Caravanning is cool again. Seriously. Believed to contribute more than £6 billion to the UK economy, caravanning has been enjoying something of a renaissance of late. This piece I wrote for LV deals with all the practicalities so you can enjoy it as much as Bonnie Tyler, Sophie Ellis Bextor, Jamie Oliver, Paul Merton and Wayne Rooney, who are all devoted fans.
I’m currently working with Polkadot Gallery. I’m implementing a new social media, marketing and PR strategies, as well as training a media apprentice and building the jewellery shop chain a new eCommerce website using Shopify. It’s a great project, which is certainly keeping me busy. I’m hoping to have it wrapped up by the end of August, when I’ll share the new website. Watch this space!
Copywriting for big brands is something I’m increasingly asked to do but it can be tricky to share my work as most content created is covered by non-disclosure agreements. However, Liverpool Victoria has kindly said I can share a piece I recently created for them – 7 Ways to improve your focus and reduce stress. I spoke to several mental health and wellbeing experts to enable me to write the piece and by following my own advice I’ve been able to improve my focus. Have a read, you might learn something that helps your focus or enables you to reduce stress.
I was recently fortunate enough to interview internationally acclaimed artist Kirstie Macleod for Somerset Life magazine, as she has settled in the county. My piece concentrates on her Barocco project, which started out as a performance piece where Kirstie herself sat within a central Perspex cube wearing and embroidering the ornate red dress that filled the tiny space around her. In the 7 years since then the dress has traveled around the world being continuously embroidered and added to by 50 different participants to date.
“What started out as a roll of red fabric has now become a powerful piece examining cultural identity, and the merging of boundaries.”
You can read the feature online here.
One of the things I love most about being a freelance journalist is the interesting people I get to meet – architectural sculptor Timothy Richards definitely being one of them. I spent a day at Tim’s workshop in Bath and discovered he’s actually a one-off in the world. In this feature for Somerset Life magazine I explore his exquisite models, which manage to embody the very essence of architecture. In these times when the mass produced seems to prevail, it’s so very refreshing to meet a true master craftsman who’s bucking the trend. Please have a read below.
I recently interviewed the inspirational and very talented Jess Pigott, a 23-year-old art graduate from Somerset who paints brilliantly bold, emotive landscapes. Although she’s a new artist, she already has gallery representation and her paintings are selling for in excess of £2000 each. In this feature for Somerset Life magazine I talk to Jess about making her mark on the art world. Have a read below!
You’d be hard pressed to find a person who loves Devon more than me. At weekends I’m more than happy exploring our coastal towns and beaches and walking the moors. Sometimes you just need to change it up though, right? I’d heard the Gower’s beaches were the best in Wales and I found a company with luxury Shepherds Huts overlooking Rhossili beach, so off I went… You can read about my glamping adventure on the Gower in this month’s One Magazine, or online here.
In this feature for the January 2016 issue of Somerset Life magazine I look at the ways people can use their gardens to help wildlife thrive in the coming year. Have a read and be inspired to plant bee and butterfly friendly plants and flowers, feed and water the birds, be a friend to amphibians and create a haven for hedgehogs! I love wildlife and have enjoyed creating a wildlife friendly space in my own city garden, so it was a pleasure to write this piece. Thanks to Somerset Wildlife Trust for their help.
I’m happy to have my feature ‘Brewing A Storm’ on The Exeter Brewery published in this month’s Devon Life magazine. It was an interesting piece to write and photograph – I discovered that The Exeter Brewery’s organic real ale is so popular it’s exported to France via sail boat and rebranded for the Army!
I’m pleased to announce that Upton Barn and Walled Garden, an award-winning wedding venue in Devon, is now a client of mine – I’ve been doing their press and public relations work since summer 2015.
Earlier this month, Upton Barn and Walled Garden won both Best South West Countryside Wedding Venue and Best Newcomer at The 2016 Wedding Industry Awards – not bad going for a venue that’s only been open a year! Both awards pay homage to the continuous hard work Claire and Richard Down of Upton Barn put into making their venue the best in the region.
The creation of Upton Barn and Walled Garden came about when the couple decided they wanted to say their vows at home at Upton – the family’s 160 acre organic farm that rests at the foot of The Blackdown Hills. A huge renovation project ensued, breathing new life into the farm’s original buildings and walled garden, creating one of the county’s most idyllic, and now award-winning, wedding venues. The Walled Garden is beautifully landscaped and awash with colour and fragrance thanks to the abundance of lavender and it’s here that Claire and Richard married, becoming the first couple to walk the Walled Garden Aisle.
I’m very happy to be working with this stunning venue, who were kind enough to support and advertise in my wedding magazine, Inspired Bride, while it was in circulation. We’ve got big plans for 2016, so watch this space.
FREELANCE CONTENT CREATIVE 