YouSay Agency

Boutique Communications Agency in the UK offering full service comms, honesty and a smile.

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What's ahead in 2015 - PR trends

No one has a crystal ball, so we can't really say how PR will change as we head into a new year, the year of the Sheep I believe, but we can look at trends and what the guru's think is likely.

Content is not only King, it's the Queen too - 2015 will be all about content, even more than 2014, with shrinking traditional media and digital growing more and more content is the start and end point and should be the first thing you consider as you devise your campaign. Blogs, Vlogs, Infographics, Images, Social Networks are just some of the content you need to have in your media pack these days

Visuals - Part of content but it is vital to be slick at this. National Newspapers now spend more time on their online editions than their print in many ways. They have digital journalists, headlines need to be keyword enabled, and they will bite your hand off for good quality video content or graphics. This is set to grow in 2015.

Not the death knell of good writing - Don't think that all the ideas for digital content mean it is the end of the road for the good old fashioned pen or keyboard. Traditional media is still a vital part of any campaign, and with shrinking staff on newsdesks and trade press well written content will go far.

Get to know your customers not audience - to us audience sounds too vast and impersonal (picture standing on a stage and not connecting with people one to one). With all the analytics out there it is easier than ever to know your customer, spend time working out who they are and the places they frequent. Gone are the days when it was a numbers game. Rather than having more followers than the competition or more people signed up to your newsletter aim for a smaller number with a higher interaction level.

Not always the best things in life are free - 2015 is likely to be the year when we all have to accept that the platforms we used for free are unlikely to deliver us the reach we are used to without some spend attached. Again, by getting to know your core customer really well you'll be able to be smart with any spend you make.

We are sure there are more but we'll see how these predictions play out in 2015.

Season's Bleatings

Team You Say

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It's been a while

Goodness it has been a while. Two and a half months to be exact.

Time really does fly when you are having fun. Or working all hours. Still fun though.

Emma has been helping out in the Soil Association press office again. She's enjoying being back on a news desk and working on projects such as the Catering Mark Policy Briefing and the annual Soil Symposium. We've been with the Soil Association for nearly two years now and it's a great organisation to work with.

Becky, who works on our OvuSense account is on maternity leave following the birth of Lois and Claire has moved house recently. I think we are all ready for Christmas and a good break with our families.

There are some interesting conversations going on about work in 2015, we have our fingers and toes crossed as the projects sound amazing and will help grow our agency.

We are also excited about the work Emma has been doing with the Organic Herb Trading Company down in Somerset. The photo shoot we did with them earlier in the year was stunning and we can't wait to use the assets on new materials in 2015. Watch this space.

We're in the middle of a Twelve Days of Christmas social media campaign for another client which has been so well received by their followers and gaining scores more. It's making us feel nice and festive, we might crack open the Christmas jumpers next week.

As 2014 draws to a close we can't believe how our little business is growing. Winning new clients is great and retaining others was fab too, it is nice to know we are doing a good job! Splashes in the nationals, great trade coverage and even some good old fashioned PR thrown in for good measure.

If we don't blog again this year then we'll wish you a very happy Christmas and wishing you a happy, healthy and prosperous 2015.

Now where's that EggNog?

Emma, Becky & Claire

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TFI Friday

Is it me or did someone speed the world up a bit? Easter seems like it was a few weeks ago... I can't believe I am planning our Christmas Doooo (why did I ever offer - yes I know I offered - to do that?)

I was asked today, over a lovely lunch with a client, about how I have built my portfolio and how business was. It just made me stop and think and be grateful for the last 20 or so months. I have been really fortunate, I won't say lucky as it is down to several things and I am not sure any are luck.

I think I have been:

In the right place at the right time

Reaping the reward of strong relationships in the past

Established my niche and gained referrals

Honest about what I can and cannot do

Flexible

Have a couple of brilliant freelancers I can bring in to bolster my team & skill base

I have added a variety of work to my portfolio since I set up in early 2013, some of it is contracting, some of it is full agency support, some is freelancing and I think that helps me continue to be rounded and learn. Some of the people I work for are very definitely clients and some are more part-time colleagues and I go into their offices to work on specific projects.

