» JUNE 2011
Year Of The Bus Campaign Hits TV Screens
JUNE 2011: Local bus operator, Stagecoach North East, is hitting TV screens across the region this week as it launches the Year of The Bus campaign to help customers get the most out of its bus services.
For the first time a television advert for the company will appear from Monday 27 June across the North East and features one of the company's E2 services from South Shields, travelling along the coastal route through Whitburn to Sunderland. Christopher Hanson, who is twenty-four and from South Shields, was the Stagecoach bus driver on the day of filming, making his TV debut in the advert.
The Year of The Bus campaign aims to encourage more people to use the bus by providing a comprehensive yet easy to use guide to bus travel that includes details of how to get the bus, where to buy tickets and local timetable information.
John Conroy, Managing Director of Stagecoach North East said: "We created the Year of the Bus initiative in response to passenger feedback and it's been an intense but rewarding process developing the booklets for each of the areas in which we operate. To be launching the campaign on television this week is especially exciting as it is the first advertisement we have run in this particular medium.
"We are committed to continually enhancing our services and the overall travel experience for our customers. By collating all of the relevant travel information in one easy to use bus guide, we also hope that more people will be encouraged to explore the benefits of travelling by bus."
By texting BUS to 78866, customers will receive a personalised travel plan, which includes a copy of the free bus guide. All texts sent before the end of July 2011 will also enter the sender in a free prize draw with the chance to win a trip for two to Las Vegas courtesy of Stagecoach North East.
For further information about Stagecoach North East please visit www.stagecoachbus.com/northeast
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For further information please contact Christina Pounder on 01642 584790 or email christina@velvetcommunications.co.uk
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Clowning Around For Charity Event's Fifth Anniversary
JUNE 2011: The circus comes to town in August for staff at Spark Response, a contact centre and fulfilment specialist based in Gateshead. Staff will be dressing up to raise funds for two nominated charities, Barnardo's in the North East and Cancer Connections in South Shields, in the company's annual charity fun-day.
Each year, staff at the contact centre and fulfillment specialist choose a charity to support and host various events throughout the year including the annual family fun-day and staff sales featuring stock donated by clients such as FitFlop, Red Direct and Soap & Glory.
The running total this year so far stands at £2,189.68 and with money raised from the fun-day, Spark is hoping to smash last year's total and raise over £6,000 for the designated charities.
Joanne McKenna, Contact Centre Operations Manager and event organiser, Spark Response, said: "The fun-day has become an annual tradition for Spark and each year we try to make it bigger and better than the last. We chose the circus theme so that we could have lots of performers throughout the day. There will be jugglers, stilt walkers and a magician. It's always a great day for staff and their families and a fun-packed day for the kids.
"We're confident that this year will be bigger than ever and we're hoping to top all previous fundraising totals on the day. Our clients and suppliers donate some great gifts for the fun-day raffle every year and it's always encouraging to see that businesses are so willing to contribute."
Spark also provides contact centre and fulfillment support to organisations including Toys R Us, Cancer Research UK, Straight Plc, Even Greener, Best Direct, Red Direct, FitFlop and Soap & Glory among others.
For more details about Spark Response please visit www.sparkresponse.com or call 0191 418 6077
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For further information please contact Madeleine Griffith on 01642 584790 or email madeleine@velvetcommunications.co.uk
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Bus Passenger Wins Free Travel For One Year
JUNE 2011: One lucky bus passenger has won one year's free bus travel in the form of an annual Hartlepool Megarider Plus ticket in a competition held during Stagecoach North East's Green Week.
Green Week was held between 23 – 27 May as the bus operator celebrated driving forward awareness of its green initiatives in the North East and across the UK.
Graham Jarritt, 59, from Middlesbrough, entered the competition after seeing a poster on board the Service 1 from Hartlepool to Middlesbrough. He said of the win: "I can't ever remember winning anything before so I'm really pleased to have won the Megarider Plus ticket. I am a great supporter of green transport and think the environmental logic for using the bus is overwhelming and more people should consider it as a viable option to reduce their own carbon footprint.
"I commute to and from work in Hartlepool everyday so it will save me a full year's worth of travel costs, which is fantastic. The money that I save will go towards a round trip for myself and my wife to visit our son and his family in Belgium and then to take the night sleeper train to Berlin to visit friends in Germany."
