Van Persie's Top 5 Goals!

Van Persie's Top 5 Goals, as voted for by me...



1. Vs. Everton - Technique...
2. Vs. Charlton - #missile
3. Vs. Sunderland - Freekick masterclass...
4. Vs. Birmingham - Wembley on their feet.
5. Vs. Liverpool - GOAAAAAAL!

The not so free bus...

THE NOT SO FREE BUS

Tuesday, 12 April 2011

The completion of our portfolio requires us to send a letter to a local MP about an issue we would like to bring to their attention, in the hope that they will do something about it. Although the likelihood of that happening is very low because our current government doesn’t truly seem to have a grip of what’s going on. However I’ve decided to press ahead and touch upon the recent withdrawal of the ‘Free City Bus’, which used to run very conveniently around the city free of charge. I say conveniently because one of its pickup points was extremely close to my accommodation, which made getting to university on time a lot easier. This admittedly can be a problem for some students, but lets not point any fingers.

Although a very small issue it seems like yet another obstacle for students who I think are the main users of this free service. Along with the elderly, although they are generally covered by Leeds City bus passes. The introduction of the 50p charge on the newly named, ‘Leeds City Bus’ will, whether people like it or not mean the difference between some students turning up to their early morning lectures and not. I myself have already seen some students unaware of the charges, do a U-turn and head back to their beds sickened by the new charges. At the end of the day 50p can get you 3 Freddo’s. This isn’t me speaking from experience by the way just something I felt people should be aware of. Although if you’re a fan of Yorkies then your going to have to find and extra 10p from somewhere because they’re 60p.

On a serious note however for a council as large as Leeds they did very little to announce the fact that us students especially that these charges were going to be put in place. Agreed the pricing of things in general has risen for one reason or another, thanks again must go to David Cameron for that… but I have yet to find any form of justification from the Leeds City Council as to why this has happened. All I have come across are messages of annoyance about the situation, which should surely be being buffeted back by the PUBLIC RELATIONS section of the Leeds Council. The most I could find in defence of the decision is this…

Metro spokesman Martin Driver said there had been a large public outcry over the possibility of losing the jointly funded service, which has been used by more than seven-and-a-half million passengers since it started in 2006. Driver said:

"Metro has stepped in to organise the trial in response to widespread concerns about the possible axing of the FreeCityBus service, due to funding cuts, and the many public comments by people saying they would be willing to pay to use it.
"Passengers will be charged 50p per journey and while the exact fare will help minimise delays, change will be given."
Taken From:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/leeds/2011/mar/28/leeds-free-city-bus-could-be-replaced-with-50p-service
Although here there are claims that many people have agreed to pay the fair, just so that bus company keeps running. Which is fair play in my opinion especially with the elderly and disabled people who make good use of the bus. For those without bus passes/cards it seems as if they have been bypassed once again. This is why I felt the need to write my letter to the council and try to get some answers as to what is going on, and where us students fit into the equation. Given, I do sound very bias towards students but I am so I feel the need to be sometimes. I intend to deliver my results if there are any during my portfolio presentation, this is if they get back in touch with me but I wouldn’t hold my breath on that one so I may have to take up another route of research. Lets hope the free bus returns so that 9 o’clock lecture is that little closer every Monday morning J .

Why I chose to study Public Relations & Marketing at Leeds Metropolitan University

Timothy Curtis                                                                                                                                                   21/12/2010

Why I chose PR?

My name is Timothy Curtis I’m aged 19, and currently studying PR and Marketing at Leeds Metropolitan University. When challenged to explain why I chose PR, with a view of pursuing it as a career. I realised that my response wasn’t going to be as complex as I had expected it to be. In actual fact it breaks down into a handful of set goals that I wish to achieve over a period of years.

I have a great interest in sports, especially football which leads me onto where I wish to take my Public Relations and Marketing qualification in the future. With PR beginning to take over journalism I wish to set my sights on representing a large sporting organisation such as, The FA or RFU for example to gain a broad range of experience. Due to the size of the organisations in question I feel it’s a lot more realistic to expect to gain a position with them as a post graduate.

However after establishing myself with in such an organisation I would be looking to represent a football club as part of their Public Relations and Marketing team. Agreed I have set my targets high but after giving the course content a thorough read, I feel it will equip me with the necessary skills and qualifications tackle PR in the real world. With the course offering a year’s work experience it would allow me walk into a PR role with a lot more transparency and ease that someone who had not.

The reason for me wishing to be a part of the sporting PR world is because I believe that the media, in some cases, are generating a lot of fabricated and negative stories. This in turn is damaging to the image of certain sports, individual clubs and sports players. Admittedly the behaviour of some individuals only exacerbates the negative attitude towards them.

I’m perfectly aware of the amount one person can change but in rising through the ranks for whichever organisation I happened to be representing. I would hope that I could both market and defend that organisation without, adding fuel a potential fire or misleading the public in anyway. Hopefully in a higher position it would be possible to change opinions and influence in the public.

Another big factor for me choosing PR is that I feel my people skills coupled with my competent understanding of the English language, would play a big part in me being able to sway people’s opinions and reach a good level of understanding with the public. I

Although it seems I have a pretty key holed direction in which I wish to take my PR career this isn’t to say that something won’t turn up during the next few years which changes my plans all together. I refuse to rule anything out but this is why I originally chose to study PR. Hopefully I have successfully listed my reasons for choosing PR as a course at Leeds Metropolitan University.

Interviewing a PR Practitioner:

I soon hope to be carrying out an interview with Dominic Burch, here's a small bit of information about him...

Dominic is Head of Corporate Communications at Asda (Wal-Mart UK).
Dominic graduated from Leeds Metropolitan University in 1998 with a BA Hons degree in Public Relations. Following a short stint as a summer intern with Saatchi & Saatchi’s Cause Connection unit, he took his first real PR job at Green Flag Motoring Assistance in Leeds in September that year.
After two years with Green Flag, Dominic moved south to work for Direct Line as PR Manager for Motor Insurance with specific responsibility for road safety. He helped campaign to change the law making it an offence to drive and use a hand-held mobile phone.
After a further two years he returned up north joining ASDA in 2002, initially as Food and Farming PR manager, but more recently has headed up the corporate communications team with responsibility for incorporating social media into the PR function and wider business.