not the situation, then it will lead to concern and will impact on confidence. We have to make sure that we are as transparent as possible even when this may be challenging.

Can you provide any examples of poor crisis comms?
This is difficult as I know that often the response we see is something that may have been challenged by comms teams but senior executives take a different approach. For me, it is anything that fails to keep people at the heart of it, and which may appear overly legalistic. Thomas Cook is one I have mentioned before in relation to the death of two children in 2006.

If you want to focus on people during a crisis, take the pain out of process. Find out more about Vuelio and how it can help.

Political Headlines – Brexit trade deals, Rees-Mogg’s warning, defence spending and the NHS

July 2, 2018/0 Comments/in Political Headlines, Government, Public Affairs Political Services, Political Database Blog Posts /by Thomas Stevenson

Today’s Political Headlines include the UK Brexit negotiator’s belief that there’s no chance of a bespoke trade deal, Rees-Mogg’s revolt warning, US/UK defence spending and NHS spending.

UK Brexit negotiator claims there is ‘no chance’ of a bespoke trade deal
The Times claims that Theresa May’s chief Brexit negotiator Oliver Robbins has told Cabinet ministers that there is ‘no chance’ of the UK agreeing a bespoke trade agreement with the EU. A ‘Government figure’ told the paper that the UK may face a choice between a Norway-style arrangement which would keep the UK in the single market or a simple free trade agreement. The BBC adds that the Government has produced a third model for post-Brexit customs arrangements that will also be discussed by Cabinet ministers on Friday.

Rees-Mogg warns Eurosceptics will rebel if May doesn’t deliver
Writing in The Daily Telegraph, Conservative backbencher Jacob Rees-Mogg warns Theresa May that he and his fellow Eurosceptics will vote against the final Brexit deal if she doesn’t ‘deliver what she said she would’. He compares the Prime Minister to Sir Robert Peel, the Prime Minister forced to quit after his party revolted against him over the corn laws.

US Defense Secretary calls for UK to increase military spending
In an exclusive, The Sun reports that Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson received an ultimatum from his US counterpart Jim Mattis two weeks ago, warning that the UK’s military prowess is ‘at risk of erosion’ and that defence spending should increase or France would become ‘the US partner of choice’. He wants an answer by next week’s NATO summit.

NAO chief calls for higher NHS spending
Speaking to The Guardian, Sir Amyas Morse, head of the National Audit Office has warned that the NHS will need more funding than that promised by Theresa May if it is to meet the challenges of the ageing population. He called on politicians ‘to be willing to think bigger’, warning that current spending plans would only sustain current services.

NHS confirms it is planning for no-deal Brexit
The Financial Times reports that NHS England Chief Executive Simon Stevens has confirmed that his organisation is carrying out ‘significant planning’ for a no-deal Brexit in order to ensure that it will continue to have access to medicines and equipment. At the moment, over 37m packs of medicine are imported into the UK from Europe each month.

Political parties should publish gender of candidates, campaigners say
The Guardian says that campaigners including the Electoral Reform Society and the Fawcett Society have joined forces to call on the Government to introduce legislation forcing political parties to publish the gender breakdown of their candidates. Provision for this is included in the Equality Act 2010, but the relevant section has never been enacted.

Former schools minister calls on Government not to use ‘misleading’ statistic
The BBC says that former Lib Dem Schools Minister David Laws, now the chair of the Education Policy Institute, has called on the Government not to use a statistic suggesting that more pupils now attend a good or outstanding school than did in 2010. He said that the statistic ‘misrepresents the level of improvement in school standards’.

Mail launches campaign to save the high street
The Daily Mail has launched a campaign to ‘save Britain’s high streets’ after 50,000 retail jobs were lost in the first six months of 2018. The paper points the finger of blame at high business rates which disproportionately affect high street retailers rather than online stores, with Frank Field, Chair of the Commons Work and Pensions Committee, calling for a ‘specific sales tax’ to be introduced to target them. The campaign is also backed by Jacob Rees-Mogg and Lib Dem leader Sir Vince Cable, together with various business organisations.

Do you need Vuelio Political Services? Probably.