A couple of projects may be coming to an end around the same time and I can see that on the horizon, it makes for an exciting time. It is one of the reasons I set up my own business and became the Chief Sayer of You Say Agency, I am taking some time over December to map out where next and what sectors I want to work in. That is a thrilling prospect you just don't get when you are an employee. Now if I can just slow the clock down a little?

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From Bristol with love

Who would have thought that an invention 'conceived' in Bristol by two vets in the wake of foot and mouth would evolve into a fertility monitor for women - to help accurately track ovulation.

That is exactly what happened with OvuSense, developed by our client Fertility Focus after the veterinary device was patented by Bristol University's Tony Knowles and Andy Butterworth. They invented a temperature monitor for cows as a possible way of preventing healthy cows in contamination zones being killed back in 2001. The invention wasn't viable but the technology was patented for human use and developed by Fertility Focus, going through medical development and trials.

Fertility is still quite a taboo subject and many women clearly want to feel in control of their pregnancies and find out as much as possible yet as many as 70% of women don't ovulate in the middle of the month, when we think we do leading to upset and time delays around being referred by your GP, which can leave many women feeling confused and out of control.

Earlier in the Spring we commissioned a survey of 1000 women on-behalf of Fertility Focus as we felt it wasn't just women who are worried about fertility issues who would like to be able to accurately know when they are ovulating but women who want to plan their lives and ultimately their babies. We wanted to know some of the motivators and get OvuSense in the discussion around these issues.

The coverage has been great, from nationals like the Daily Mail, Metro and Daily Express to Netmums and Mother and Baby online.

As a September baby, which came out as the most popular time of year to have a baby I think the research is really interesting, as women become more career focused and independent it makes sense that having a baby is something planned.

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La Fête du Travail

Greetings from the south of France, or the Upper Garonne to be precise. You Say Agency has upped sticks and headed south for a week to work and recharge after an unexpectedly busy & stressful month.

It has not escaped our attention that it is La Fete du Travail or Labor Day here in France - a bank holiday on a Thursday! I have to admit that work life balance and holidays is something I have not yet achieved to a level where I feel I have the balance right, being here where the working day stops from 12 - 2 is rather refreshing - even the supermarket shuts!

Cornwall last month was a great trip and was always meant to be a blend of work & pleasure but work did seep into time nominally assigned to R&R. A client twitter getting hacked when sat having a delicious lazy Sunday lunch at the Old Coastguard being a good example where stress levels rose!

But here in France a week of getting up at 9am, sitting by the log burner with a Cafe au lait, firing off emails when it is 8am in the UK then popping to the stunning local food market before enjoying an hour long lunch of proper baguette and cheese with a small glass of Picpoul de pinet before settling back to working on the 10ft farmhouse table has taught me a lesson. I am my business and my business is me so holidays as I have known them for the previous two decades are probably a thing of the past and I just need to find a new way of working.

I have to say the power cuts and wifi going off by 10pm are helping the evenings be work free!!

I must consider myself lucky too - in the last 6 weeks I have been to Cornwall for a week and France for a week, I just have to learn a new way of resting and not feeling guilt or hard done by if I don't have a whole week off. I must also get into a habit of using my two mobile lines better - one for work and one for play!

So, as it is a bank holiday here and a street seller gave me some Lily of the valley, I am going to grab my book and sit in the garden at the very French wrought iron table and chairs, with the scent of the lily in the breeze and watch the boys try and clean the pool and not fall in.

Au revoir mon ami x

[yousayagency]

Dydh da Kernow

Or... Hello Cornwall

It won't have escaped you that You Say Agency has its roots in Cornwall. We are more than a bit proud of our unique county. So when the planets aligned and a few days away could be stolen in the hectic world that is running a business there was only one place to head for relaxation, battery charging, good food and a few foodie meetings. It had to be Cornwall.

So here we are, holed up, literally in Mousehole. Famed for its Stargazy Pie, harbour lights each Christmas and the Mousehole cat it is a perfect getaway from the city. We've been eating our way around the far west of Cornwall and we met Caroline Davey from Fat Hen Foraging for a tasty trip around St Ives.

