A PENARTH firm has scooped awards for its part in a period equality campaign.

Magic Wand PR, a Penarth-based public relations consultancy, together with clients phs Group, a national washroom and hygiene services provider, have won three coveted public relations awards.

Laura Windeatt of Penarth, founder of Magic Wand, won the CIPR Cymru Wales Pride Award for Outstanding Independent Practitioner.

Ms Windeatt and client phs also won two awards for its campaigns supporting period equality; gold for the best education campaign and silver for corporate and business communications.

Ms Windeatt said: “This campaign sought to position phs as an industry leader and create waves about an important social issue.

“I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved to date and honoured to have won the award for Outstanding Independent Practitioner.

“In the last four years, I’ve not only started my own business but also become a mum for the second time.

“Juggling a family with a career isn’t easy for any parent and this is one of those very rare moments you stop and reflect on what you have achieved. I’m looking forward to continue to working on innovative and creative campaigns and growing my consultancy further.”

The period equality campaign saw phs create new, independent research to lift the lid of the scale of the issue and a mass awareness-raising drive. At the same time, phs adopted period equality as a core part of its CSR strategy, including offering its coin-free period-product vending machines free of charge to schools and colleges. The campaign drew praise from campaigners, local authorities and government.

A judge for the Outstanding Independent Practitioner Award said: “Laura is a standout winner who demonstrated bravery and creativity both in her career and campaigns.

"It was impressive to see that a campaign with such a lasting impact was delivered by an independent practitioner, highlighting Laura’s hardworking mentality. It’s clear that, no matter what her role, Laura is capable of delivering creative PR campaigns with actual, tangible results.”

A judge for the Education Campaign said: “This was a really bold campaign that drew attention to an incredibly important subject, and sought to find a solution too.

"Widespread broadcast coverage, coupled with extensive print and online articles, helped to establish phs Group as the period poverty expert, surpassing all of its competitors.

"The campaign has also left an impressive legacy, with the Government now speaking to phs Group, and phs Group also leading official Government taskforces. This campaign really does show the power of PR. Bold, clever and well executed."