Travelling the world with blogging giants Two Monkeys Travel

June 29, 2018/0 Comments/in PR Pulse, PR, Blogger, Blogger Spotlight Media Database, PR, Press and Bloggers Blog Posts /by Merryn Williams

Two Monkeys Travel is one of the world’s biggest travel blogs, created by Kach and Jonathan. Now leading a travel group, the pair have been sharing their incredible travel experiences for five years and have once again ranked in the Top 10 UK Travel Blogs. We caught up with the pair to find out what makes their travel style unique and talk about the joys (and perils) of sailing and the best way to get creative with brands.

What makes your blog unique?
Maybe it’s our constantly changing travel style. We started out as low-budget backpackers, became English teachers, then yoga teachers, before starting to experience luxury adventure travel and now we live on a sailboat and ride a motorbike around the Dominican Republic. We never truly know what we’re going to do next!

How has travel blogging changed since you started?
There are certainly a lot more travel blogs out there, thousands in fact! The best change has been the travel industry’s approach to blogs and social media; they have been increasingly recognising the benefits but also demanding more in terms of quality and new ideas. All of this pushes blogs to grow and improve if they want to have any success – the market is starting to drive quality control.

What’s the community of travel blogs like to be part of?
Like any community it has its good and bad points, but most of the time it is a very positive one that shares ideas and experiences, partnering with each other on posts and campaigns to help each other make a go of it. Of course, if you hang around in a Facebook group for long enough you’ll see some mud-slinging-gossip-drama going on, but that happens in any large group!

What’s the best travel experience in the world?
For us it is still hitchhiking the Carretera Austral down the length of Chilean Patagonia. We have done a huge amount since then, but that place is just so beautifully raw that nothing has captured us in the same way since.

What’s the best mode of transport you’ve ever experienced?
This is a tie between our sailboat, SV Empress, and motorbikes! The boat gives us the slow-paced freedom and peace on the water, while the motorbike lets us explore inland on our own time. I also get to let off some steam on the dirt tracks after being on a roly-poly boat for a few days!

What’s your scariest experience while travelling?
A few hours into our first real sailing trip, crossing the Gulf Stream from Florida to the Bahamas, we got bashed around pretty badly and shredded the mainsail – all my fault, beginner’s mistakes! The scary part was climbing inside to find the floor covered in cold salt water. It turned out to be a small problem I could fix in 30 seconds, but my first thought at the time was, ‘We’re in the middle of the ocean and we’re sinking!’ I think that one’s going to stay with me.

What should PRs know about you?
We have worked on a wide variety of campaigns including consumer gadgets, luxury hotels, destination marketing, airlines, travel operators and car manufacturers, plus all the rest. The most important thing that we have learnt across all these campaigns is that as long as we start by understanding the goals of the client and how our own brand can satisfy those, then everything else will follow. That’s when we can start getting creative and having fun!

What are the best campaigns you’ve worked on?
One of our favourites was Mazda USA, which was essentially a big road trip through the Californian desert to show the new range of cars off in incredible settings. We camped out around campfires by night and drove fast cars by day! The pinnacle though was working with Hurtigruten to promote their Expedition cruises to Antarctica on a 13-day cruise from Patagonia, across the Drake Passage to Antarctica. We’ve since worked with them again on a Norwegian coastal adventure!

Do bloggers need their own industry association?
Please no! Blogging is not its own industry; it’s simply another form of online media and marketing. We are already covered and very well protected by very clear regulations and guidelines that are easy enough to follow. I’m sure someone must be planning to set one up though, some people just love making more work for the sake of it!

What other blogs do you read?
I can honestly say that we have not read another blog in at least a couple of years! If we’re not working on our own then we’re out doing something, or fixing something that broke on the boat (again), or sailing. Occasionally we sleep.

Kach, Jonathan and Two Monkeys Travel are all listed on the Vuelio Influencer Database along with thousands of other bloggers, vloggers, journalists and opportunities.

Political Headlines – Brexit, detainees, Windrush and BAE Systems

June 29, 2018/0 Comments/in Political Headlines, Government, Public Affairs Political Services, Political Database Blog Posts /by Thomas Stevenson

Today’s Political Headlines include the Brexit approach putting lives at risk, inexcusable treatment of US detainees tolerated by the UK, Windrush detentions and BAE Systems’ £20bn contract.