Following the storms and as businesses prepare for the imminent start of proper low season at Easter there is much building and repair work going on but Cornwall is very much open for business. As much as I want to keep this beautiful county unspoilt and hidden I urge you all to come down to Cornwall or Devon / Dorset and support local businesses. They need you more than ever this year.

That's it, a quick blog from us as we look out over St Michael's Mount, there's walking to be done and a table to book for dinner. Victoria Inn tonight I think.

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Hybrid mind

It's exciting to think that You Say I Say We Say, or You Say Agency has been running for nearly a year now. We've learned loads and feel really proud of what we have achieved in the last year.

In that time I have met and introduced myself to countless people, through networking and pitching for work but also new friends and my boyfriend owns a pub (yeah, I did well right!) so there are always new people to get acquainted with. I would guestimate that at least 50% of the time when I say I run my own business in communications they go on to ask me what that means.

It's a good question but it is one I answer a little differently every time. Often it can simply be because I have been working on a certain piece of work or for a certain client I'll say Social or PR or Corporate Affairs. But in truth I think the days are gone where a brand or a client wanted or even needed five or six different agencies to do linear tasks.

I think the next decade will see the growth of the hybrid agency. Fueled by a variety of reasons this will  in my view, mean that one agency will be brought in to deliver an integrated approach. Partly fueled buy tighter margins, partly fueled by an online 24 hour generation where advertising has to work across social and so on.

Now some may argue this is a bad idea, too many fingers in too many pies or an agency over committing, but I think the model we operate at You Say Agency and I know a fair few London agencies operates is a safe one as far as client spend and delivery on a brief. Not to mention a clear message to the audience.

I don't see a line between social and PR, for the marketing mix and POS to work it has to fit with the online tone of voice. SEO and PPC has to have the same demographic target as above the line advertising and traditional PR and celeb endorsements can knit it all together. I believe this can only bring benefits to a client, less chance of a campaign fracturing and a whole lot less account management.

Hence the term Hybrid, all the different components work together or sometimes at different stages over a period of time to produce the same end result.

Now here at You Say Agency we aren't Jack's of all trades. We like to think of ourselves at masters of knowing what we do well and managing an overall project but bringing in experts - such as designers to work alongside the You Say Agency ethos, you just won't see the gap.

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A golden age for school meals

Yesterday was a historic day. It may get lost in translation, or politics, but it was a momentous opportunity to have positive impact of the health of the future of a generation.

Just think about that for a minute, an opportunity to change the predisposed 'chance' that a child born into poverty may have rickets or behavioural issues. A chance to almost do a bit of a Back to the Future and change that! WOW! There was even a little bit of legislation passed.

But I can't help but think we have been on the cusp of this wave before. Jamie Oliver achieved a lot. Prue Leith and the School Food Trust introduced School Food Standards, which were set in law so the Turkey Twizzler met its demise. Somehow yesterday felt different.

It's a no-brainer to me. Free infant school meals is a great thing for lots of reasons, I am not ignoring the nay sayers, I just happen to think most of them are motivated by things that don't float my boat.

Early years are critical in experiencing tastes and flavours, learning to use cutlery and sharing a daily meal. Lots of families do not get to sit together at home any more.

I am no dietician however I know if I eat a good lunch and take time out to sit and converse I have a more productive afternoon, research seems to support this anecdote.

Let's not beat around the bush, we are a fat nation, and getting fatter. Having a balanced lunch and getting children to taste new foods at an early age will have a positive impact for years to come on a potential drain on the NHS. A shocking £6 BILLION is spent on food related illnesses, not forgetting the misery people will obviously live in.

I worked for a heart disease charity called Heart of Mersey, back in 2006. I remember the day legislation was passed that day too. It was 14th February 2006 and it was a poignant day. A day full of shiny red hearts. And legislation passed to help protect the hearts and lungs of workers. There were naysayers and campaigners against then too. But look how far we have come!

I am delighted to be back in the thick of it, working with The School Food Plan, we have a busy few months ahead to help communicate the news, support schools and caterers and importantly listen to them, but we are up for the challenge.

Don't get me wrong there is lots to do, a head teacher's life is already a busy and complex one but I hope they will see that the provision of Infant Free School Meals is a fantastic opportunity. There are lots of organisations from the NAHT and Change4Life with the skills and expertise to help support.

