On Saturday 31st May, a PR training day was held at East Anglia RFCA to give Army Cadet Force representatives from each region the opportunity to develop their skills and practical abilities in public relations.
Held at East Anglia RFCA headquarters in Chelmsford, Essex, the day started at 0900hrs and began with an introduction into Public Relations from Deputy Chief Executive of the Association, Lieutenant Colonel Jackie Allan QVRM TD.
Each county in East Anglia has an ACF representative, known as a Public Relations Officer, who is responsible for writing and distributing press releases and keeping the local media up to date with the latest cadet news in the county.
Those that attended had the chance to develop their skills with newly purchased video cameras. It is anticipated that using up to date technology like these video cameras, each ACF region will have an increased presence on YouTube. Major Tony Lloyd, PRO at Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire ACF, provided an introduction to YouTube and spoke about the most effective use of the new video cameras in order to create hype and press coverage.
The 24 attendees from various county ACF’s had great fun creating short videos and experimenting with the editing software. The end result should be plenty of fresh YouTube clips on all five county websites, giving cadets, adults and potential recruits the opportunity to see what really happens in the ACF. Keep an eye on the ACF YouTube channels in the upcoming months.
The PR training day also trained attendees on how to take a good photo, a vital part of any news story. Claire Barbara, PRO at Essex ACF, gave an insight into the top tips for writing a press release and other topics included social media and increasing a website’s impact and finally safeguarding.
Thank you to all those who attended and were involved, we hope it was useful.
Get in touch…
If you would like to join the Army Cadet Force or for more information from each of the five county’s please see the contact details below:
Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire ACF
Army Reserve Centre
28 St Andrews Street
Hertford
Hertfordshire
SG14 1JA
01992 582423
Essex ACF
Army Reserve Centre
Springfield Lyons
Colchester Road
Springfield
Chelmsford
Essex
CM2 5TA
01245 462302
Norfolk ACF
44 Norwich Street
Dereham
Norfolk
NR19 1AD
01362 656910
Suffolk ACF
Army Reserve Centre
Yarmouth Road
Ipswich
Suffolk
IP1 4BH
01473 252562
Cambridgeshire ACF
Denny End Road
Waterbeach
Cambridge
CB25 9QU
01223 862949