Yorkshire Cancer Research: Taking Yorkshire’s Voices to Westminster
An integrated PR campaign that turned supporter pledges into a national news story and took Yorkshire’s case for cancer research funding to Parliament.
The Challenge
Yorkshire Cancer Research is the region’s independent cancer charity, funding research and services that help people in Yorkshire live longer, healthier lives. Its policy work was strong, but too few people knew about it. The charity needed to raise awareness of the region’s need for cancer research funding, and turn its call for change into a story the media and politicians would act on.
Our Approach
We built the campaign around a single, highly visual idea: 500 paper roses, each one representing a supporter pledge, carried from Yorkshire to Westminster by bike. Professional cyclists and Yorkshire brothers Charlie and Harry Tanfield rode the 500 roses from Harrogate to Parliament, creating a sustainable, story-led journey that journalists could follow mile by mile.
Our PR team sold the story into national, regional and broadcast media, briefed health and political correspondents, and created social content that let supporters follow the ride in real time. At Westminster, we used the arrival moment to bring MPs face to face with the roses and the people behind them.
The Results
79 pieces of coverage
81.2m coverage reach
56 broadcast features
12 policymakers engaged
The campaign delivered Yorkshire Cancer Research its strongest policy moment to date, with the charity’s call for fairer cancer research funding heard directly at Westminster and amplified across national and regional media.
Why It Worked
A charity PR campaign lands hardest when the message has a human face. By turning supporter pledges into something people could see, count and follow, we gave the media a reason to cover a policy story and gave politicians a reason to listen.
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