You can find out more about the ‘Bridgford-Bovey’ and the Wildlife Trust appeal at this link: https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/b2b

The ride also links in with my storytelling work for the London Olympics – click here for the latest updates.

Jonathan

More photography from the BBC East Midlands Sports Awards 2011.

More sports photography on the PWP Flickr site at www.flickr.com/photos/pwpcomms/

Text from press release issued August 29:

A Nottingham-based communications consultant has been shortlisted in the 2011 awards run by the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR).

Jonathan Cross, who runs the public relations (PR) business People, Words and Pictures, is through to the finals of the Midlands regional awards for PR Freelancer of the Year.

This follows his success in 2010 when he was named the CIPR’s Midlands PR Freelancer of the Year and was a finalist in the national Xchangeteam PR Freelancer of the Year awards. Earlier this year, Jonathan was named in the top 100 creative freelancers in the UK by The Drum magazine.

The 2011 CIPR Midlands black tie awards take place at Birmingham’s Hilton Metropole Hotel on Friday 2 December.

Jonathan, of West Bridgford, is a former local and national newspaper journalist and in-house PR director who set up his freelance business in 2008. His clients include small to medium sized businesses, voluntary sector organisations and public sector organisations including the NHS. His services include copywriting, media relations, corporate communications, corporate publications, social media, marketing and strategic public relations.

One of only a handful of chartered PR practitioners in the country, Jonathan said: “It’s pleasing to be in with a chance of retaining my Midlands award and I’d like to thank all the private and public sector organisations which provided testimonials in support of my work this year.”

There were more than 1,000 entries to the regional CIPR awards this year. Commenting on the shortlist, Jane Wilson CIPR chief executive, said: “The CIPR PRide Awards celebrate the best PR and campaigns from the profession across the UK. To be shortlisted for an award demonstrates exemplary achievement, impact and value – immediately putting their work in the spotlight. Congratulations to everyone for reaching this stage.”

“I have been amazed at what we have been able to achieve in such a short space of time with the professional and innovative support we received from PWP Communications. We now have a practical, step-by-step operational communications plan to help us prioritise and deliver projects. This has helped us to influence internal stakeholders and secure extra resource in order to deliver what are now regarded as key priorities in raising our profile and keeping our patients informed and engaged. We also now have branding and website strategies in place and a new image library to support these. The input from PWP has been invaluable in helping us plan communications for an emerging organisation and we have already achieved some ‘quick win’ successes within a matter of weeks. I will be using PWP for strategic and practical support again.”

For the best in Nottingham and national PR:  see www.pwpcomms.co.uk or email enquiries@pwpcomms.co.uk

Along with a grandstand full of plump jockeys, blown-up sumo ballerinas, a gaggle of beer-swilling nuns, and of course the odd super hero or two (“I’m Hong Kong Phoey, you know, the crime-fighting dog,” explained the man carrying four pints in karate dog attire to the bemused and then happily enlightened security guard), I witnessed one of the sporting sights of the summer yesterday, a Stuart Broad hat-trick against India at Trent Bridge. The venue, the world’s third oldest Test match ground, was resplendent in the long summer sunshine, and a suddenly awakened mid-afternoon crowd erupted when the Notts and England bowler took his three wickets in successive deliveries. Beer was spilt, super heroes soaring, jockeys jumping, sumo ladies bouncing. ‘Blowers’ on Test Match Special, his first live commentary on a hat-trick apparently, was later to announce that Broad’s afternoon spell contained five wickets for no runs in 16 balls. This was the extraordinary performance of a new sporting hero for the benefit of a sunburnt Saturday crowd, an act long to be remembered by statisticians, sizzled supporters and those who simply love a good story.

Sport and story-telling goes hand in hand. It has natural poignancy, drama, lows and highs, exultation and despair, recurring themes, sub-plots and sometimes the completely unexpected. Earlier this month, I was fortunate to be named as one of the official BT London 2012 Olympic Storytellers, joining 99 others in telling the story of the Games over the next year through text, audio, photography, video and other creative approaches. While Broad’s sporting triumph at Trent Bridge will not ever feature in the columns of Olympic coverage, it was a feat of ‘Olympian’ heroics, the work of sporting legend, and it took place at a venue that will play a small role in the Games themselves. The Olympics archery competition takes place at the ‘home’ of cricket at Lord’s next August and Trent Bridge is set to be used as a warm-up venue for the summer arrow shooting season. This will be a time for local heroes like Larwood and Voce, and Swann and Broad, to take a back seat to the worldwide descendants of Robin Hood and his Merry Men and Women of the archery discipline.

In my role as an Olympics storyteller, I will be writing about sporting stories for the next year, covering my own attempts at sporting activity (running and cycling), others who have a more professional purpose, and highlighting all there is to look forward to about the Olympics in London and the regions in weeks and months to come. If you are involved in sports, whether through participation, coaching, supporting or simply watching, and wish to highlight your interests, please let me know via the Storytellers website. For me, this is the first few steps of a story-writing marathon and all your support, through Tweets and Likes and other comments will be much appreciated.

Further information from this writer on the Nottingham PR website www,pwpcomms.co.uk