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Freshfield wins Growth Hub marketing contract

Joel Durkin

Published by Joel Durkin,
Senior PR & Communications Manager at Freshfield

Freshfield has won the central marketing contract for Boost; Lancashire’s Business Growth Hub, following a competitive tendering process.

The contract, which runs until Spring 2025, will see Freshfield manage Boost’s entire marketing communications function covering strategy and planning, media relations, content marketing, paid media, social media management, branding and design. Freshfield will also work in collaboration with Chorley digital agency, Bespoke, to redesign and develop Boost’s website.

One of 37 Growth Hubs in the UK, Boost is led by Lancashire County Council and has supported over 14,000 businesses, helped create over 3,500 jobs and added over £100m to the economy since 2013.

Earlier in November, Boost revealed a fresh £3.9m funding deal and a new range of services, aimed at supporting over 1,000 businesses, starting 125 new businesses and creating more than 1,000 new jobs by March 2025.

The £3.9million Boost programme is made up of contributions from Lancashire County Council (£1.2m), UK Shared Prosperity Fund allocations from 10 partner local authorities, and the Department of Business & Trade (£2.7m).

Freshfield has been the procured marketing supplier to Boost since 2013.

Speaking on the win, Freshfield CEO, Simon Turner, said: “This is a brilliant win for us and we’re proud and excited to be playing a key role in the fifth iteration of Boost.

“Through Boost, we get to see the power and impact of business support. It helps start businesses, grow businesses, create jobs and develop economies and we love curating these inspiring stories, while helping those ambitious leaders seeking support to become more aware of Boost.

“Businesses need brilliant support more than ever and we can’t wait to work with the Boost team and wider partnership to help more businesses.”

Boost’s local authority partners are Blackburn with Darwen Council, Burnley Council, Chorley Council, Fylde Council, Hyndburn Borough Council, Pendle Borough Council, Preston City Council, South Ribble Borough Council, West Lancashire Borough Council and Wyre Council.

As part of the new Boost partnership, there is a new range of services being delivered through partners including the Growth Company, Growth Lancashire and Selnet.

In 2021, Freshfield won a Northern Marketing Award for its campaign for Boost that supported 7,000 business owners during the pandemic.

Freshfield has a dedicated public sector team which advises local authorities, regeneration bodies, NHS trusts and universities. The consultancy is an approved supplier on Crown Commercial Service’s (CSS) Communications Marketplace framework for the North West. CCS, an Executive Agency of the Cabinet Office, is the UK’s largest public sector procurement framework.

Freshfield also leads the PR and marketing communications function for Two Zero, Lancashire County Council’s scaleup service.

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