DHR Communications

August is meant to be a relatively quiet month for PR and public affairs, but DHR Communications has been busy working on a number of client projects.  This week alone, we’ve had the launch of Active Retirement Ireland’s new website, www.activeirl.ie, with Eamon Ryan TD, Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, and the publication of a report by Comhar Sustainable Development Council on how Ireland can enhance and develop its green infrastructure.

We also spent all day yesterday in Limerick, delivering the first day of a three-day training programme to representatives of the New Communities Partnership.  The training focuses on building the media and advocacy skills of new community leaders, and follows on from the successful delivery of a similar training programme with participants in Dublin.  We also delivered media training to Threshold last week.

Our work on the WebActivate project, meanwhile – which is supported by The Digital Hub – is ongoing: the project is currently focused on signing up small to medium-sized enterprises that would like to get their websites improved or even built from scatch, free of charge.

And in recent weeks, we’ve also worked on the launch of gosave.ie, a new saver card that will enable Irish consumers to save hundreds of euro each year and find the best-value deals within their local communities and nationwide.  The gosave cards also provide a great opportunity for non-profit organisations to raise much-needed funds.

There’s been lots going on in DHR Communications for the past couple of months.  We’ve been really busy working with Irish Aid, the Government’s programme for overseas development, on its flagship Africa Day events: Africa Day Dublin, which took place in the Iveagh Gardens on Sunday, 16th May, and Africa Day Limerick, which took place in the grounds of Limerick City Hall on Sunday, 30th May.  Both events were a great success.  Once again, a huge thank you to all the volunteers who got involved in these events; to all the organisations and community groups that participated, and to all members of the public who came along.

In addition to Africa Day, we’ve also had lots of work to do on the Simon Cumbers Media Fund.  The deadline for the summer 2010 round of funding was Friday, 7th May, and 59 applications were received in total.  These are currently with the judging panel and the judges’ decisions will be announced shortly.

We’re also working on the Comhar Sustainable Development Media Fund, and there’s still time for interested applicants to apply: the deadline for this year’s funding round is Friday, 18th June, at 5pm.  Along with representatives of Comhar Sustainable Development Council, DHR facilitated a workshop for potential applicants last week.  A list of FAQs from that workshop can be accessed here.

Yesterday, we had the launch of the 2009 annual report of the Ombudsman for the Defence Forces, which received high levels of coverage across RTÉ and other broadcast outlets, and is featured in the national dailies today.  We’re also currently working with The Digital Hub on its annual Best in Show competition, and we’ve been doing some work with the British Council (Ireland) on its OPENCities project.

And, finally, we’re pleased to announce that we’ve recently been contracted to work withthe Building LGBT Communities Programme, which was established to build capacity among existing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender organisations at a regional level.

Following a competitive public tendering process, DHR Communications is delighted to have been chosen by Irish Aid to promote and administer the Simon Cumbers Media Challenge Fund for 2010 and 2011.

The Fund is aimed at promoting more and better media coverage of development issues. It was established by Irish Aid in 2005, a little over a year after the tragic death of Irish journalist Simon Cumbers, while he was working for the BBC in Saudi Arabia. The Fund was established by Irish Aid in Simon Cumbers’ memory and in close consultation with the Cumbers Family, who continue to be involved to this day.

Since 2005, the Simon Cumbers Media Challenge Fund has increased its profile each year, with over 100 applications received annually. It now has an established reputation amongst the Irish media, and many high-level journalists and media outlets have participated in the Fund in the past.

Over the coming months, DHR Communications’ work will focus on developing a new website for the Fund and promoting the 2010 funding rounds to the Irish media.

DHR Communications is currently working with the Myasthenia Gravis Association (MGA) to promote its ‘Rocky Road to Dublin’ walking challenge. The challenge is being led by Ronnie Whelan and aims to raise funds for the Association, as well as promoting awareness of Myasthenia Gravis (MG).