But I don't underestimate the strength of school cooks, have you met any? They are ace! Most of the time they just need to be given the opportunity to share ideas and become an integral part of a school. Then watch them grow. They love the children they help nurture.

I sincerely hope that this doesn't get sidelined by the colour of a political party, or the capital money become disappeared into a pot and not used to buy real pots and pans... This is a once in a lifetime chance, like the creation of the NHS. Le's not fcuk it up?

[yousayagency]

On the edge of a cliff

Anyone managing social media either for themselves or clients will have noticed that Facebook have been tinkering with the algorithms in the last few months. Resulting in their content taking a nose dive as far as reach.

I get the stated reason, to a point, but the cynic in me can't help but think that it's a little more about the Facebook coffers and less about de-cluttering people's News Feed and dealing with the hundreds and thousands of bits of news, memes, competitions and links that are annoying Facebookers.

My reason for coming to this conclusion?

Apparently asking fans or followers to like or share is not considered fashionable any more, it is about rich and targeted news. Why then do the new T&C allow Facebook competitions by way of a comment or share now? Seems to be counter-productive to me.

The way the Insights page is now presented clearly links you to Boost Posts all over the place.

A few of the pages I manage, who don't share memes or chase likes or shares have seen their organic reach take a nosedive and they haven't changed what they have been posting.

These changes get me a bit hot under the collar. Small businesses such as hairdressers or pubs will be most hit. They don't have the time to re-do their Facebook strategy. Heck most of them don't have anything as fancy as a strategy. They just want their followers to be able to see all their updates and news. They don't have a budget to spend boosting their posts or the time to research ways around the end of EdgeRank.

If a user gets annoyed with a page they liked they already have a number of options, they can unlike or report. It does feel like big brother is taking over a little.

My advice is to check out some decent blogs such as Social Bakers and spread your marketing to rely less on Facebook. But use your Insights to help direct you. What age are your audience, if you know this you can work out where else they hang-out. Create an Instagram feed or Google+ space. Maybe by linking your new Instagram to Facebook will help with your organic reach too.

So my conclusion is that the initial tweaking seems harsh on Facebook's part. They may relent as there is a lot of feedback that it is too severe. Users are already getting annoyed about old posts turning up at the top of a News Feed just because one person was having a duvet day and decided to comment on a story from 12 months ago. Again this seems to be agin to the rationale Facebook gave as one comment on an old post shouldn't bump it in my humble opinion.

Don't jump off a cliff just because the EdgeRank has gone and nose dived. If you post meaningful and engaging content and appeal to your followers you should be just fine.

[yousayagency]

Time flies.....

Where does the time go?

Sometimes it feels like it disappears into a vortex and the to-do list gets ever longer. Not that we are complaining really as Santa delivered an early gift of some superb press & blogger coverage in the last week or so.

We are in the swing of Christmas at You Say Towers, Christmas jumpers have been dug out of the cupboard, the advent calendar is gifting chocolate treats and it's been a busy time on the news front too.

Recently acquired clients Ivory Flowers & Zara's Chocolates have had an amazing first week in their new shop at @228 North Street in Bristol and thanks go to Bristol Culture and Bristol Bites for some fab early coverage.

We've been sending delicious mini Christmas hampers from Somerset based Story Farm to a few lucky journalists and bloggers and they have been so well received! Bagging coverage in the Bristol Post, Flavour Magazine, Crumbs online Journal and A Little Bristol so far...

We're also still working with the Soil Association on Duchy Originals Future Farming and planning an amazing design and innovation competition for children with a famous Bristol Sheep. More on that in the coming weeks!

That's all for now, off to find a bit of Nat King Cole crooning Christmas tunes as we plan PR for Easter and summer. It's a bit of an upside down world in our world. But we wouldn't have it any other way.

[yousayagency]

Baby it's cold out there...

This morning I read with interest a comment piece from Chris McLaughlin, VP of external affairs & Marcoms at Inmarsat in PR Week. It was a pithy and frankly well-argued article but one that also filled me with dread.

