Contact the Elderly appoints Stand Agency for Golden Jubilee campaign

May 13, 2013 Written by Nikki Peters

Stand Agency has been appointed by national charity Contact the Elderly to provide a two year programme of communications support in the run up to, and during, its Golden Jubilee celebrations in 2015. Stand Agency was selected following a two-stage, competitive pitch process with six other agencies. 

Founded in 1965, Contact the Elderly is the only national charity solely focused on tackling one of the greatest challenges facing society: loneliness and isolation among our rapidly ageing population.  Supported by a volunteer network, the charity organises free monthly Sunday afternoon tea parties for small groups of older people in the homes of volunteers in local communities across England, Scotland and Wales.  Since its inception in 1965, Contact the Elderly has held over 1 million tea parties.

Stand won the account after a referral from the PRCA’s Find a Public Relations Agency Scheme. The FAPRA scheme is free to use for clients and has generated an estimated £12million of fee income for agencies over the past 12 months. All members that are matched by FAPRA are accredited by the PRCA’s Communications Management Standard, the kitemark of PR excellence. The service matches businesses with consultancies in all sectors across the UK.

Stand Agency has been briefed to develop and help implement a Communications strategy for Contact the Elderly focused on building the charity’s profile; recruiting more volunteers nationally; and marking its 50^th anniversary in 2015. The programme will run from June 2013 to June 2015 and will be led by Stand Agency MD Laura Oliphant.

Laura Oliphant, co-founder and Managing Director of Stand Agency said,

“We are thrilled to have been chosen to work with Contact the Elderly over the next two years. Since it was established 48 years ago, the charity has made a profound difference to some of the most isolated older people in the UK.  Having the opportunity to mark Contact the Elderly’s Jubilee with a campaign that celebrates their work, as well as helps to recruit more volunteers is something we are both proud and excited to be part of.”

Keith Arscott, Director of Contact the Elderly, added:

“Our Jubilee year will be one of celebration and thanks to the volunteers who give their time and compassion to lonely older people in their communities. We have appointed Stand Agency to mark our Jubilee year with a high profile PR and partnership campaign that will raise awareness of the issue of loneliness among the very elderly, and the need for more volunteers, partners and funds to build on the work we are doing.

“We were impressed by the team’s understanding of the charity, their clear strategy and creative ideas, and finally their abundant enthusiasm for the cause.  We believe we will be able to work really well together to make a difference and look forward to getting started.”