A Cheshire PR and marketing agency has stepped in with pro bono support for Holmes Chapel Partnership after it made international headlines last week.
News of Harry Home Village Tours attracted worldwide media attention following the launch of a recruitment campaign for guides to conduct walking tours of Holmes Chapel, the village where Harry Styles grew up, this coming summer.
Karoline Peach (pictured far right, along with, L-R, Clare Booth, Calvin Marketing; Hazel Sutcliffe, Peter Whiers and Gail Griggs of Holmes Chapel Partnership) has led on communications for Holmes Chapel Partnership since 2018. When she shared the global media interest with colleagues at the Cheshire based agency, the entire team decided to step in to support the not-for-profit partnership.
“We immediately recognised the volume of global media interest these tours would generate, and the additional support Holmes Chapel Partnership requires over the coming months.” said Diana Stephenson, managing director of Calvin Marketing. “Within the first week of taking on this campaign we have organised broadcast and print interviews with media as far afield as America, Australia, Germany and France. We’ve had interest from TV programmes including a major US chat show, alongside leading music giants including Rolling Stone magazine and Q. It’s a huge undertaking for our team but one we are all relishing. We are committed to delivering success in support of Holmes Chapel Partnership’s ongoing campaign for safer walking routes throughout Holmes Chapel.”
In 2023, Holmes Chapel Partnership welcomed over 5,000 Harry Styles fans to the historic Cheshire village, distributing free maps to help visitors find popular Harry landmarks and take safe walking routes. Having witnessed visitors frequently attempt a dangerous walk down the A535, a 50mph road leading to Twemlow Viaduct where Harry reputably had his first kiss, this summer, the Partnership is launching Harry’s Home Village Tour.
“Holmes Chapel is a relatively small village and there is a need to keep visitors safe whilst also ensuring that residents’ daily lives are not impacted by what could become a media frenzy if not properly controlled,” added Stephenson.
Peter Whiers, chair of Holmes Chapel Partnership, added: “Having had Karoline volunteer her professional skills to the partnership for several years we are thrilled to have the entire Calvin team onboard for this momentous project.
“Managing international media is a huge undertaking for a team of village volunteers so to know an agency with Calvin’s expertise is now in the driving seat is a big relief. Thanks to Calvin’s generosity we can now focus our full attention on delivering a successful schedule of tours to Harry Styles fans this summer.”
Running on Saturday mornings in June and weekdays from July-September, Harry’s Home Village Tour will last around 2.5-3hrs and include safe walking routes to popular locations such as Mandeville’s Bakery and Twemlow Viaduct.
Applications for Tour Guides are open until 15 April.
