Agenda item

To discuss ideas to promote the Central CEF.

The Board welcomed Mike James, Communications Manager at Selby District Council, to the meeting.

The Board acknowledged that the audience reach and engagement with CEF related communications was generally poor, with Central CEF having particularly low engagement online. Despite the best efforts of the Council’s Communications Team.

Board Members noted that the printed press did pick up some CEF related stories and press releases, but content on social media was poorly received, despite a number of different stories and tactics having been tried. Previous suggestions to use groups such as Selby S.O.S on Facebook were not viable as the Council or the CEF could not comment as itself. It was clear that a different approach should be tried, perhaps by utilising existing networks, links and contacts.

The Board agreed that more positive human interest stories relevant to people’s lives were needed, and that more thought should to be given as to the reasons behind the publicity. The Communications Manager asked the Board to consider if the publicity was to enhance the CEF’s reputation, encouraging people to apply for grants increase attendance at meetings, or better the public’s knowledge of the CEF and its work? Members considered these points and felt that it was all of the above.

In thinking about the reasons behind publicity, some key communications objectives could be developed that would be included under the standing communications agenda item for each Board meeting. The Board could then use these objectives to identify an item for publicity each time it met; it was suggested that four objectives be developed for this purpose.

A suggestion by the Board was that recipients of grant funding could be encouraged to undertake more publicity themselves about the support they had received from the CEF; a ‘communications pack’ could be developed to issue to funding recipients, with ready-made quotes, logos and other material to use. Included in this pack could also be an award or certificate for the group that had received the funding, with the potential for these awards or certificates to be formally presented at arranged events.

The Board agreed that as the Abbey was a major draw for the town, more could be made of it and the Central CEF’s links to it; it was suggested that a future CEF forum could even be held at the Abbey. It was key that local people were encouraged to attend events in the town, such as the Picnic Brass Bands in the park over the summer, which had been a real success.

Lastly, the Board noted that when the topic of a forum was of concern and interest to local people, such as speeding when the forum was held in Barlow, the turnout did improve. This emphasised the importance of topics and themes that truly interested and concerned local people and their lives.

RESOLVED:

i.       To ask the Communications Manager to develop a ‘communications pack’ to be issued to recipients of Central CEF grant and project funding, in order for them to undertake their own publicity about the Central CEF.

ii.     To consider holding a future Central community engagement forum in Selby Abbey.

iii.    To ask the Communications Manager to draft and develop four communications objectives for the CEF to use when considering items for future publicity.