Thompson Brand Partners

Fundraising target smashed – hurray!

Picture the scene: It's Sunday. It's 7.00am. It's November. It's cold, damp and really quite foggy. But that didn't stop members of Team Thompson dragging themselves out of bed to take part in the Leeds Abbey Dash 10K run.

Six miles, several painkillers, plasters and palpitations later, the Abbey Dash was complete and the participants were feeling the warm glow of doing something worthwhile for charity.

So now it's all over, a huge thank you to those in the team who took part, as well as you kind folk out there who kindly donated your hard earned cash for a good cause. I'm very pleased to say that the current total raised for the NET Patient Foundation stands at a whopping £1025, which is absolutely fantastic.

Your generosity will help the charity continue their amazing work supporting those with Neuroendocrine Tumours (NETs) and help raise awareness of this little known group of cancers.

If you'd still like to donate, it's not too late, visit www.justgiving.com/thompsonbp

For more information, visit www.netpatientfoundation.org

Sarah

Not too proud to beg...

Some of us are eating carbs like we've never heard of Atkins, some stretching like Black Swan auditionees and others (like me) are just trembling in their trainers...

Why? Well, this Sunday come rain or shine the most dedicated members of the Thompson team will be taking part in the annual Age UK 10k, The Abbey Dash.

We're running in aid of a fantastic cause, the NET Patient Foundation - a charity close to our hearts.  The charity is the only one in the UK to offer advice and support to sufferers and families of those with NETs (neuroendocrine tumours), a relatively uncommon group of cancers. Symptoms are often confused with more common complaints such as IBS, meaning NETs are frequently diagnosed incorrectly or missed completely.  

The money you help us raise will enable the NET Patient Foundation to continue their amazing work offering up to date support and advice, raising funds for vital research projects and increasing awareness of this little known illness. Read more here:  NET Patient Foundation

So please dig deep for Sarah, Guy, Jonny, myself and the NET Patient Foundation and help us to hit our target of £1,000. And if we do, we promise to take share lots of pictures of Jonny's  goosepimply legs.

www.justgiving.com/thompsonbp

Thank you! x 

Yorkshire is....

... t'branding capital of the North? Needless to say, a whole load of Yorkshire-based agencies seem to think so.

If you have two minutes, check out The Drum's article for a warm glow of pride and satisfaction if you're based in the Yorkshire counties, or otherwise admiration at just how much Yorkshire folks can talk 'emselves up:

 http://tinyurl.com/c7eu9cc

Thompson Brand Partners rebrands national charity to Young Epilepsy

Thompson Brand Partners has completed the rename and rebrand of the National Centre for Young People with Epilepsy (NCYPE) to Young Epilepsy.

Young Epilepsy is the only UK-wide charity exclusively supporting the 112,000 children and young people under 25 years of age with epilepsy and their families. Young Epilepsy is a leading provider of specialist education and health services to those most severely affected by epilepsy and related conditions.

Thompson started working with NCYPE in late 2010 after winning a 4-way credentials pitch. Since then the project has included an extensive research exercise prior to the decision to change the name to Young Epilepsy, followed by the development of a new brand identity.

The new identity was officially launched on 1 November 2011 and Thompson has been working with the Young Epilepsy marketing team to develop a range of applications including signage, new web templates, banners, corporate brochure and newsletters, as well as a set of brand guidelines to help ensure consistency.

The idea behind the new identity was to create a logo that changes from time to time, because it includes elements that have been drawn by the students from St Piers School and the FE College, which Young Epilepsy owns and manages in Lingfield, Surrey. As well as creating an identity that is credible for a national charity, Thompson also delivered a practical solution that is not too expensive to implement. Stars were chosen, as the child is always the star, and a project was set in the school and college for the children to create the artwork for the stars.

Nick Ramshaw, Managing Director of Thompson Brand Partners has enjoyed working with Young Epilepsy throughout and is excited about the effect the new branding will have on the charity: “The organisation began to change from a location-based health and education provider in Surrey, to a national epilepsy charity supporting children and young people around 3 years ago. What we have been able to do is help them decide on a more appropriate name and then use branding to communicate this re-position effectively and imaginatively.”

Young Epilepsy Chief Executive David Ford said: “Thompson has been an excellent partner throughout the process, adding rigour and inclusion when we were considering the name and fantastic creativity when developing the new identity. Everyone here loves the new identity, understands what our new brand stands for and can’t wait to stand behind it.” 

 

Disneyland Paris

 

 

 

 

 

We booked family trip to Disneyland Paris during the October school holidays and had a wonderful time. It’s funny but I started reading about the history of Disneyland Paris when I got back and was shocked to see that it struggled when it first opened with low attendance figures – amazing to think when it was heaving while we were there.

Apparently one of the reasons for its slow uptake was the name. Originally launched as EuroDisney, this was seen as a negative name. For Europeans the word Euro is a term associated with business, currency and commerce and not with the fun and excitement of a theme park. Euro was dropped in 1995 and Disneyland Paris was born. The power of words never fails to astound me!

Anyway, I though I would put down some top tips for anyone planning to visit Disneyland Paris in the not too distant future.

Coffee - You can’t get a decent cup of coffee for love nor money so if you need a certain amount of caffeine to get you going on a morning, you might need to think again.

Cost - You can pay up to €9 for a pint of beer and €17 for burger and chips (which is simply glorified McDonalds). At today’s exchange rates it becomes an expensive do. We took some basics with us to help combat the food costs.

Location - Choose your location well. We booked a self-catering hotel on the outskirts of Disneyland in a town called Serris.  The hotel was next door to a huge shopping mall that had a great supermarket and it provided a free shuttle to the Disney parks.

Footwear - Long days especially if you go over a special themed event such as Halloween. We spent over 14 hours on one particular day in the parks. Although the kids had a great time, my feet were not so sure.

Length - For us 3 days was enough. We actually went for 4 nights, 5 full days but we were ready for home after 3 days.

Travel - Check out flights versus train.  The flight time is approximately 1 hour and we flew from a local airport so no trip to London.  It also worked out cheaper to fly!

Shows - Watch them all. You’ll be pleasantly surprised as each one is different and they all offer some form of excitement – even the ones for the younger children.

Plan, Plan, Plan - The big rides offer a Fast Pass facility so you can book a slot to ride. The kid’s rides don’t and often have the biggest queues.  We found it best to get there early and jump straight on to the younger children’s rides before the queues started to form.

And finally,

French culture - It definitely takes some getting used to. Queue is not a word they seem to understand!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hope this gives you some tips and you enjoy your time at Disneyland Paris, we certainly did.