MG is a muscle weakening disease in which the immune system attacks and damages the nerve signal reception areas. This causes a breakdown between nerves and muscles and results in loss of effectiveness in the muscles of the arms, legs and eyes. The name ‘Myasthenia Gravis’ comes from the Greek and Latin words for ‘grave muscular weakness’.

One in 10,000 people suffer from MG and many more go undiagnosed and misdiagnosed due to a lack of awareness of the condition. In Ireland, there are almost 400 diagnosed sufferers of MG, but it is estimated that for every diagnosed sufferer there are at least two to three others whose condition is undetected.

The Myasthenia Gravis Association provides support to MG sufferers and their families. Republic of Ireland football legend Ronnie Whelan has acted as Patron of the Association since his daughter, Elizabeth, was diagnosed with MG in recent years.

Ronnie will lead the ‘Rocky Road to Dublin’ walking challenge from 29th April to 4th May 2010. To get involved, and to keep informed about the challenge, you can join the Facebook page here or check the MGA’s website.

DHR Communications is delighted to announce that we’ll be working with Samaritans Ireland over the course of 2010, developing an advocacy strategy for the organisation and advising it on its advocacy work. Samaritans provides 24-hour emotional support to anyone experiencing distress, despair or suicidal thought. It was established in Ireland in 1962, and now has 20 branches across the island of Ireland, with almost 2,000 active volunteers.

In addition to Samaritans Ireland, we’ve also recently been chosen by Cluid Housing Association to provide public relations support for an event the Association is organising this March. Further details will follow shortly…

Finally, we’re back working with the Myasthenia Gravis Association (MGA), helping to promote Ronnie Whelan’s ‘Rocky Road to Dublin’ Challenge in aid of the Association. DHR Communications previously worked with the MGA in 2007 and 2008, on a nationwide campaign aimed at raising awareness of Myasthenia Gravis, a muscle-weakening disease.

Africa Day 2009 has been nominated in six categories in this year’s Irish Festival Awards. These Awards were set up in 2007 to honour the organisers of festivals and cultural events in Ireland, and the people behind the scenes who help make these events a success.

Members of the public can vote for the festival they preferred and leave feedback and comments on the Irish Festival Awards website. Voting opened on 1st December 2009 and will continue throughout the months of December and January.

What helped make Africa Day a success this year was the contribution of the many performers, artists, community groups and volunteers who gave their time to the event. DHR Communications received great feedback from visitors to the festival. If you were one of the thousands of people who came along to the Iveagh Gardens in Dublin or the Civic Offices in Limerick and had a good time, please vote for Africa Day in the Irish Festival Awards. You can cast your votes here (just click on the ‘Vote Now’ icon). Africa Day is nominated in the following categories:

• Best one-day festival.
• Best service.
• Best toilets.
• Best line-up.
• Social responsibility award.
• Family festival award.

Africa Day is an initiative of Irish Aid, the Government’s programme for overseas development. In 2009, DHR Communications project managed two flagship Africa Day events on behalf of Irish Aid: ‘Africa Day @ Iveagh Gardens, Dublin’ and ‘Africa Day @ Limerick’. We worked in partnership with Davis Event Consultancy on both events. We also worked with Irish Aid and Davis Event Consultancy on Africa Day 2008. Further information about Africa Day is available here.

DHR Communications is delighted to announce that we will be working with The Model and GoSave.ie over the coming months to help both organisations achieve their communications aims.

The Model – previously the Model Arts and Niland Gallery – is one of Ireland’s leading contemporary arts centres. Based in Sligo, it is home to the Niland Collection, one of the most significant art collections in the country, with over 300 works by the likes of Paul Henry and Jack B. Yeats.

GoSave.ie is a new Irish company, focused on finding fundraising solutions for non-profit organisations. The company produces community saver cards aimed at helping non-profit groups – such as schools, sports clubs and charities – raise much-needed funds, while simultaneously providing their supporters with discounts and special offers in hundreds of businesses throughout Ireland.

We look forward to working with both The Model and GoSave.ie over the coming months.

DHR Communications has a busy week ahead.

