Run by Anne Ashford with associates
Public relations: marketing: press relations: strategic communications
Third sector: tourism: public realm: public sector: commerical
Est:1990: Based in the South West of England
Incorporating Ashford Carter Communications Ltd
Anne Ashford is a journalist, broadcaster, PR consultant and trainer. She worked for BBC radio as a journalist, news producer, editor, radio presenter and commissioner primarily responsible for news and current affairs.
Anne is a Northcliffe-trained journalist who started Ashford Media in 1990 where she applies her journalistic and management skills to provide PR and marketing services for business.
She works closely with clients and their strategic partners to deliver integrated communications campaigns and a range of media and marketing services. Her approach is straightforward, method-based and honest.
The scope is wide – from changing public perceptions (about healthcare provision to cuts in public services amongst others), engaging public support for controversial projects (leading to new hostels for ex-offenders), to creating a raft of materials to garner affection for Devon’s largest annual event (and attract sponsors, exhibitors and ticket sales!).
Also, she edits magazines and commissions services from design, website creation to film making.
A member of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations
A member of the Association for Healthcare Communications & Marketing
An Associate of Bristol Business School, University of the West of England
Evidence Ambassador for Sense About Science
Josh Beadon heads up a creative agency and works with Anne and the team in all areas of branding, brand identity, website design and digital development.
His mantra is that in a competitive world, conventional thinking is not enough and that ideas have the power to bring a brand to life – making it visible, tangible and compelling. He works with our clients to develop intelligent, commercially viable design solutions that help to build loyalty, authenticity and reputation with their customers.
He is a former lecturer in Graphic Design, has held posts at The University of Plymouth and the Arts Institute at Bournemouth, and continues to lecture on an occasional basis.
As a Brand and Creative Director he is responsible for ensuring that creativity and innovation is maintained and that standards are consistently of the highest quality. His main focus of expertise is in branding, strategic planning and business development.
Anthony Gibson retired from the NFU in 2008 after 36 years with the organisation which included an eventful 14 years as South West Regional Director and a final two years as Director of Communications. He is probably best known for the prominent part he played in the 2001 foot and mouth outbreak.
He now enjoys a busy and varied semi-retirement, which includes agricultural journalism, several charity directorships (including Farms for City Children and the Royal Bath and West Show), a leading role in water management on the Somerset Levels and cricket commentary for the BBC.
He has published a number of books, including “Of Didcot and the Demon”, an edited collection of his father, Alan Gibson’s, writing on cricket for The Times, which won the MCC and Cricket Society’s award for Book of the Year in 2009; and “With Magic in My Eyes - West Country Literary Landscapes”, which explores the relationship between well-known West Country authors and the landscapes which inspired them. His most recent variation on that theme - “The Coloured Counties - Literary Landscapes of the Heart of England” will be published in the autumn.
Richard Austin has been a professional media photographer for more than 30 years working in the regional, national and international press. Diversity, creativity and capturing the pictures that people want is what separates professional photographers from the rest.
During the 1990s he photographed Premier League and European football for Independent Sports Publications Ltd, being the official club magazine photographer for Arsenal, Chelsea, West Ham & Tottenham Hotspur as well as magazines Football Italia, World Football and Rugby Weekly.
He has published four best selling books on photography, as well as appearingon television, culminating in 2007 with his own award winning six part TV series ‘Richard Austin’s Animal Magic’. He also publishes greeting cards and calendars across the UK, USA and Canada.
Press Awards: 1986 Winner, N.U.J. Regional News Photographer of the Year 2001 Nominated British Picture Editor Awards 2004 Winner, C.E.P.A. News Photographer of Year 2005 Winner, UK Regional News Photographer of Year 2005 Winner, UK Regional Sports Photographer of Year 2006 Winner, British Press Photographer Association News Photographer of Year 2007 Winner, EDF Energy, Regional News Photographer of Year 2012 Runner-Up, EDF Energy, Regional News Photographer of Year Television Appearances: 2001, ITV ‘Hold The Front Page’ Six Part TV Series 2004, Channel 4 ‘Water Stories’ Photographing wildlife on UK rivers 2006, Discovery Channel TV ‘Hot Shots’ with Amanda Lamb 2007, ITV ‘Richard Austin’s Animal Magic’ Six Part TV Series 2010, BBC ‘Country File’ Emperor Stag. 2011, ITV Super Tiny Animals Books Published: 2003 ‘Richard Austin’s Animal Magic’ 2004 ‘Richard Austin’s More Animal Magic’ 2005 ‘Horses and Ponies’ 2006 ‘Dogs and Puppies’ 2009 ‘Lyme Regis’ 2013 ’Storms’
Television Awards: Winner: 2007 Royal Television Society Award for Best Regional Family
Entertainment Programme.