Stagecoach has launched a comprehensive sustainability strategy nationally and is investing £11million in a range of measures to meet its environmental targets. The Group is targeting an overall reduction of eight per cent in buildings CO2 emissions and a cut of three per cent in annual fleet transport CO2e emissions by April 2014. It follows a reduction in the carbon intensity of its UK businesses of almost six per cent in the three years to 30 April 2009.
It is estimated the five-year programme, from 2009-10 to 2013-14, will save a total of nearly 150,000 tonnes of CO2e, with the Group's annual emissions reduced by around 40,000 tonnes CO2e by April 2014.
Last year Stagecoach North East reduced its energy consumption by 4 per cent and is on target to improve on that in 2011.
John Conroy, Managing Director, Stagecoach North East said: "We're proud of the steps we have taken so far to become a more sustainable business. Being a greener company is at the heart of what we do and Green Week gave us the opportunity to remind people of the benefits of using public transport to reduce their impact on the environment. I would like to thank everyone who took the time to enter our competition and congratulate Graham on his win."
As well as running the online competition Stagecoach North East also gave out practical – and environmentally friendly – green kits at bus stations.
For further information about Stagecoach North East please visit www.stagecoachbus.com/northeast
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For further information please contact Christina Pounder on 01642 584790 or email christina@velvetcommunications.co.uk
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Charity Challenges Rubik's Cube World Record
JUNE 2011: Leading youth homelessness charity, Depaul UK, is attempting to break the Guinness World Record for the most people solving the Rubik's Cube in one place at one time on 16 June 2011.
Depaul UK hopes to beat the current World Record of 300, and hopes to raise over £30,000 through the activity. Rubik's Cube are donating £100 for every person that successfully takes part in the attempt.
Twenty-five members of Depaul UK staff and volunteers from the North East are taking part in the World Record attempt. To get them ready for the big day, Depaul's Administration and Finance Assistant, Rhodelyn Cortez, has been teaching people how to solve the Rubik's Cube.
Twenty-year old Rhodelyn from Newcastle said: "I learnt to solve the 3x3 Rubik's Cube via a video on YouTube and it took me about three weeks to master it. When I first started I was staying up until 3am in the morning just to try and crack it and I can now complete it in about four minutes.
"I've been teaching everyone in the office how to do it to get them ready for the record attempt by writing instructions for people and then helping them out when they're stuck. A few have managed to do it, but some are still trying to solve it. Everyone in the office is excited about the World Record attempt, but nerves are creeping in especially for those who haven't mastered it yet!"
Although a national organisation, almost half of the work Depaul UK undertakes is concentrated in the North East of England. Across the region, the charity currently runs 13 projects designed to support some of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged young people.
Paul Marriott, Chief Executive, Depaul UK said: "The makers of Rubik's Cube have been corporate supporters of Depaul UK for a number of years and we thought that a world record attempt would be a great way to engage with our supporters, volunteers and young people while raising vital funds to support our work across the UK.
"Last year we developed a bespoke Depaul Rubik's Cube to help raise awareness of our work with each of the six sides representing how we work with young people. Just like solving the cube we can help people solve their problems through a series of positive moves and although both the cube and homelessness can seem daunting and complicated, with time and patience and when you know how, a solution can be found."
Depaul's Rubik Cube analogy:
Orange Side – represents the stairway model of accommodation support from emergency accommodation to long-term supported hostels and floating support.
Green Side – represents training and employment schemes that help young people become independent.
Red Side – represents the family mediation work that prevents young people becoming homeless by rebuilding family relationships and teaching parenting skills.
Blue Side – represents resettlement work with young people leaving the prison system. Preventing homelessness on release from prison helps to prevent re-offending.
Yellow Side – represents work in local communities to engage young people, provide peer mentoring and encourage the positive use of public spaces.
White Side – represents volunteering and mentoring projects with young people and the local community.
The attempt is taking place at the Camden Centre in London at 5pm on Thursday 16 June.
For more information about Depaul UK please visit www.depauluk.org or call 0191 253 6168
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For further information please contact Christina Pounder on 01642 584790 or email christina@velvetcommunications.co.uk
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