Trying to win new business is a choppy and often shark infested sea of uncertainty and one that is quite new to me. I have nearly 15 years as the client, the one opening the roster or awarding the retainer. Don't get me wrong it equipped me with a lot of knowledge of what not to do, I have had the pleasure of some amazing pitches that nailed the brief and went the extra mile but some pretty dire ones too.

But Chris got me thinking, for the new kids on the block, and those of us who don't have lots of people to throw at speculative pitches - seems that Chris is saying don't go there which is a relief - what can we do to get our names and our creds out there?

If I have understood Chris correctly it is less about quantity and more about quality. Resist the cold call & trying to make small talk with a stranger or the "We are amazing you need us in your life" email and try and tell prospective clients something they don't know. That could be some opinion research or a new way of doing things that you think you have the USP on. Be tailored, be personal and be you.  

 It's simple when you think about it, who really buys something from a door-to-door seller, or the 0845 calls that come in just as you sit down to dinner. Why would we think that is a good way to portray a brand and business we have lovingly crafted. It's time to think small but with big impact. As the saying goes, all good things come in small packages, and with Christmas just around the corner I think I am going to be putting that into practice, so if you get a little ribbon bedecked parcel from the You Say Agency, we hope you think yourself lucky as we will be thinking small... 

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Do sweat the small stuff

Don't Sweat The Small Stuff - Is a phrase now embedded in the urban dictionary, you can find this phrase as a title to a book, on beautiful posters and often uttered when people are trying to tell you to give yourself a break. 

Truth is; I don't always agree. Especially not when it comes to running a new business, whatever that business may be or actually especially in the trade I ply - communications. 

If you don't sweat the small stuff then who will? Who will have the attention to detail you need to deliver a client a polished press release full of pithy content and drizzled in key messages? Who's going to remind me to pay the National Insurance or order more business cards?

No one, that is who.  

So as well as looking at the big picture, being mindful and strategic too you do need to sweat the small stuff as the devil is in the detail. 

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Don't miss the (festive) boat

Anyone else noticed that Christmas seems to come earlier and earlier in retail terms? The high street is already awash with festive jumpers and the 2012 fashion trend that was the Onesie.  I am in danger of starting a 'when I was a child' rant. So I will move on to my point.

If you stop and think for a minute... to get those reindeer onesies or festive tins of Scottish shortbread on shelf the retailers would have placed their orders with suppliers months ago. And in turn retailers, brands and suppliers will have been planning their Christmas marketing and advertising for months. Yup you got it, big global brands can work 18 months ahead with overall strategies. When we are all praying for a BBQ summer and thinking of suntan lotion and paddling pools marketeers and buyers are talking baubles and turkey.

In terms of national press, in glossies like Vogue, Observer Food Monthly or BBC Good Food you should be making initial contact six months ahead. Photo shoots and features will be flat-planned this early. If you want a 'pack shot' and website mention in the cool gifts sections you should still be getting all your products photographed and sent over in September at the latest.  

Obviously for weekly and smaller regional publications you will still have time to get exposure but it is probably cutting it fine. 

If you have missed the print-media boat this year, don't fear as your ship may not have completely sailed. There are now online editors for all the big magazines and newspapers so target these. Also have a social media plan with Twitter and Facebook, could you do an early 12 days of Christmas with money off or offers each day at the end of November? What about bloggers, select ones who have a local presence and are trusted and a few of the award winning big hitters, keep niche - beauty bloggers won't want to know about your new mince pie flavour, no matter how tasty it is.

Is your website ready? Have you given it a refresh to make sure it is a seamless experience, can you skin it and have a festive slant? Often the Christmas carols and vividly decorated shop windows pull customers into physical shops - what can you do to translate that online?

 Did you know that Monday is a busy Christmas shopping day? Does your social media activity align with shopping knowledge? Do some research. Here's a lovely infographic to highlight the point and get you started. We are such suckers for an infographic!

Last, but not least I recommend selecting some key media targets who you have worked with in 2012 or want to build a relationship with and send them a sample or voucher. Spread some Christmas cheer, they will probably tweet about it and you may even get a mention.

 It's far too early but season's greetings. ...

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If we all make a Small Change...

Last week was a busy one as we took in Leeds Festival, (muddy) was part of an intimate and beautiful wedding (emotional) and put the final touches to a piece of work we've been creating on behalf of our client The Soil Association (exciting).

