The Glendale PR agency, based at Wooler in Northumberland is operated by Barbara Huddart who became a Member of the Guild earlier this year.
With more than 30 years’ experience completing PR campaigns in the North of England and Scotland, Barbara is one of a team of three running the public relations and marketing business with a focus on farming, rural and tourism.
“We offer a complete communications service, which includes the initial concept ideas, the production of a communications strategy, event organisation, compilation and distribution of media releases, social media campaigns, and PR training,” says Barbara. “Our office lies within the Glendale region, an area grounded by agricultural roots, and I’m a Northumberland farmer’s daughter brought up on a hill farm in the county’s National Park.”
It is understandable, then, that she has a clear insight of farming and rural issues, which also applies to the agency as a whole, appreciating the rural economy and agricultural world, and having the knowledge and experience at both a practical and intellectual level to understand the sector and those working within it.
“We work with a range of businesses, many of them within the rural and agricultural industries, and through communications we help these companies achieve their aim of long-term growth in the marketplace,” says Barbara. “They include agricultural groups and societies, auctioneers and land agents, and many agricultural enterprises and we regularly activate national media campaigns and have excellent relationships with the regional, national and specialist media.”
Glendale PR has particular expertise in start-up businesses and micro business; it has launched many businesses that are now well-known brand names in their sectors and geographical area. Among existing and recent clients are Harrison & Hetherington Auction Marts and its Expo events, National Beef Association and its Beef Expo at York Auction Centre, the National Sheep Association’s North Sheep event, Bedmax Shavings for Horses, Glendale Agricultural Society and its events, Flodden 1513, The Royal Agricultural Society of the Commonwealth, Doddington Dairy Ice Cream and Sunny Hill Free Range Eggs.
“We’ve also worked closely with Northumberland Tourism handling PR for the Taste of Northumberland Project and Landskills North East – Part of One North East, with a campaign to highlight training for individual initiates in the rural areas of the North East,” notes Barbara. “Amd we helped Farmstay UK to extend the reach of farm business into the tourism economy in Yorkshire and Northumberland in a project involving the production of podcasts and promotional material.”
The agency has a busy time of it, then, but Barbara also finds time to be guest lecturer at Newcastle University, covering rural diversification marketing and PR to third year Agri-Business students.
- All Members and Friends of the Guild can be contacted using the Farming Media Centre on this website. Just search by surname or to find a photographer, journalist, PR specialist, etc, select one or more of the criteria.
