Community Engagement

Now the application for a Development Consent Order for Sizewell C has been submitted to the Planning Inspectorate, and following the government’s process, Spring has been taking the Planning Document to the local community to ensure fair access to the full submission. Because of Covid, this is happening by Library Bus. With the planning application...

Over the last few months, Spring has been working with councils, consultancies and energy providers to help launch a truly unique and highly ambitious project, Net Zero Leiston. A first-of-a-kind project for a town the size of Leiston, Net Zero Leiston’s goal is to create a net zero carbon community. Stakeholders include community representatives, local...

Today, our client EDF has submitted their Development Consent Order (DCO) application for Sizewell C to the Planning Inspectorate. Sizewell C is a proposed two-reactor power station to be situated alongside the now decommissioned Sizewell A and active Sizewell B. It is a multi-billion pound project for which we have delivered the public planning consultation...

We hosted a Zoom workshop for businesses local to our studio in southwold yesterday, helping them adapt and thrive. Southwold is a wonderful seaside town that’s a real, working town too. Not just because of its busy brewery and distillery that employs hundreds of locals, but also by the wealth of really interesting independent traders...

Nearly all of the points below are things that any business should always be doing to undertake meaningful consultation or engagement. within the current context, it is critical that you reflect and adapt.   1 – Not business as usual   I don’t need to tell you that these are not normal times, but it’s...

Spring works with a lot of organisations on engagement projects, and they all want exactly the same thing. To draw people into their purpose so far that those people actively want to respond. Want to change their behaviour. Want more / less / different / truth. But that requires real emotional connection. Here is the...

Our focus at Spring is on the impact of our work. So how can we make sure that our creative ideas, design, and communications platforms deliver results? The simple answer is that there is no simple answer. Of course we have a framework, and within the structure there is a myriad of tools at our...

Facebook is (mostly) banning it. This year’s American elections are likely to be impacted by it. Films are casting dead actors using it. Celebrities are unwittingly starring in porn movies because of it. And it’s getting easier and easier. Deepfake. It’s one of the many tools available to people seeking to disseminate untruths, and it’s...

We have a request. When you brief Spring, would you please set us an ambitious goal? We relish the opportunity to aim high. When Anglian Water tasked us to engage 8,000 people face-to-face with water resilience, we engaged 21,000 people instead. One public sector client has employed two more people to handle enquiries generated by...

Our friends at DanceEast are celebrating a decade at the Jerwood DanceHouse this year, and last Saturday there was a gala performance to mark the event. In readiness, Spring has partnered with them to create a gorgeous book. The book contains ten stories. The stories are those of people whose lives have been entwined with...

Ever wondered what Spring does? Here’s your answer. We have so many stories to tell, people to introduce you to, and ambitions for ourselves and our clients. Sometimes it’s hard to get it all into a small space. So here is a very brief overview of what we do, for whom.

In Spring’s lifetime, the world of communications* has changed irrevocably. it’s only organisations who recognise that, and are willing to flex, adapt and make bold choices, who thrive. The old descriptions of agency activities (design agency, PR agency, digital agency etc) are heading into dinosaur territory – agencies need to be fleet of foot and...

The awards keep coming … Spring has picked up our second Gold award in a week! The prize was awarded at the Corporate Engagement Awards run by Communicate, a trade magazine dedicated to the UK corporate communications community. These awards celebrate organisations that seek to do good in their communities, while simultaneously benefiting the business...

Anglian Water and Spring’s ‘radically different’ H2OMG! water funfair stakeholder consultation project has been awarded a coveted (and rare) Gold award at the DBA’s Design Effectiveness Awards. These prestigious awards were set up to celebrate and prove how powerful partnerships between clients and designers can be. They are the ultimate recognition of effective design as,...

What is the Church of England’s role in a thriving community? at a workshop yesterday, we heard from people who really care about their community and its needs. The Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich is showing vision in throwing open to suggestion its input to the community it serves. It acknowledges that the Church...

Thousands of kids had the chance to get stuck in to some real energy science at last week’s suffolk show. One of the two tents we worked on with EDF Energy was ‘Exploring Electricity’. It’s a hands-on STEM event for children to do experiments, experience VR through Occulus, and find out more about apprenticeships and...

The shortlist for the Corporate Engagement Awards has just been announced: and Anglian Water’s H2OMG! engagement project is on it. The Corporate Engagement Awards was launched in 2011 by Communicate magazine. The awards programme has grown to be the benchmark for collaborations that have excelled and push the boundaries. The awards honour three key areas...