“Heartfelt thanks to everyone with whom I have had the pleasure to work and enjoy myself with over the past 25 years.” Peta Stuart-Hunt
On 1st November 2018, the leisure marine consultancy PR Works celebrates 25 years since opening its doors. Its founder, Peta Stuart-Hunt, says it has been a sometimes challenging but always a fascinating and rewarding journey. “I have been incredibly fortunate to work with some of the nicest clients, the most iconic events and a vast array of industry media contacts that have been an absolute pleasure to keep fed with news.”
Throughout those 25 years Peta has enjoyed working on a variety of corporate and event campaigns such as the unforgettable AC Jubilee and the British Steel Challenge 92/93 & 96/97. In 2010 Peta ran the PR for Exercise Transglobe (Joint Services) and handled the media requirements for two Royal Yacht Squadron Westward Cups, launched RYA Sailability and was editor of its magazine ‘Foghorn’.
She has provided consultancy to Sailing Logic and launched Sail TV, was Press Officer for the Sail Power & Watersports Show (Earls Court), launched Seawork, working in the Press Office (with Brian Pilcher), handled PR for Scorpion RIBs, and Gill’s sponsorship of the Whitbread Race 93/93 and 97/98. Peta also spent three years managing the PR for World Cruising Club amongst many others and worked with the Andrew Simpson Foundation and Bart’s Bash.
1993 -2009
Peta pays special tribute to Nick Gill (Gill Marine) without whom she says she wouldn’t have had the faith in her own capabilities nor the wherewithal to go it alone. “We worked together for 15 incredible years. Nick and his then Marketing Manager Liz Rushall, put their faith in me and gave me the leg up and confidence I needed.”
Peta has gone on to work with a vast array of clients and in her words, “many of the nicest people and some of the best events.”
She continues, “There will always be a very special place in my heart for Cowes Week and Skandia who were the title sponsor during my eight-year tenure as the Event Press Officer. When Skandia moved on, so did I, taking up the reins as Event Press Officer for the iconic Round the Island Race for a further seven years.”
2010-2017
During those seven years Peta says she was also fortunate to be working closely with the Royal Southern Yacht Club in Hamble, thanks to her good friend and journalist colleague John Walker. He brought her on board to help plan and deliver the Club’s 175th Anniversary celebrations which he masterminded with tremendous flair and gusto, not to mention huge success. After that, she was asked to join the Club’s Marketing Committee and as she puts it, “they hung onto me.”
The Round the Island Race was another wonderfully exciting and hugely rewarding event to work on. As is the case with all her clients, Peta says she made the role her own, expanding it to include bringing new ideas to the table, creating and delivering new opportunities for the race sponsors and ensuring that all stakeholders were engaged. She also served on the Island Sailing Club’s Race Marketing Committee.
During this period, Peta was approached to join the Board of an exciting new brand of technical sailing clothing, Hudson Wight. Never one to miss an opportunity, she was appointed Marketing Director and the brand enjoyed some terrific success but the business needed further investment which didn’t materialise.
In the Autumn of 2017 Peta became a founding Trustee of Sail Aid UK, the charity set up in the wake of the devastating Caribbean hurricanes. She has recently resigned as a Trustee but is continuing to handle the Charity’s social media requirements on a voluntary basis.
Earlier this year Peta decided to ease up a little after a total of 33 years service to the marine leisure sector and is now thoroughly enjoying her latest role as Press & PR Manager for the Cruising Association and also providing some project consultancy for eSail Sailing Simulator.