We'll post more about the campaign over the next four weeks as the campaign is rolled out, but as you can imagine, we are a tad excited as today is 1st September and it is launch day! 

The simple campaign, routed in behaviour change and social marketing that we know so well, is centered around all of us as individuals switching something this September to organic. Whatever is important to you is a good place to start, so that one small change could be organic milk. If you did that along with other people then we could be happy knowing the cows were grass fed, grazed outdoors on pesticide-free land and were subjected to far less antibiotics. Or maybe it would be moisturiser for your children? Using organic means you know it is free of nasties like parabens.

On the Soil Association website will be hints and tips, a recipe a day and some cracking competitions so get yourself over for a peek. 

We haven't decided our change yet, as we have switched to a veg box and organic milk already since we started working on the campaign. But maybe it will involve seeking out organic gin?

[yousayagency]

Getting the right celeb' for your campaign

I've been working with celebrity and expert ambassadors ever since I was a very green press officer straight out of Uni. I am a very lucky lady who has got to work with some great people, who mostly gave their time for free when I was working to promote charities and I hardly ever had diva like requests. .. But it is a tricky thing to get right.

The M&S autumn/winter campaign has launched this week, moving away from Supermodels like Twiggy and Erin O'Connor they have, in the main, taken a massive step in the Dove 'real people' direction. A lot still famous like US Vogue creative director Grace Coddington and ballerina Darcey Bussell. Then there's singers Ellie Goulding and Laura Mvula. But only one model and people such as  Save the Children CEO Jasmine Whitbread and nurse of the year from 2011, Helen Allen.

It has to be said it is an odd mix. Poor Nicola Adams looks uncomfortable and I am not sure I buy-into Tracy Emin popping into M&S for a winter coat or Dame Helen for her bikini - as great as she looks in hers!

As an aside if it is about empowering British women with a campaign about 'Britain's leading ladies' why have we got an American photographer? 

Whether you are approaching a celebrity to be the face of a charity appeal or a major commercial campaign for a brand it's important not to just go for who you like or who an agent offers. It's vital to think of your customer and the people they relate to or admire. The M&S campaign has, possibly unfairly, been criticised for not having enough grey haired ladies but I am sure M&S are trying to attract younger women with this ensemble. 

But it is far from the worse culprit - Flora with Vernon Kay and his mum doing a wholesome family ad after allegations of an indiscretion with a smart phone anyone or Bernard Matthew, the creators of my old friend Turkey Twizzler, and Marco Pierre White... and who knew that Ozzy Osbourne uses I can't believe it's not butter or that David Beckham always carries a Sharpie pen. But on Becks, the Sky Sports advert with him is a dream endorsement and has been extended around the world. But have you noticed he doesn't speak! 

  'For once in my life...' I can watch that over and over and I don't even like footie! 

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School dinners - back on the menu

I am sure just the words 'school dinners' are conjuring up sights, sounds and smells in your head.

A child of the 70s or 80s and you will be recalling spotted dick, blancmange and semolina... ooh and maybe faggots in gravy.

A child of the 90s and it would have been chips, chips and more chips with a side-order of donuts as Margaret 'not called the milk snatcher for nothing' Thatcher put school meals out to contract and it all became about price, or lack of it. 

A child of the noughties would have felt rather hard done by. It was out with the Twizzler and in with turkey wraps. Gone was the vending machine busting with pop & chocolate, kids had to make do with with a fruit smoothie.

It was a rocky road for all concerned, expanding waistlines and the ringing of the tills as kids splurged pocket money at break on a twix and a can of coke. School kitchens had been removed or made into teaching spaces. Dining halls were like cattle sheds - often noisy, messy and never anywhere to sit. Primary children were expected to learn knife & fork skills using a moulded plastic tray where the veg was in a separate compartment to the meat and quite often your custard was accidentally dripped on your chicken nugget. So much for feeding the brain.

You will recall a young TV chef called Jamie Oliver rode in to town and gave school dinners a thumbs down. He had the ear of the then Prime Minister Tony Blair and a revolution was born. Following Jamie's programme, where for the first time parents realised what their precious little ones were actually eating and then immediately were enraged, school meals went through a massive transformation.

