Ellen Manning / empr - freelance journalist & PR consultant

22/09/2025

I seem to be back in the land of news features at the moment. Was good to get my teeth into this on Dunelm and why we all love it for This is Money.

In a year where plenty of other brands have had to share difficult news, Dunelm announced the opening of a milestone 200th store in Merthyr Tydfil, but the news is not all rosey.

18/09/2025

Back in the day I did a fair bit of royal reporting:- I followed William to New Zealand in the wake of the Christchurch earthquake, covered the first ever Invictus games established by Harry, royal weddings, investitures at Buckingham Palace, William’s remembrance trip to join troops in Afghanistan, and a tonne more. It’s been a while and this isn’t quite so travel-heavy, but nice to be dabbling back in royal reporting for a few newsy features for Yahoo.

What is a state banquet and what exactly can Donald Trump expect?

11/09/2025

Because we do not let trivial things like broken ankles stop client work. Fab to see Urban&Civic’s project to celebrate what would have been 100 years of Rugby Radio Station on BBC Midlands Today after a fair amount of work behind the scenes, culminating in a great piece on what i personally thing is absolutely fascinating. Watch at 22.22 on this link

The latest news, sport and weather for the Midlands.

09/09/2025

Such an honour for receiving a visit from Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal last week.

Having covered multiple royal jobs as a reporter for the Press Association over the years, from investitures at Buckingham Palace to accompanying William to Afghanistan, covering his tour to New Zealand and Australia, following Harry round the British Grand Prix as the Royal rota reporter, covering Royal weddings and jubilee celebrations, it meant I knew what to expect when it comes to the logistics and process that goes into preparing for something like this from a PR point of view. Careful planning, drafting releases ahead of time, organising picture approval. It all goes in behind the scenes but is well worth it when it all comes together and people involved get their special moment when a member of the royal family visits.

Lovely pics from and a wonderfully swift turnaround, resulting in some nice local coverage.

06/09/2025

I don't often share the fact I still do a fair bit of news reporting for Yahoo News UK. So while it seems I just faff around with food and drink, I still dabble in the stuff I've been doing for 24 years in some way shape or form, and probably still will be for another 24 I'd imagine.

Latest news coverage, email, free stock quotes, live scores and video are just the beginning. Discover more every day at Yahoo!

02/09/2025

Spent last week cooking random things in the name of work. As you do....

The Duchess of Sussex is back, dazzling us with her culinary skills, innovative entertainment tips, and all the sugary sweet loveliness it comes with.

26/08/2025

Just some of the broad range of coverage for awards shortlist, announced earlier this month. It’s been a short, sharp push with some good results, and with the awards this week it’s all systems go for the big day. Watch this space for news of the winners 🙌 Given the tough time for hospitality in general, it’s nice to have some good news to spread, and lovely building a relationship with a new client.

04/08/2025

What a week last week was 🤩 Back wholeheartedly in the Band of Builders fold while trying to step into the huge huge boots of Paul Kirby as he takes a much-deserved break from the amazing job he does as their PR consultant. My involvement as a volunteer is so much smaller, but the reward is richer than anything else I do. To see Paul’s efforts of the last few months come to fruition and to help play a tiny part in making sure the work of so many kind hearted volunteers shared on The One Show, BBC Look East, BBC Breakfast, local radio, national newspapers and more is seen really does warm my heart.

It’s easy to get swept up in coverage as a load of numbers, or a route to sales. But for BoB coverage is about raising awareness. It’s about getting eyes on what they do so more people support the charity, which means we can help more people like Toby and his family. It means that potential beneficiaries like Sarah actually know we’re here to help. It could actually be a life-changing difference for a family, which is why it’s so so important. Such a privilege to know these people, and such a joy to see what we’ve built together.

The motto for Band of Builders has always been ‘together stronger’ and if this doesn’t prove that, then I don’t know what does.

03/08/2025

Spent a week back in the Midlands catching up with as many of my clients as possible. Forever grateful that I built strong long-lasting relationships with some fabulous small businesses so when I told them I was relocating they had the faith to stick with me. These days it’s eminently possible to do things remotely, but nothing quite replaces those face to face meetings when you can catch up properly, brainstorm, and plan the next few months 🙌 A hugely productive week setting us up for the rest of 2025.

03/08/2025

My latest feature for Class Bar Magazine - all about the bars using hyper local ingredients to elevate their offering. Love getting in depth with bar owners about what they’re up to and why, and how it impacts their drinks

03/08/2025

A fun one with these past few weeks, as they run some fab LEGO brick-themed workshops for families over summer. Great for locals and good to see them in local publications as well as helping sort some ads and listings in regional guides 🙌

03/08/2025

Long overdue a little catch up because it appears I am terrible at working ‘on’ my business rather than in it, especially when things are chaotic and busy.

I actually love writing awards submissions for clients - especially when they’re ones I have built long-term relationships with. Even more thrilling is when they win, so I was delighted to see Libertine Burger take the title of best Street Food Operator in the Midlands at the Midlands Food, Drink & Hospitality Awards. I know I’m biased, but it’s blimin’ well deserved I think!

The Warwickshire-based business adds to long list of accolades