Tellus Border Strikes Gold for Communications Excellence
The communications team behind the Tellus Border Project that picked up a top industry award for excellence in communications at the CIPR Northern Ireland PRide Awards. Collecting Gold in the Community Relations category, as well as a Silver award in the Public Sector category, the team was recognised for its wide-ranging and innovative communications outreach prior to and during its geological survey of the border region of Ireland, which was successfully completed during summer 2012.
Pictured at the awards ceremony held at the Titantic Belfast on 5th October 2012 were Seona McGrath, Morrow Communications; Kelly McKee, Morrow Communications; Marie Cowan, Project Manager Tellus Border Project, Geological Survey of Northern Ireland; Richard Gaston, Category Sponsor The Lyric Theatre; Mairead Glennon, Assistant Project Manager Tellus Border Project, Geological Survey of Ireland; Claire Bonner, Morrow Communications; and host Marc Mallet, UTV.
Tellus Border Outreach ProgrammeA comprehensive communications programme was rolled out across the border region as part of Tellus Border, in order to ensure that people living in region were kept informed of survey activities and to raise awareness of the widespread benefits of the project.
During the airborne and ground based surveys, which were undertaken between autumn 2011 and summer 2012, the low-flying survey plane and sampling teams became familiar sights to residents of the border region. With the assistance of Morrow Communications, Tellus Border engaged continually with local authorites, regional media, farmers and equestrian businesses to minimise disruption to activities on the ground and to ensure the smooth running of the survey.
A series of presentations, flier and letter mail-outs, local radio interviews, regular newsletters and traffic alerts ensured that awareness of survey activities remained high throughout the survey period. A dedicated freephone information line, email address and website together with daily phonecalls to interested animal owners allowed effective two-way communication with members of the public.
Following the successful completion of the surveys, the communcations programme now focuses on delivering a wide range of geo-environmental benefits to cross-border stakeholders in central and local government, industry, agriculture and academia.
Tellus Border in the News
Riches of the Deep - Irish Times, 6th August 2011
Natural Resource Survey of Border Counties - 25th August 2011
Gold map highlight concentrations of gold in border counties - RTE News, 24th October 2013
The potential £11bn goldmine on the Irish border - BBC News, 3rd January 2014