Burton PR agency wins award for outstanding charity impact

A Midlands-based PR and communications agency has won a PRCA Dare award for a campaign that prompted a surge in charitable donations to help those in crisis.

MIH Group took home the Charity/Not-for-profit award for its creation of the 12-day ‘Christmas Giving’ video campaign for YMCA Burton.

The campaign featured a series of short films that shone a light on the issue of homelessness and informed people about what they can do to help.

MIH business development and marketing manager Susie Ellison accepted the award alongside YMCA Burton’s fundraising and partnerships manager Paula Senior during a glittering ceremony at Birmingham’s Hyatt Regency.

Susie said: “Paula and I waited nervously for the winner in our category to be announced - and then our table erupted with cheers.

“It was such a great feeling to have our work recognised, especially considering the incredible talent we were up against.”

Paul Laffey, chief executive of YMCA Burton, said of the campaign: “MIH’s storytelling expertise was absolutely first-class.

“They grabbed hold of the narrative and used it to create compelling video content, perfectly demonstrating the value of what we do at YMCA Burton.

“Were it not for the MIH campaign, we would not have raised the amount we did - it made a massive difference in encouraging people to donate.”

YMCA Burton had appealed for help after facing a £30,000 funding gap ahead of Christmas 2024.

The charity needed urgent support to fund essential services like accommodation and a food bank - costing £2 million annually in the Burton-on-Trent area alone.

With limited in-house PR resources and expertise, the charity urgently needed to engage potential supporters - and that’s where Burton-based MIH came in.

As a values-driven company, MIH felt it couldn’t stand by as the YMCA struggled - and so contacted the charity offering to design and launch a campaign for the charity, pro bono.

The ‘12 Days of Christmas Giving’ campaign shared 12 powerful videos exploring homelessness in Burton and beyond.

Within two weeks, £25,000 was raised - significantly exceeding the usual amount donated during the festive period.

The YMCA’s leadership team credited MIH’s campaign for its vital impact.

James Benstead, MIH Group associate director, said: “We see MIH as an opportunity to be a force for good and all colleagues here are committed to delivering exceptionally high-quality communications and PR which make a positive difference.

“MIH colleagues are beyond pleased to have won this award, especially because of the message behind the campaign.

“Our partnership with YMCA Burton means so much to us - not only because of the impact of the campaign, but because of the genuine friendship and mutual respect that has grown between our two organisations.”

Pictured from left to right: Members of the MIH team with their PRCA Dare Award 2025 - Susie Ellison, Suzie Vinall, Louise Invine-Rawlins, Jo Yeaman, James Benstead, Richard Castle, Heather Pinchbeck.