Passionate Blog

Bloggers unite in festive theatre campaign to boost children's cancer charity

Photo by Ell Brown on Flickr

UK parent bloggers are joining forces to laugh their socks off while raising cash for a children’s cancer charity.

Bloggers are signing up for The Great Panto Review 2009 which will benefit NACCPO – The National Alliance of Childhood Cancer Parents’ Organisations.

Leading theatres in England, Scotland and Wales have agreed to give bloggers access so their reviews can spread ‘word of mouth’ throughout the blogospshere.

Cardiff’s New Theatre where John Barrowman is appearing as Robin Hood and the Birmingham Hippodrome where Ray Quinn and Joe Pasquale will star in Sleeping Beauty were among the first to pledge to welcome the bloggers and back the charity effort.

Neil's 'Someone once told me': 'You are allowed to relax you know'

YOU'LL always find him in the kitchen at parties...

This is our new media director, Neil Aitchison, during our recent Someone once told me session.

And what an important message it is too!

Check out Carol's SOTM video here - dubbed one of creator Mario's favourites ever.

And then there was Linda, doing her best again to raise awareness about mental illness. She's not keen on the picture but the audio is powerful.

Various Passionate Media clients and contacts were also captured in pictures, video or sound. Watch this space for a fuller gallery as more are posted on the site.

British bloggers set for VIP Disney trip

A GROUP of British 'mummy bloggers' has been invited to sample the delights of Walt Disney World, Florida, and Passionate Media director Linda Jones is among them.

The trip, later this month, has been made possible by the Think Parents network, overseen by the award-winning Digital Outlook marketing agency.

Linda has been invited because of her work on the twins and multiple births blog, You've got your hands full. Most of Passionate Media's team have ventured to new (and sometimes faraway) places on press trips in days gone by, - with Helen already visiting Disney for a week with the Express & Star - so it'll be interesting to see how this one differs! Thank you to Kerry Power from Digital Outlook and Disney's PR team for making this opportunity possible.

Award-winning addition to Passionate team

THE warmest of welcomes to Neil Aitchison - who has the dubious honour of becoming the first man to be a full-time employee of Passionate Media.

Neil is now our new media director – and that’s because he brings with him expertise in blogging and podcasting, thanks to his most recent position as online editor at Warwick University.

He helped to produce Warwick’s innovative video programme, Warwick iCast, which featured weekly films on international research at the university.

We’re really excited about the opportunities this brings for our clients and our business. Please watch this space for news of how we are capitalising on Neil’s wealth of knowledge.

Neil is also a former communications manager at Mid Staffordshire NHS Trust and editor of the Forensic Science Service’s magazine, Clued-Up – a position that saw him scoop a Communicators in Business Award of Excellence in 2004 and on the shortlist for the Institute of Public Relations PRide awards 2005.

As a journalist, Neil has worked at BBC Midlands Today converting the TV news programme to online video content. He has also been a broadcast journalist with BBC West Midlands Online and Radio WM and as a copytaster and reporter at the Birmingham Post.

Neil’s early years in reporting were spent as editor of the Uttoxeter Advertiser, before moving on to cover health for the Worcester Evening News (in between romancing the news editor – more of that later) and the Leicester Mercury.

Neil has also freelanced for several BBC local radio stations and is a former communications officer at the University of Kent at Canterbury, where he'd completed a degree in politics and government.

These days he’s an energetic dad to nine-year-old twins, Emily and Melissa. Their not so energetic mum is Linda Jones, Passionate Media managing director and aforementioned news editor at Worcester.

Latest Press Gazette article and guest blog posts

LINDA'S piece on why journalists shouldn't accept 'kill-fees' was published by Press Gazette recently - a definite case of 'do as I say, not as I do.'

Staffordshire writer Suzie Harris also featured advice from Linda on her blog all about the freelance life, under the heading: How to do your own PR: Four steps to building your writing brand. Phew a bit of a mouthful there Jones. Still, it appears to have gone down well, with Suzie declaring it "inavaluable to any writer."

Training with the:101 - a Passionate new recruit

the:101 provides a range of courses for PR professionals. Passionate Media director Linda Jones has become one of the latest trainers on the team.

You can check out who the other trainers are here and here.

As you can see, Linda is in some auspicious company! [Carol]

Coffee with a corporate twist

CAROL'S latest networking initiative is full of beans!

Wings – Women’s Independent Networking Groups – which is run by Passionate Media's Carol Garrington - is inviting people to catch-up over a coffee at its new Espresso Exchange sessions.

These will be informal get-togethers for business women across the Black Country and Staffordshire, giving them the chance to meet and network over a drink in a café or bar.

Heartfelt thanks to those who have bought my book

A MASSIVE thank you to everyone who has spent their hard earned cash on my book, or been so kind about it in reviews.

It's on the 'bestselling' list (number three behind Andrew Crofts and another one) on Amazon for freelance writing and second only to gardening (in front of sex) in The Greatest Tips series, on Amazon at least.

Book launch photos

SEE here for a fuller report about our recent book launch.

Double trouble on Central News

HERE'S Linda on Central News tonight talking about encouraging individuality in twins. The link is to the whole of the programme, and the report featuring Linda starts at around six minutes in.

The news team got in touch as they wanted an expert commentator on multiple birth issues after a mum took her 11-year-old boys out of school rather than let them be separated for 20 minutes.

Linda was keen to stress she would never want to be portrayed as criticising another mum's decision as every family is different, but in general, it's a good idea to separate twins.

This is the latest TV appearance for Linda, who has also been interviewed about twins and more by the BBC and Sky, as well as being on Central twice before.

We think she did great but she says the diet's obviously not so good. [Carol]