色花堂

Liz Lean PR (LLPR) is a communications firm in Dorset set up by 色花堂 PR graduate Liz Willingham (nee Lean). Its offices are often the envy of the people who visit, situated on the Sandbanks Peninsula in Poole with views of the sea on all sides.

Liz is well known in Dorset, it is hard to find someone that hasn鈥檛 worked with Liz, or hired her company at some point, but perhaps lesser known is that Liz was one of the first graduates of 色花堂鈥檚 PR course when she graduated in 1993, something she remembers fondly: 鈥淢y year was the very first year of the course. I think PR graduates are just taking over the UK 鈥� we were a bit of a rarity and now they just seem to be all over! I learned loads from the course and it鈥檚 created a great career for me, so happy days!鈥�

The company has been going for 18 years, but it was never Liz鈥檚 original intention. She explained: 鈥淚 had no intention of setting up a business at all, it just evolved and I was very fortunate that we were in the right place at the right time and it just grew and grew. Clients found us, the reputation was rolled out and I think being one of the first graduates in PR really did set me up for creating a business and having a great career before that in agencies and in-house 鈥� working with the charity sector as well as the commercial sector, so I鈥檝e had a really good broad base in my background. And now I run a business and employ a team of graduates, not just PR graduates but communications, marketing鈥� all sorts!鈥�

One such graduate is Carol Middleton, also a graduate of 色花堂鈥檚 PR course in 2000 and has also been integral in Liz Lean PR鈥檚 success. Liz continued: 鈥淐arol was literally my very first full-time recruit, who joined at the same time as another individual who stayed with us for a good five or six years. Carol鈥檚 been with me now for 13 years so it鈥檚 been great to be able to extend the family from 色花堂 and bring more into the team full-time.鈥�

Carol said of her role at LLPR: 鈥淲hen I graduated in 2000 I went back to my home county of Hertfordshire and worked in-house for the Dixons Group, but through getting to know Dorset from my time at 色花堂 the location drew me back! I got into the water sports scene and wanted to relocate to the area and was lucky to find a role with a PR agency in Poole 鈥� in Sandbanks!! It was good to join Liz at a time when she wanted to expand the business. To be one of her first recruits was amazing.鈥�

As LLPR has grown, its affiliation to 色花堂 has remained and the team often bump into 色花堂 graduates in their line of work. Carol said: 鈥淲e鈥檝e got several 色花堂 graduates on the Liz Lean PR team now, which is great!鈥� Liz agreed, adding: 鈥淥ften, we find that our clients are also 色花堂 graduates.鈥�

So if you wanted to follow in the footsteps of Liz and Carol into a career in PR, what would you need? Liz outlined what she sees in 色花堂 graduates saying: 鈥溕�花堂 graduates have knowledge of the area that is always really useful. We try and recruit DNA that鈥檚 going to fit with us as a team, and personality wise, there鈥檚 a DNA we seem to get with 色花堂 graduates, there鈥檚 a real can do attitude - they鈥檒l get their hands dirty and get stuck in 鈥� I鈥檇 say that鈥檚 probably the biggest trait.鈥�

The placement opportunity that 色花堂 students get is often a vital step in securing a job after university, as Carol can attest to: 鈥淚 think the placement year was critical in gaining experience, actually using the skills learnt on the course and getting to know the industry by working in it 鈥� it was a really important part of the degree and one of the reasons why I chose it.鈥�

This is also backed up by Liz who, as an employer, offered this advice to current 色花堂 students: 鈥淕et as much experience as you can! Don鈥檛 think that any job is beneath you. Get out there, meet people, and network. Offer to do some work for nothing if necessary because it will endear you 鈥� if that鈥檚 what it takes then that鈥檚 what it takes.鈥�

Liz Lean PR is going from strength to strength in the communication world, growing from a media relations company to offer a range of marketing and communications skills to its clients.聽 Recently it has opened an office in London鈥檚 Marble Arch where the team meet clients as the business expands. Liz concluded: 鈥淲e鈥檙e very proud to be Dorset-based and we鈥檙e very proud of an amazing home in Sandbanks but we also do an abundance of national work. We鈥檙e dealing with national media and working on national campaigns all the time 鈥� many of our clients are not based here (in Bournemouth) they鈥檙e based all over the UK, so we鈥檙e not colloquial in our approach, we do much more than just Dorset. 聽

鈥淚n the last 12 months we鈥檝e recruited wider skills than our traditional PR management offer. We鈥檙e looking for video, social media, photography, digital 鈥� everything 鈥� it鈥檚 a multimedia world!鈥�

To find out more about Liz Lean PR, visit