May warns EU leaders that their Brexit approach is putting lives at risk
The Times says that Theresa May used yesterday’s European Council meeting to warn fellow leaders that restricting security co-operation after Brexit would put their citizens’ lives at risk. She asked them to overrule the European Commission and widen its negotiating mandate to include unrestricted sharing of security information. The Financial Times claims that EU leaders called on May to confront Cabinet Eurosceptics and shift her ‘red lines’ in order to obtain a positive response.

UK tolerated ‘inexcusable’ treatment of US detainees
As the BBC reports, the Intelligence and Security Committee has concluded that the UK allowed ‘inexcusable’ treatment of US detainees after 9/11. The committee found that British intelligence agencies continued to supply information to allies despite knowing or suspecting abuse in over 200 cases. The Times adds that Ken Clarke has urged the Government to honour a promise made eight years ago and reopen an inquiry into British involvement in the maltreatment of detainees.

Home Office condemned over Windrush detentions
The Guardian reports that the Joint Committee on Human Rights has concluded that the Home Office exhibited an ‘inadequate regard for the human rights’ of wrongfully detained Windrush migrants. It adds that the Home Office behaved in a ‘shocking’ way towards Paulette Wilson and Anthony Bryan, two of those affected, as a result of ‘a systemic failure’.

BAE Systems wins £20bn Australian warship contract
The Financial Times says that BAE Systems has won a £20bn contract to build a new fleet of warships for Australia, hailed by Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson as a ‘formidable success for Britain’ and ‘a major boost as we leave the European Union’. The paper notes that the ships will be built in Australia and few jobs will be created in the UK as part of the deal, but some components may come from the UK, as will design and engineering teams.

May plans fourth Brexit speech
The Sun reveals that Theresa May is planning to give another Brexit speech, in which she will outline her vision of a future UK-EU trade deal. Venues reportedly being considered by Number 10 include European cities. A 100-page white paper on the future relationship is due to be published in the second week of July.

Fall in new homes being built
The Sun says that the number of new homes being built has fallen in the first quarter of 2018, down 8% compared to the same period in 2017. If the trend continues for the rest of the year only half of the Prime Minister’s target of 300,000 will be built, the paper claims.

Fines for drivers who pass too close to cyclists
The Times reports that transport minister Jesse Norman is set to announce today that drivers who pass cyclists are to be targeted for fines, with training materials and support provided to police forces. Up to £500,000 will also be spent on training driving instructors to include cycle safety in lessons.

Report calls for housebuilders’ ombudsman
The Financial Times reports that the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Excellence in the Built Environment has released a report calling for housebuilders to set up an ombudsman to help buyers resolve disputes over newly-built homes. Membership would be mandatory for housebuilders, who would pay a levy to fund the body.

Find out more about Vuelio Political Services and what the team can do for you.

The official number one travel blog in the UK: Hand Luggage Only

June 28, 2018/0 Comments/in PR Pulse, PR, Blogger, Blogger Spotlight Media Database, PR, Press and Bloggers Blog Posts /by Merryn Williams

Hand Luggage Only is written by Yaya Onalaja-Aliu and Lloyd Griffiths, two travel lovers who met at university. In under four years, the two have become giants of the travel blogging world, winning Best Travel Blog at the Vuelio Blog Awards 2017 and now topping the world-famous Top 10 UK Travel Blogs. Oozing the writers’ charming and fun-loving personalities, Hand Luggage Only has wowed audiences with its stunning photography and real-life travel reviews.

We caught up Yaya and Lloyd to chat about the travel blogging community, ‘leaning in’ to the destination you’re visiting and working with brands and PRs.

What makes your blog unique?
Ironically, we think that the thing that makes Hand Luggage Only unique is actually the thing that makes it quite ‘normal’. For us, travel has been always about the experiences and focusing on what the destination has to offer so, rather than attempting to define a niche topic to focus on, our blog is unique as it cuts across several different ways to travel. We allow the destination to be exactly what it is, not what we’d want it to be – whether that involves active hiking to see amazing sights or just relaxing on a picturesque sandy beach.