Tomorrow night, we’re in the Gresham Hotel, Dublin, for the annual Business and Excellence Awards, run by Bold & Beautiful magazine. Africa Day 2009 – for which we served as project managers – is nominated for an award in the ‘Event of the Year’ category.

On Monday, we’re at European Union House on Dawson Street for a traditional arts exhibition, which is being launched by Senator David Norris. The exhibition is being organised by D8CEC (Dublin 8 Community Education Centre), a neighbour of ours in The Digital Hub. It focuses on traditional arts activities – such as storytelling, folk dance and potterymaking – and is the outcome of a three-year Grundtvig adult education project in which D8CEC was involved, along with adult education organisations from Lithuania, Sicily and Greece.

Next Thursday, we’re working with Comhar Sustainable Development Council on a seminar on Education for Sustainable Development at the Coach House in Dublin Castle. The seminar includes an afternoon session on the role the media can play in informing and educating people about sustainability. Panellists include Frank McDonald, Environment Editor of The Irish Times; broadcaster Duncan Stewart, and Paul Cunningham, Environment Correspondent with RTE. The session will be chaired by John Bowman.

Our week’s activities will conclude with work on a three-day international networking event for the British Council(Ireland), which will focus on green enterprise and developing resilient communities. The three days of activities – which are being organised as part of the British Council’s Challenge Europe project – will include a trip on a ‘learning bus’ to the Cloughjordan Eco-Village in Tipperary; a focus on high-level business change in relation to sustainable development, and a panel discussion on a Green New Deal for Ireland.

Africa Day 2009 has been nominated in the ‘Event of the Year’ category for the annual Business and Excellence Awards, organised by Bold & Beautiful magazine, a lifestyle magazine with African roots.

The Awards Ceremony will take place in the Gresham Hotel, Dublin on Saturday, 21st November.

DHR Communications has served as project manager for Africa Day for the past two years. Working with Davis Event Consultancy, we organised the inaugural Africa Day flagship event – ‘Africa Day@ Dublin Castle’ – in 2008, followed by ‘Africa Day @ Iveagh Gardens, Dublin’ and ‘Africa Day@ Limerick’ in May 2009.

This week, we’re busy working on events for Diageo Ireland’s Corporate Social Responsibility team and Comhar Sustainable Development Council.

Diageo

Gay Byrne will return to the area in which he grew up tomorrow to join long-term residents of Dublin 8 in celebrating their memories of life in the shadow of the Guinness brewery. Mr. Byrne will join local residents at an event in the Guinness Storehouse to celebrate the ‘Memoirs of Guinness’ project, which came about when local history groups from Dublin 8 approached Diageo to say they would like to get involved in the Guinness 250 celebrations.

As a result, the history groups – which are mostly comprised of older people from Dublin 8 – worked with Diageo and the learning team from The Digital Hub to produce a series of podcasts documenting their memories of growing up in the vicinity of the famous Guinness brewery. On the podcasts, the groups share their memories of playing in the grounds of the brewery and attending Christmas parties in the ‘Beano’ (Iveagh Play Centre) on Bull Alley Street. They also reminisce about the free healthcare services provided by Guinness; the role that women played in the day-to-day running of the brewery, and the prestige that was attached to gaining employment within the company.

The four history groups involved in the ‘Memoirs of Guinness’ project are from D8CEC (Dublin 8 Community Education Centre, based on James’s Street), St. Nicholas of Myra (based on Francis Street), Dolphin’s Barn and Bluebell.

Comhar Sustainable Development Council

Comhar SDC is hosting an all-island conference on biodiversity tomorrow in the National Botanic Gardens. The conference will be officially opened by the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, John Gormley TD.

The event will focus on how to develop Ireland’s green infrastructure – comprising green spaces, urban centres and rural areas – and a piece of new research on green infrastructure will be presented to conference delegates.

A number of leading experts on biodiversity and urban / rural planning will speak at the event, including: Gerry Sheeran, President, Irish Planning Institute; Russell Elliott, Countryside Council for Wales, and Cliona O’Brien, Heritage Council.