Jane Blanchard is an award-winning TV programme maker, journalist, media and PR consultant and trainer. She worked for ITV for more than 25 years as a journalist, writer, director, producer and commissioning executive, responsible for every genre from current affairs and factual to light entertainment, politics and sport. Her own programme credits include a similarly wide slate, from consumer, archive and travel series to subjects as diverse as ballet, football, folk music and barbershop singing.
A Mirror-trained journalist and a bestselling novelist with Time Warner, combines all her filming and PR skills to make creative films for business. She loves helping companies to promote their key messages with eye catching visuals.
Awards include the much coveted Royal Television Society award of Personality of the Year 2008 in recognition of her TV career. She was voted Woman of the Year by the YWCA for her services to television. She has been a finalist at the New York, Houston and Celtic Television Festivals with her programmes.
Paul has years' of experience operating at Director level in the regional press and niche magazine market. He uses his expertise and contacts to buy relevant media at the best prices.
Member of the Chartered Management Institute
Marketing - Stakeholder communications - Press relations - Crisis communications
Media training - Social & online marketing - Websites and e-newsletters
Anne joined a Ministry of Justice team to lead the communications for a pilot drug rehabilitation project for ex-prisoners. She achieved essential engagement - and support - from magistrates to offenders, neighbours to private sector providers. As a result five new hostels were opened and the strategy became a blue print for similar projects.
This short film was made to encourage prisoners to volunteer for the pilot.
We worked extensively for the wonderful Devon County Show and held the marketing contract for eight years. One of our challenges was to ensure the Show appealled to its many different audiences. The multi-strand campaign ranged from a full digital campaign - website, online sales, social media, e-newsletters - to branding, design and print, press engagement and media buying to running a press centre. In 2018, we produced this cheerful TV advert.
Anne and her associates have exceptional contacts in the UK press and media; they work with traditional and new media day in day out, placing stories, running campaigns, developing story ideas and themes with TV production companies etc - all to raise the profiles of the clients they work with. All our writers are journalists and many are published authors. And here’s a five-star review from ITV Westcountry to prove we know what we're talking about!
We conducted an audit exercise for Rowcroft Hospice in Torquay to provide the organisation with an accurate and comprehensive picture of itself. We carried out an in-depth review of the Hospice, its brand, market position and relationships with staff and external stakeholders.
The communications audit informed the extensive rebranding work undertaken by Josh Beadon and his team at Toucan.
Ashford Media works extensively with the media: articles, features and stories all feature in the traditional press including TV, radio, newspapers and magazines as well as with online influencers and social media channels.
Community
I'm a founding member of a new pressure group - Honey Authenticity Network UK (HAN UK) – in response to concerns about counterfeit honey imports.
We’re raising awareness of honey fraud and calling for better honey labelling as a way of starting to tackle the issue. In November 2021, we made our first media splash in The Observer.
In January, we’re calling on the British Beekeeping Association at its Annual Delegates' Meeting to get behind the campaign.
If you’re interested, join our Facebook page.
I'm a board member of Bee Diseases Insurance Limited, a registered community benefit society which is regulated by the Prudential Regulatory Authority and supervised by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulatory Authority.
My role is a particularly interesting one; I spearhead BDI's interest in bee research at universities and other institutions. Currently BDI is supporting a number of PhD studentships and other research projects which are looking into a variety of bee pests and diseases. We’re fortunate that bee research attracts many excellent academics who are involved in ground-breaking work.
I'm hugely fortunate to work with many wonderful beekeepers and to share a passion for these fascinating pollinators with others.
For Somerset Beekeeper's Association, I'm press officer and joint events officer and, during COVID-19 times, am involved in running a series of popular webinars and online study groups.
When it comes to the written word, inevitably I let myself down by using as many bee and honey puns as I can. So, if you see something along the lines of ‘sweet success’, ‘creating a buzz’ and ‘waxing lyrical’ - you’ll know some 'honeyed' words have been flowing!
As a passionate beekeeper I launched and edited Buzz, the beekeeping magazine for Taunton & District Division of Somerset Beekeepers' Association for four years (2015-2019).
With the talented Josh Beadon and his team at Toco Creative, Exeter, we produced four magazines a year focusing on what was going on in the club as well as the triumphs and trials of keeping honeybees more generally.
I am delighted to be part of UK charity Sense about Science's national Ask for Evidence programme. Ambassadors help ensure evidence is at the heart of discussions about issues that matter to their communities.
In my new role, and pre-COVID-19, I've been out on the hustings drumming up interest in the honeybee killer - the yellow legged Asian hornet. My aim is to enable beekeepers and the public to recognise and report this highly destructive non-native insect.
