Highlights PR is a successful PR agency run by Keith Newman. Uniquely, their office is a boat based on the River Tyne. Here we look at how Highlights PR have helped two of Keith's passions in life - freemasonry and the Maritime Volunteer Service (MVS)
As well as being an active freemason, I am also a member of a nautical charity that operates regionally from Berwick to Hartlepool and provides invaluable support, both afloat and ashore at events such as the Tall Ship’s Race in Sunderland. When the Freemasons of Northumberland donated £15,000 to the MVS, it was a great opportunity to publicise the good work of both organisations.
The Maritime Volunteer Service (MVS) has 25 active units around the coasts & estuaries of the United Kingdom. The organisation’s aims are to help to keep the UK’s maritime tradition alive by training and delivering practical seamanship and engineering skills.
The Northumbria Unit of the MVS received its new rigid inflatable boat aptly called “Northumberland Freemason” at the NE1 Pontoon on Newcastle’s Quayside after a £15,000 donation to the MVS from the Freemasons of Northumberland. A delegation of freemasons came to watch the naming ceremony which included the Provincial Grand Master of Northumberland, Ian Craigs, christening the vessel with an appropriate bottle of Newcastle Brown Ale right in sight of the iconic Tyne Bridge.
The story has appeared in local newspapers, extensively online and will be featured later in the summer in a number of national magazines about boating as well as publications specifically for freemasons. The story swamped local social media and has raised the profile of both organisations.
MVS Head of Unit, Volunteer Officer Angela Carrington said, “This is a very generous gift to our charity from the freemasons that will benefit our members and the community too. We will be using the boat on all of the region’s rivers so she will be a common sight from the Tweed to the Tees. She’s a very manoeuvrable craft making her ideal to train people in seamanship and boat handling skills. In turn, we will pass on these skills to help at community events all across the region. We are very grateful and will sail her with pride.”
Provincial Grand Master of Northumberland Freemasons, Ian Craigs said: “All of our trustees agreed that this was a very worthwhile cause to donate to as the vessel is being used on the region’s waterways doing sterling community work. We are proud to be associated with MVS Northumbria and look forward to hearing more about “Northumberland Freemason’s” good work as time progresses.”
For a no obligation chat about your PR and a coffee on-board Highlights the floating office, call Keith on 07814 397951 or email Keith@highlightspr.co.uk
