Deadline moves on Commercial Energy Performance Certificate

Do you recall when a Government press officer was accused of suggesting 9/11 as a good day to ‘bury’ bad news”? Clearly they learned that lesson for when they extended the deadline for commercial energy performance certificates they just announced it very quietly.

Consequently it was four days before the industry realised and publicity flared up around the decision. Few properties were compliant and as the legislation stood it would have been illegal for anyone to offer for sale, advertise, sell or lease a commercial property after the original October 1st deadline without an EPC in place and this would have affected hundreds of properties in the areas of the South and South West served by our clients Easton Bevins.

Claims that the implementation had been mismanaged or that not enough inspectors had qualified would have been damaging in the current political climate hence the low key announcement, which incidentally avoided the official channels surveyors were using to keep up to date with the legislation.

So today Morgan PR moved quickly to ensure Easton Bevins was at the forefront of the publicity over the change in deadline.

It actually places Easton Bevins, who has offices in Newbury, Swindon, Cheltenham and Bristol in an even stronger position as they have long been prepared for the original deadline. Morgan PR designed their Commercial EPC Advice website which has been attracting a lot of traffic as landlords finally realise that they will need an EPC for their buildings sooner or later.

Talking PR with leading chartered building surveyors Easton Bevins

Morgan PR provides public relations and web services to Chartered Building Surveyors Easton Bevins and has done for almost a year now; so it was a delight to be given the opportunity to address the whole company earlier today at a team training day.

How many businesses would have the courage and foresight to take the entire staff - and I mean everyone - for an away day? Easton Bevins had closed its offices in Bristol, Cheltenham, Swindon and Newbury and brough everyone to the Tortworth Court Hotel and just speaking in the morning it was clear how much of a team atmosphere there was and how comfortable everyone felt with one another. I mean Morgan PR is doing much the same later this week, but there were 30 there from Easton Bevins, there'll be a few less at our team day at Sheepdrove on Thursday.

We were talking about the importance of good public relations and the contribution that the team at Easton Bevins can make by helping to identify the stories and opportunities that they will be encountering simply by delivering their professional services.

We also spoke about how successful the flooding advice website Floodadvice.org had been and that traffic had spiked recently when we had more localised flooding, showing it still has relevance.

There was some lively discussion over blogging with quite a few people in the room curious as to how it would work for a company like theirs. Where to start? With such a big and geographically and professionally diverse team they could spread the challenge of maintaining a blog, allocate people to their specialisms and very quickly would create a context rich database of article that Google would rush to.

The speaker before Morgan PR was talking about sustainability, which did instill some guilt at stomping a ruddy great carbon footprint on the 130 mile round trip to the venue. However, on the bright side, looking at the Fair Shares Fair Choice website we were directed to, it would seem my own footprint is already respectably low - even I 'must try harder'.

Business Networking in Newbury

I was up bright and early, well initially it was just early but I soon brightened at the welcome I received from the members of the BNI Jack O'Newbury chapter at their breakfast networking meeting.

Admittedly I did know a good few of the members and was ribbed by Anne Thomson, of Mindset Hypnotherapy and Diets Make You Fat fame, when she discovered I was substituting for Lucy Venables of Red Prosper Marketing. Anne has been asking me to go for many many months and I have just never been able to fit it in!

I've been to BNI Jack O'Newbury, which meets every Friday at the Newbury and Crookham Golf Club, once before to write a piece when they received an award and I have also guested at the BNI Kennet chapter, which meets on Thursday mornings at Donnington Grove Country Club.

So I gave Lucy's one minute presentation - which she had diligently sent me - and then got to give my own, which I used to talk about the www.floodadvice.org website we set up for Easton Bevins in the wake of the recent floods.

BNI is more formal than many of the groups that have followed in its successful wake and that suits many, but not all - which is presumably why so many other networking groups have also flourished in West Berkshire and beyond.

Flooding Advice Website Advert Launched in Local Press

The promotion of Easton Bevins' flooding advice helpline and website - cunningly called www.floodadvice.org gathers pace and today we began placing the above advert in a multitude of local newspapers across the flooding region.

Flooding Advice Website on The Best of Reading

No sooner do I mention The Best of Newbury featuring a story about www.floodadvice.org than it appears on its independent sister site The Best of Reading. The combination of the two probably goes someway to explain the increasing amount of traffic to the website and the enquiries that are coming through.

Flooding Advice Website on The Best of Newbury

News of the launch of flooding advice website www.floodadvice.org is spreading as media organisations grasp how important the service launched by Easton Bevins actually is.