That’s always been the most important thing for us (when we travel), to really savour and relish the beauty of new and exciting places.

We try to never have any preconceptions on places we visit. We keep an open mind, which always allows us to lean into the destination and that’s the most important thing to us.

How has travel blogging changed since you started?
Gosh, travel blogging has changed considerably over the last few years. I mean, the principles are the same but the methods in which we share our experiences is constantly changing. With the advent of new platforms and offerings like IGTV, there’s always something new to learn and new ways of sharing our experiences.

That being said, we’ve also noticed lots of new travel bloggers in recent years emerging with lots of different backgrounds, cultures and insights. One of our favourite things about blogging is how it democratises travel and having a more diverse mix of people being part of the conversation is fantastic. It really does help provide a more balanced view of the world and helps provide new and interesting insights on travel as a whole.

What’s the community of travel blogs like to be part of?
It’s very fun and very open-minded. I think the general nature of travel means that the community is filled with fun-seekers who are curious about the world around them and absolutely open to learn about everything available to them.

The thing that’s really lovely about travel blogging is that pretty much everyone is in it because they’re passionate about travel. There’s this innate curiosity in the community that means that everyone is excited to read each other’s posts, to share their own experiences and essentially help each other see more of the world.

What’s the best travel experience in the world?
I don’t actually think there’s one ‘best’ travel experience in the world. Travel experiences are so relative. Some people like switching destinations constantly while others like returning to the same place; some people like it hot while some like it cold; some people want to chill while others want active adventures – sometimes the same person wants all of this, just at different times of the year.

My point is, the goalpost for ‘best’ keeps changing so it’s hard to define one specific type of travel experience that is best. What perhaps is common with some of our fondest travel experiences is back to our point of setting no expectations for a destination and just leaning into what it is. You could return to the same destination 10 times in a row and have different experiences every single time (like we have in Amsterdam) and so it’s important to shake off any pre-conceived notions and find your own path to fun every time you travel.

What’s the best mode of transport you’ve ever experienced?
Probably paragliding into Switzerland. While in France, we headed up to the hills and ran off the cliff with an instructor who guided us over to Switzerland. It was so much fun!

What’s your scariest experience while travelling?
Probably snakes! Lloyd really doesn’t like snakes and while we were in Sri Lanka I was playing about on his phone and nearly walked onto a snake that was bathing on the road. He still shakes thinking about it. Ha!

What should PRs know about you?
I’m not sure. I guess that we are pretty open minded and always flexible in how we work with people. No two destinations or brands are exactly the same, no two people are and so it would be unrealistic to expect two projects to be.

We always see collaborations as a two-way conversation (not just one party telling the what to do or not do), which always helps when working with brands.

What are the best campaigns you’ve worked on?
There are so many amazing campaigns we’ve worked on, especially with a destination focus. We love our long-term partnership with KLM, Germany, Canada and with Visit England as ambassadors.

That being said, we also love our campaign with Apple where we are able to share not just out love of travel but also photography tips and tools we use with other like-minded travellers.

Do bloggers need their own industry association?
There would be a real benefit to this. An industry association or some sort of body would certainly be welcomed in a very new and often changing industry as it can really be of a lot of value to help standardise practices in what can be a pretty fragmented environment.

What other blogs do you read?
That’s difficult to answer because I’m a big link clicker from other channels such as Twitter or Instagram, so I can find myself on some really obscure blogs. I veer away from the ones that don’t give any real opinion or always love everything… they’re just not that useful or authoritative without a point of view.

Lloyd, Yaya and Hand Luggage Only are all listed on the Vuelio Influencer Database along with thousands of other bloggers, vloggers, journalists and opportunities.

Relevance International’s Suzanne Rosnowski named Forbes Agency Council Member

June 28, 2018/0 Comments/in PR Pulse, PR, PR News PR Blog Posts /by Jake O'Neill

Suzanne Rosnowski, founder and CEO of global agency Relevance International, has been appointed as a member of the Forbes Agency Council.

