Preston Towns Fund – Regeneration of the Harris Quarter

The Brief

Following a competitive tender process, Limitless PR was appointed by the Preston Towns Fund board to deliver a comprehensive three-year media communications campaign showcasing the £200 million regeneration of the Harris Quarter in the city.

The key objective of the communications programme was to raise awareness of the area’s transformation through its six key regeneration schemes – in particular, the flagship £45 million Animate leisure and entertainment destination and the £19 million refurbishment of the Harris Museum and Library.

Campaign

Working with the Towns Fund Board and Preston City Council’s in-house media team, Limitless developed a strategy and implementation plan that comprised media relations and social media management. The strategy included communicating the quarter’s transformation milestones, media tours and one-to-ones, profiling people involved in the day-to-day delivery of key projects and creating engaging content for social media channels.

Over the course of the three years, a total of 249 pieces of positive press coverage were secured across local, regional, national, and trade media outlets, representing an audience reach of 396 million and audience views of 6.4 million.

Results

Chair of the Preston Towns Fund Board, John Chesworth, commented on the campaign’s effectiveness. He said, “The strategy Limitless implemented has secured essential media coverage, which has helped to tell an important story about what is happening in Preston.

“It has showcased the transformation of the Harris Quarter and has been incredibly useful in developing conversations with investors about what else can be accomplished in the city. Limitless has worked hard on our behalf to deliver an important narrative for Preston, and it has been great to see the fruits of their labour.”