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It’s Thursday morning and, between (expensive) errands like taking the dog to the groomers, I am working away on some UnAwards work. Given that they’re in their 11th year now - and pretty popular with the comms community - I thought I might share a few behind the scenes insights to reveal some of what goes on working on my number one passion project.
by Darren Caveney
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After eight years in the Civil Service, I’ve found myself back where my career began: local government. My roots have always been here, although, interestingly, they weren’t always in communications – well not as a profession.
by Helen Card
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“You have to be comfortable with being uncomfortable”
“Comfort zones are great, but nothing ever grows there”
This is just some of the advice from a ‘Going Freelance’ call I was a part of this week.
by Dee Cowburn
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During lockdown (which seems such a long time ago, and slightly surreal now), I did a lot of work on my mental health. Not because we were in lockdown, as an introvert I thrived on it, but because I’d recognised earlier that year that I wasn’t in a very good place mentally. If you have ever done my “Imposter Syndrome” workshop, you will know that one of the things I found really effective was daily gratitudes, which in turn impact your internal dialogue making it much more optimistic, positive, and kind.
by Jill Spurr
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The outpouring of love and affection for Dolly Parton from everyone from Beyonce to our own Prime Minister Andy Burnham has been extraordinary.
I have been a Dolly fan for 25 years, since I moved into a tiny bedsit and my neighbour in the much bigger flat next door used to blast out Jolene on a regular basis through our shared wall. I never had the courage to complain and gradually found myself becoming intrigued by the story of the song and loving it too.
So I’m so pleased to write a blog which talks about comms and Dolly!
by Kristina Fox
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If you’re new to the UnAwards, they're the most exciting, accessible and fun industry awards around. Loved by many, they are back even bigger and better than before and now is the time to showcase your best work.
by Darren Caveney
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Well. Who’d have thunk it? Eight months on, I still relive the moment when I asked Darren and Emma Rodgers “Are you flippin (insert more forceful word here) sure?” when they announced that I’d actually won the Best Comms Pro category in the 2025 UnAwards.
by Clare Abbotts
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“Don’t worry about being on call.”
That was the advice from my colleague and boss, Ben.
by Ben Raza and Girlie Garduce Burn
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If you have spent any time on social media in the past few years, you've probably noticed a concerning trend.
by Robin Marshall
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The ripple effect. A butterfly flutters its wings that ends up changing the weather on the other side of the world.
Alice Hoffman, The Ice Queen
by Dee Cowburn
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What working in the adult social support sector taught me about disability inclusion.
by Jill Spurr
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There is an uncomfortable truth about being a Head of Communications in local government that we do not discuss nearly enough. Possibly at all, at least in public.
by anonymous guest contributors
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If you’re of a certain vintage you’ll remember the 1990s comedy sketch show, The Fast Show. There was a Paul Whitehouse character in it called Archie the pub bore, who claimed to have done every job under the sun, when striking up unreciprocated conversations with confused pub customers. Long distance lorry driver, vicar, boxer, pianist, ballet dancer – he’d done them all. Archie claimed each of these jobs to be the “hardest game in the world, that” “I done it myself – 30 years man and boy”. Each week his claims got more and more unbelievable. But I don’t think he ever claimed to be a comms person.
by Darren Caveney
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Have you ever been in that position where someone senior says the comms team needs reviewing? I have, and it can be a worrying time. But actually it can be a very positive opportunity. And it can bring real attention and benefits to the team if done well.
by Darren Caveney
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Anyone who queued for the toilets during the breaks at last month’s UnAwards Masterclass in Birmingham can testify to one thing: there are far more women than men in communications. Yet we don’t see the same representation at senior levels. There are lots of factors that play into that, but one that doesn’t get as much attention as it should is menopause.
by Eva Duffy
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Elections are just round the corner, I’ve covered a few in my time - council, generals, Europeans, and PCC. The best ones for you, the comms team, and the elections team are the ones where you put some planning in first. Below are some tips for working an election – before, during and after.
by Louisa Dean
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Will Mapplebeck, public affairs lead at Core Cities UK, talks about why it was time for his organisation to make a stand against racism.
by Will Mapplebeck
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In April 2025, Companies House launched a communications campaign to support the rollout of identity verification under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act (ECCTA). We started with a voluntary period where company officers were able to verify ahead of the mandatory date in November. By the time the voluntary period closed, more than 1.6 million people had verified their identity – 170% above our target of 600,000.
by Anna Ellis and Esme Turner
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As the appetite for breaking news rages, as AI changes how we communicate and what channels we use, and in a world of instability and chaos, resonating with your audiences has never been more important.
I have been reflecting on when I delivered media training in Europe, in a different language via an interpreter, some things stuck with me.
by Dee Cowburn
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