The School Food Trust was created, where I was proud to be media and campaigns manager for over four years, and changes were implemented. It was a tough and massive battle. An army of under-skilled cooks with no ammunition. No space to serve food, no time to eat as lunchtimes had shrunk and resistant children who didn't want to eat hummus and falafel. Along side this organisations like the Food For Life Partnership were addressing issues such as cookery skills and learning about food.

A change of government sees the apple cart being tipped upside down and Michael Gove announces a review of school meals, and bonfire of the quangos so it's off with the head of the School Food Trust. All with a vested interest shudder, but then see a glimmer of hope, as the review is to be run by Henry & John, the clever chaps behind LEON. 

Fast forward a year or so and I am asked to support the Food for Life Partnership and coordinate their press and communications response to the School Food Plan. I was delighted to be involved and am reassured that this isn't an attempt to 'restore' school food to a cash-cow of old. Despite the sensationalist headlines about banning packed lunches (not true) the plan is an honest and accurate review and realistic vision with do-able actions for organisations like Food for Life, LACA and Children's Food Trust to ensure school meals feed the brains and bodies of our young people.

Ofsted are to assess school food for the first time, cooking is on the curriculum with a focus away from cupcakes and lemon drizzle and back on savoury dishes, food standards are to stay and the head teacher has been put center stage to embed a love of food in school.

So school meals are back on the menu where they belong! 

[yousayagency]

School dinners - back on the menu

I am sure just the words 'school dinners' are conjuring up sights, sounds and smells in your head.

A child of the 70s or 80s and you will be recalling spotted dick, blancmange and semolina... ooh and maybe faggots in gravy.

A child of the 90s and it would have been chips, chips and more chips with a side-order of donuts as Margaret 'not called the milk snatcher for nothing' Thatcher put school meals out to contract and it all became about price, or lack of it. 

A child of the noughties would have felt rather hard done by. It was out with the Twizzler and in with turkey wraps. Gone was the vending machine busting with pop & chocolate, kids had to make do with with a fruit smoothie.

It was a rocky road for all concerned, expanding waistlines and the ringing of the tills as kids splurged pocket money at break on a twix and a can of coke. School kitchens had been removed or made into teaching spaces. Dining halls were like cattle sheds - often noisy, messy and never anywhere to sit. Primary children were expected to learn knife & fork skills using a moulded plastic tray where the veg was in a separate compartment to the meat and quite often your custard was accidentally dripped on your chicken nugget. So much for feeding the brain.

You will recall a young TV chef called Jamie Oliver rode in to town and gave school dinners a thumbs down. He had the ear of the then Prime Minister Tony Blair and a revolution was born. Following Jamie's programme, where for the first time parents realised what their precious little ones were actually eating and then immediately were enraged, school meals went through a massive transformation.

The School Food Trust was created, where I was proud to be media and campaigns manager for over four years, and changes were implemented. It was a tough and massive battle. An army of under-skilled cooks with no ammunition. No space to serve food, no time to eat as lunchtimes had shrunk and resistant children who didn't want to eat hummus and falafel. Along side this organisations like the Food For Life Partnership were addressing issues such as cookery skills and learning about food.

A change of government sees the apple cart being tipped upside down and Michael Gove announces a review of school meals, and bonfire of the quangos so it's off with the head of the School Food Trust. All with a vested interest shudder, but then see a glimmer of hope, as the review is to be run by Henry & John, the clever chaps behind LEON. 

Fast forward a year or so and I am asked to support the Food for Life Partnership and coordinate their press and communications response to the School Food Plan. I was delighted to be involved and am reassured that this isn't an attempt to 'restore' school food to a cash-cow of old. Despite the sensationalist headlines about banning packed lunches (not true) the plan is an honest and accurate review and realistic vision with do-able actions for organisations like Food for Life, LACA and Children's Food Trust to ensure school meals feed the brains and bodies of our young people.

Ofsted are to assess school food for the first time, cooking is on the curriculum with a focus away from cupcakes and lemon drizzle and back on savoury dishes, food standards are to stay and the head teacher has been put center stage to embed a love of food in school.

So school meals are back on the menu where they belong!