Raby Castle BAU

Raby Castle, the iconic 14^th century home of the Vane family in the heart of County Durham, instructed Silver Pear to deliver a year-long strategic communications programme, showcasing the significant investment being made in making Raby the most notable experience for visitors of all ages in the region.

The onus of the continued media outreach campaign was on family and community, reflecting Raby’s core values and focusing on sharing stories from Raby’s traditions, heritage and conservation.

The strategy encompassed the four main elements of the Estate – Raby Castle, High Force Waterfall and Hotel, the Deer Park and Plotters’ Forest Adventure Playground.

Over the course of 12 months, Silver Pear focused on two main streams of content to secure maximum positive awareness for Raby.

We shared regular, positive, sustained and aligned news stories across regional outlets, placing Raby within the heart of the local community. This outreach encompassed exciting events throughout the year, such as Raby’s thrilling Halloween and Christmas offerings, HM The Queen’s Jubilee and International Women’s Day, as well as exclusive insight from Raby’s key staff members and updates from the Estate.

At a national level, we positioned Raby Estate as an innovator and forward-thinking attraction, looking to differentiate itself from its peers. The goal was to ensure that Raby continues to be something for its community to be proud of and the nation to have on their destination wish list.

This outreach included garnering national reviews of the Castle’s exciting events offering and positioning it as a must-see attraction on the North East, with focus given to luxurious overnight stays at the High Force Hotel.­­­­

357 pieces of national, regional and trade coverage, with a reach of over 613,000,000, in titles such as The Times, The Telegraph, BBC News, The Mail on Sunday, BBC Look North, Living North, ITV Tyne, Tees & Borders and The Northern Echo.

45 pieces of print coverage, 305 pieces of online coverage and 3 pieces of key local broadcast coverage.

99.8% positive sentiment across all media outlets.

An exciting and engaging 12 month campaign which has led to extensive coverage and to more publications feeling confident to reach out for regular updates and commentary requests.