The Council is a curated network of successful senior-level executives in public relations, media strategy, creative and advertising agencies. As a member of the Council, Rosnowski will become a regular contributor to Forbes.com, discussing trends in the communications and marketing industry, providing thought leadership and giving insight on industry-related topics. Regular Vuelio webinar audiences will be familiar with Rosnowski’s direct and passionate style that takes in the full PR spectrum.

Rosnowski said: ‘Forbes is one of the most iconic media companies in the world. It’s an honor to join its Council and be able to share my professional experiences with like-minded individuals who understand the landscape in which we work every day.

‘It is a very exciting time in the industry and it’s a privilege to be given this platform to discuss issues affecting communications today.’

Forbes Agency Council recruits members based not only on their career success but also their diversity of perspective. Rosnowski, who opened Relevance New York in 2012, and has since built a global affiliate network, expanded the company with a second location in London last year, rebranding as Relevance International. The agency caters for some of the world’s most prestigious luxury brands in real estate, hospitality, travel, design luxury goods and corporate PR, and recently added a digital division to its services.

Relevance International is one of the fastest growing public relations agencies in New York. We have previously spoken to Rosnowski about growing a global agency and the issues facing the modern PR professional. Her career history takes in lifestyle, government and healthcare comms as well as a stint doing PR in Hong Kong. She has won a number of awards, which is not surprising considering it is her personal drive that pushes Relevance International past new and exciting boundaries.

Political Headlines – Brexit, HS2 and carbon targets

June 28, 2018/0 Comments/in Political Headlines, Government, Public Affairs Political Services, Political Database Blog Posts /by Thomas Stevenson

Today’s Political Headlines include ‘the worst possible Brexit deal’. EU planning a ‘no deal’ Brexit scenario, Chinese firms as frontrunners to operate HS2 and the Government warning it will miss carbon targets.

May’s former aide warns that the UK risks ‘the worst possible Brexit deal’
The Daily Telegraph reports that Theresa May’s former aide Nick Timothy has warned that the UK risks agreeing what the paper calls ‘the worst possible Brexit deal’, with free movement of workers set to effectively continue under proposals to be discussed by the Cabinet. Ministers have been warned that there are only six weeks of negotiations left to agree a deal by the EU summit in October. The Guardian claims that Theresa May will tell her fellow leaders that the Government is making progress on Brexit at today’s EU summit.

EU works on no deal Brexit as it prepares to issue warning about negotiation progress
The Financial Times says that the EU is increasing work on emergency plans to cope with a hard Brexit, including transitional measures covering transport, financial services and customs to be implemented if no deal is agreed. The paper also claims that Theresa May will be given a ‘serious and grave’ warning over the progress of Brexit negotiations by fellow EU leaders at today’s summit.

Chinese firms are frontrunners to operate HS2
The Times reveals that the Chinese firms Guangshen Railway Co and MTR are the frontrunners to operate HS2 because two British-led consortia, including Virgin and First Group, are unwilling to take on the financial risk required. Final bids are due early next month, with a decision due next May.

Government warned that it will miss carbon targets
The Guardian carries details of a report by the Committee on Climate Change, which warns that the Government will miss its legally binging carbon budgets in 2025 and 2030 because not enough progress had been made in cutting emissions from buildings and transport. The committee, chaired by the Tory peer Lord Deben, accuses ministers of not pursing low-cost options such as onshore windfarms, home insulation and tree-planting.

Truss rebuked by Downing Street over speech
According to The Times, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Liz Truss, has been rebuked by Downing Street after she criticised Government policies and mocked Michael Gove in a speech. The Financial Times suggests that Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson could quit if he doesn’t secure extra funding. The Daily Mail adds that senior backbenchers are becoming fed up with Cabinet infighting, with Nigel Evans telling ministers to ‘put a sock in it’.

Welsh Conservative leader resigns
The Guardian reports that Andrew RT Davies, the Welsh Conservative leader, has resigned ‘unexpectedly’. The paper says that supporters and opponents of Davies have linked his resignation to his support for Brexit and his comments about Airbus last week, which were criticised for being ‘inflammatory’ by defence minister Guto Bebb.