The latest to feature www.floodadvice.org is The Best of Newbury, the foremost directory of local business services and certainly somewhere that those effected by the floods will be looking for help.

Flooding Advice Website on Severn Sound

Another radio interview followed hot on the heels of my session with BBC Radio Berkshire this morning when I was asked to talk about www.floodadvice.org on the leading commercial station for Gloucestershire, Severn Sound.

This one sought to tie today’s introduction to the Home Information Packs to the flooding and need for surveys. Admittedly I’d encouraged this in a conversation with the reporter, for it provided an opportunity to illustrate just how vital it is to get a survey done now if you’ve been flooded, because you can be sure the next person to buy your home will.

Once again the floodadvice.org website statistics showed the number of hits going up just after each news broadcast on the hour, which bodes well for Easton Bevins as it will be able to help anyone who uses the website or calls the local rate 0845 003 8757 helpline number.

Flooding Advice Website on Radio Berkshire

With my Easton Bevins Chartered Building Surveyors regulatory if metaphorical Hard Hat at a jaunty angle I made my way to the near palatial environs of BBC Radio Berkshire today, part of the BBC Monitoring Station at historic Caversham Park, to talk about the launch of www.floodadvice.org on the Andrew Peach Show.

It was nice to finally meet Andrew, someone who often interviewed me back when I was reeling out the thin blue line of spin for Thames Valley Police, but whom I had never actually met!

In the fabled (on Radio 4 that is) 8.10 am slot I was quizzed about the website and in true BBC style Andrew was quick to challenge me on what was in this venture for Easton Bevins.

The encounter lasted all of 1.45 seconds but led to a flurry of activity on the website over the next two hours, anyway, courtesy of the wonders of modern science - and for the purposes of a review under the 1988 Copyright Act, here is that interview:

Flooding Advice Website on Kick FM

Kick FM were quick off the mark and were the first radio station to seek an interview about the launch of www.floodadvice.org admittedly it was a pre-recorded interview that will be broadcast tomorrow, but it will nevertheless serve to raise awareness about the very real need to have a surveyor examine your home or business if it has been flooded.

Flooding Advice Website Launched

The exhaustive work the Morgan PR has been doing for Chartered Building Surveyors, Easton Bevins came to fruition today with the launch of their Flood Advice website and helpline; over 30 pages of useful advice and contact details for flood victims across Berkshire, Wiltshire, Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire.

Press releases have gone out to the media across these areas and as Mike Bull from Easton Bevins Newbury Office, which has teams helping people who have been flooded in Thatcham, Pangbourne and in Oxford and Abingdon, indeed throughout Berkshire and Oxfordshire, explained: “We really felt there was a need for a central point where people could get impartial and independent advice on their situation.

“Our surveyors have dealt with flooding in the past, but never anything on this scale and it has become quite clear that there is conflicting advice being offered to the victims of the floods.

“With devastation on such a large scale it is easy to see why there has not been a consistent approach to assessing the damage caused, but it is essential that this is done by a qualified professional like a Chartered Surveyor who has the training to perform such an important function.

“Many people will discover that their insurance policies will cover the use of such professionals as ourselves; we are specialists in building construction as opposed to the loss adjusters that many people are seeing and who have been clearly overwhelmed by the unprecedented number of claims.

The website gives helpful tips on the problems people should be looking for together with an enquiry form that will put them in touch with one of our Chartered Surveyors who will offer any advice and can arrange a visit if required.

An additional benefit to using Easton Bevins is how the company can project manage any remedial works it identifies as necessary and secure the necessary accredited professionals and tradesmen to carry out the work, reducing the flood victim’s exposure to rogue traders.”

Couldn't have put it better myself!

With the releases, well.. released we now have to wait to see what is published and broadcast.

Morgan PR Retained by Easton Bevins

Morgan PR has been retained by the Easton Bevins to handle its media response to the flooding that has caused so much damage across Southern England. Easton Bevins is highly successful multi-disciplinary Chartered Surveying and Architectural Design practice and has been serving clients from offices across Southern England for over 30 years and its teams of surveyors from offices in Newbury, Swindon, Cheltenham, Thornbury and Bristol will be instrumental in ensuring that people receive the correction advice and compensation for the damage cause to their homes and businesses by the floods.

Already its teams of Chartered Surveyors have been employed by insurance companies, private individuals and businesses throughout the flooded areas to make a professional assessment of the extent of damage caused by the flooding. We have worked with Easton Bevins in the past and it is exciting to be asked to represent them at such an important stage for the company. How the company is perceived over the coming weeks and months will resonante through the region long after the flood waters have receded and homes have been repaired.