OUR MEDIA STARS!
May 2007Awareness Week 2007 got off to a cracking start even before the launch date of Monday 6th May. A letter to editors from our patron, Derek Thompson, Charlie Fairhead in the BBC medical series ‘Casualty’, WAS distributed electronically to over 700 media outlets in the UK. This was made possible by the generosity of DTW Marketing and Advertising in Cleveland, who provided the service FREE OF CHARGE!
Approaches were almost immediately received from such eminent regional newspapers as the Sunday Post in Scotland, the Yorkshire Post and the Western Daily Press in Bristol for interviews with Derek. Despite a heavy work schedule on the set of ‘Casualty’, Derek managed to fit in all the interviews by telephone between filming. Derek also filmed an interview on his experience of dystonia with BBC South East for its medical slot, due to be transmitted in June. Derek is also lined up to do yet another interview with the national weekly newspaper, ‘Weekly News’.Not to be outdone, Jackie Sloper, a member from the Brighton area, gave a moving account of her battle against the condition on BBC South East’s news magazine programme, after also being featured in the Brighton Argus and on its website. Jackie has also been interviewed by the monthly magazine, ‘Pick Me Up’ for its June edition. You can read more about Jackie's story in 'Going public has been a positive experience'.
Said Phil Baldy, who helped coordinate the media launch, said: “The media success of awareness week exceeded our wildest dreams and it was achieved in no small part by the tremendous enthusiasm of our members. They are truly media superstars and, if we had to pay for the amount of coverage we received through advertising, it would have cost many thousands of pounds.”
STOP PRESS + STOP PRESS
Cuttings are still being received daily but here is a snapshot of how our members were featured in their local media. Please send your cuttings to Phil Baldy at The Dystonia Society, Camelford House, 89 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7TP.
- Margaret Holmes was featured in the Express and Star in Cannock and Lichfield and Andrea Symington in the Staffordshire Newsletter. You can download the Staffordshire Newsletter article, Botox, a life-saver for sufferer
- The Border Telegraph interviewed Isobel Kidd, from Galshiels, about how the condition affects her son, Alan
- Cynthia Yates was featured in the Cynon Valley Leader; Peggy Mummery in the Merthyr Express; Jillian Essex in the Port Talbot and Neath Guardian and Andrea Bellamy in the Rhondda Leader
- Clive Vare was interviewed in the Windsor Express
- Derek Thompson’s letter appeared in the Middlesbrough Evening Gazette
- Barry Merchant appeared in various editions of the South London Press
- Kate Forsyth was a case study in the Western Daily Press and the Chard & Ilminster News