Mordaunt to use foreign aid to support Commonwealth veterans
The Daily Telegraph says that Penny Mordaunt, the International Development Secretary, will announce today that the aid budget will be used to support war veterans living in poverty in the Commonwealth. She will also outline plans to work with the Ministry of Defence to support islands in the Commonwealth affected by hurricanes.

Clark requests £100m for satellite system feasibility study
The Financial Times claims that Greg Clark, the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Secretary, has made a formal request to the Treasury for £100m to fund a two-year feasibility study for a British satellite navigation system as an alternative to the EU’s Galileo programme. Officials plan to launch the first tenders for the new system in the autumn.

Learn more about Vuelio Political Services.

NHS comms staff receive a birthday present from the CIPR

June 27, 2018/0 Comments/in PR Pulse, PR, PR News PR Blog Posts /by Jake O'Neill

A joint agreement between the NHS and the CIPR will see NHS communicators receive special discounts and offers with the CIPR to commemorate the seventieth anniversaries being celebrated by both organisations.

The NHS was formed in Manchester on 5 July 1948 in what is now Trafford General Hospital, just five months after the CIPR was founded in St Bride’s, Fleet Street in London.

The agreement means NHS employees are entitled to a £70 discount off the first-year joining fees with the CIPR. NHS employees can also take advantage of a 10% discount on CIPR training workshops, with further discounts available for on-site in-house training.

Sarah Hall, President of the CIPR, recently published the third edition of her #FuturePRoof series, which exclusively focuses on communications within the NHS. Commenting on the deal with the National Health Service, she said: ‘We often talk about the drive to professionalism and our aspiration for membership of a professional body to be a prerequisite for employers.

‘This is an important step in that direction for one of the UK’s largest employers on its seventieth anniversary and I hope many of the NHS’s hardworking comms professionals will be inspired to take advantage.’

Rachel Royall, director of communications at NHS Digital, said: ‘Over the last 20 years I’ve benefitted from professional networks, training, qualifications and I’ve also met some of my closest friends through the CIPR. As a communicator in the public sector it is great to learn from professionals across the broadest spectrum of industries and backgrounds and to bring that learning back into my role as a communicator in the NHS.’

The announcement has been timed with the release of the third and final episode of the CIPR’s Platinum Podcasts series, which mark the Institute’s 70th anniversary and its upcoming commemorative book Platinum.

The last podcast explores the challenges facing modern public-sector communications and features Jen Robson, head of communications for the North East Enterprise Partnership and Liz Davies, head of communications at South Tyneside & City Hospitals, Sunderland NHS Foundation Trusts.

You can listen to the podcast here, and find out more about the NHS offer here.

PRCA pledges £50K to Taylor Bennett Foundation

June 27, 2018/0 Comments/in PR Pulse, PR, PR News PR Blog Posts /by Jake O'Neill

The Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA) has pledged £50,000 towards PRCA membership and training fees to alumni of the Taylor Bennett Foundation’s new summer internship scheme.

The Taylor Bennett Foundation was established in 2007 and provides training, mentoring and internships for black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) students and graduates to encourage them to pursue a career in communications and improve ethnic diversity more broadly in the comms industry.

The Summer Stars scheme is for 35 BAME students and graduates, who will complete a week of lectures at the London College of Communication, followed by a minimum of four weeks on a paid PR work placement. A number of high-profile corporate firms and PR agencies have signed up to take part in the programme, including Facebook, Barclays, British Airways, Porter Novelli, Brunswick, Text 100, and The Academy.

The PRCA’s recent 2018 census revealed that the industry is very slowly improving its ethnic diversity but there is clearly still a great deal that needs to be done for the sector to be truly diverse – particular as a majority of the industry is based in London, a city famous for its diversity, where the PR and comms industry is still 71% white British.

Francis Ingham, director general of the PRCA, said: ‘We’re delighted to offer the alumni of the Foundation’s Summer Stars scheme the opportunity to benefit from the £50,000 of funding we have set aside for them to access PRCA membership and training. We are constantly striving to improve diversity within the PR industry, and this offer will give the interns access to industry renowned talent and resources to help them progress their careers further.

‘As it is our charity of the year, I implore members to be generous with their time and knowledge when it comes to the Taylor Bennett Foundation.’

Sarah Stimson, chief executive of the Taylor Bennett Foundation, said: ‘This is an incredibly generous offer from the PRCA, which continues to be a huge supporter of the Foundation and of taking practical action to improve ethnic diversity in the communications industry.

‘The interns will benefit enormously from access to membership and training and are very excited about starting their career journey in communications. The Summer Stars programme has been designed to encourage more BAME students and graduates to consider communications as a viable career choice and we hope the combination of training and practical work experience will be instrumental in opening up PR job opportunities at entry level to people from more diverse backgrounds.’

Political Headlines – Gavin Williamson, Greg Clark, Liz Truss and taxing over-40s

June 27, 2018/0 Comments/in Political Headlines, Government, Public Affairs Political Services, Political Database Blog Posts /by Thomas Stevenson

Today’s Political Headlines include Gavin Williamson asking for more money, Greg Clark pushing for a soft Brexit, a social care tax for over-40s and Liz Truss mocking colleagues.

Gavin Williamson to ask the Prime Minister for up to £4bn extra defence funding
The Times claims that Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson is to ask the Prime Minister for up to £4bn additional funding for the armed forces at a meeting next week, but that there are no plans for any new funding to be agreed. The Daily Telegraph says that the USA’s National Security Adviser, John Bolton, has told his UK counterpart, Sir Mark Sedwill, that the US is concerned about the damage being done to the UK armed forces by spending restraints.

Greg Clark pushes for soft Brexit deal
Speaking at The Times’ CEO Summit, Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Secretary Greg Clark said that he wanted to avoid a no-deal Brexit, continue to benefit from ‘labour mobility’ and wanted to keep single market access for services as well as goods. Theresa May also spoke at the event, saying that she was listening to business. The Guardian reports that the CBI and the TUC have joined forces to demand ‘measurable progress’ in the Brexit talks, while The Sun says that Theresa May is to bypass her Brexit committee by inviting the whole Cabinet to agree on Brexit plans at Chequers next week.

Committees call for over-40s to be taxed to fund social care
The BBC says that a joint report by the Commons Housing, Communities and Local Government and Health and Social Care Committees has called for a new tax, called a social care premium, for the over-40s to pay for elderly care. The tax would also be payable by retired people with lucrative pensions or investments.

Truss attacks calls for higher spending and mocks colleagues
The Times reports that in a speech last night Liz Truss, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, attacked ministers who had called for increased public spending, telling them that it wasn’t ‘macho’ to do so and that they should tackle ‘vested interests’ instead. She attacked regulations and standards, joked about ‘wood-burning Goves’ and said that there was ‘enough hot air and smoke at the environment department already’.

Labour to cut number of MPs needed to nominate leadership candidates
The Guardian claims that reforms to be proposed at Labour’s conference this autumn will see a reduction in the number of MPs needed to nominate a candidate for party leader and give party members the right to vote for local council leaders. A source told the paper that this ‘virtually guarantees’ a left-wing candidate could follow Corbyn as leader.

Report warns of young people’s exposure to gambling advertising
The Daily Mail says that a report by the Responsible Gambling Strategy Board claims that nine out of ten young people have been exposed to gambling advertising on TV or social media, calling this an ‘uncontrolled social experiment on today’s youth’ which risks gambling becoming ‘normalised’. The report makes 30 recommendations for action.

Sturgeon reshuffles Scottish Government
The Herald reports that Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has started a ‘dramatic’ ministerial reshuffle, with six ministers leaving the Scottish Government and the number of cabinet posts increasing from ten to twelve. Those departing include Health Secretary Shona Robinson, Communities Secretary Angela Constance and Economy Secretary Keith Brown.

Uber granted new licence to operate
The Financial Times reports that ride-hailing app Uber will be able to continue to operate in London. A judge ruled that Transport for London was right not to renew the firm’s licence last year, but that Uber has now made sufficient changes. The new licence will last fifteen months and has several conditions attached, leading Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, to warn that the company is ‘on probation’.

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