We were delighted to see the graduation marquee on Plymouth Hoe come to life on Friday night as over 300 people made their way across the red carpet to the Jeremiah’s Journey Hollywood Ball. Several of our staff here at Bluestone360, along with a committee of other helpers from Plymouth’s private sector, had been planning the long-awaited night of glitz and glamour for nearly six months and, from it, hoped to generate a healthy profit for the charity.

The night was hosted by BBC radio broadcaster David FitzGerald, opening with a reception of champagne and canapés, followed by a three-course banquet inside the main marquee which was embellished with an abundance of Hollywood-inspired decorations. A raffle and a silent auction then took place, both of which boasted some utterly magnificent prizes, while the celebrated sound of Joey the Lips provided the night’s musical entertainment, seeing the ball through to the end in style.

With the ball we arranged for Jeremiah’s Journey last year raising around £10,000, the committee knew they had a substantial task on their hands if they were to beat its success. However, all involved were absolutely thrilled to see Friday’s ball produce an enormous fundraising total of £16,000!

We would like to thank each and every person that contributed to the event. It was a truly sensational night and, most importantly, has substantially helped Jeremiah’s Journey to achieve their fundraising goal for this year.

Here at Bluestone360, we are thrilled to announce the launch of the new CHICKS website. Having worked alongside the children’s charity (Country Holidays for Inner City Kids) for a number of years, we saw the perfect opportunity to provide them with a digital refresh through the inception of the Bluestone360 Academy.

The academy was created in order to give talented graduates the chance to work on exciting live projects in a fast-paced working environment, ultimately adding a substantial layer to their CV.  After a number of graduates presented their initial design concepts to a panel of judges, which included several CHICKS staff members, Angie Chan was the selected candidate to proceed through the Academy.

Angie worked a three-month placement here in our studio and, with the help of the digital team, pioneered the design and build of the website from scratch. The end product is a fun, informative and accessible website that the CHICKS team are incredibly happy with. This is a true testament to the benefits of running the Bluestone360 Academy and we sincerely hope to see an equal amount of success with the next project we pursue.

CHICKS’ Head of Fundraising Elanor Hoskin said: “Angie has designed a fun, fresh and interactive site for the charity that will help to raise much needed funds. We provide free respite breaks for disadvantaged children from across the UK and with the world constantly evolving our website is our public face and it is crucial that it sets the right image and tells our supporters all they need to know. We are incredibly grateful to both Bluestone360 and Angie for all their hard work and dedication.”

You will find their website at http://www.chicks.org.uk/

On September 17^th, Bluestone360 will be holding a Hollywood-themed ball for Plymouth-based charity Jeremiah’s Journey – an organisation that helps bereaved children and their parents or carers when they have lost somebody close. The charity is entirely self-funded and relies on donations, grants and fundraising to stay afloat, so an evening like this will make a great difference.

We have been involved with Jeremiah’s Journey for many years and held an extremely successful ball last spring which raised over £10,000. We wish to follow (and hopefully beat!) the success of last year’s event with a star-studded evening that will be magnificent for all those involved.

The ball will take place in the graduation marquee on Plymouth Hoe and will consist of a champagne reception, a gourmet three-course dinner and a whole host of entertainment including Joey the Lips, a raffle and a silent auction. Thanks to our sponsorships, all money raised will go directly to Jeremiah’s Journey!

The response so far has been fantastic and as a result, tickets are selling out fast! To enquire about offering sponsorship, making a prize donation or buying tickets for the ball, please contact mervyn@bluestone360.co.uk or sadie@bluestone360.co.uk.

Over the past few weeks at Bluestone360, we have been working alongside one of our chosen charities, Jeremiah’s Journey, to help promote their upcoming fundraisers. We have been proud supporters of the charity, which helps bereaved children and their families, for around seven years and we hope to continue this partnership well into the future.

Having worked with the charity for a long period on their marketing communications, we were asked recently to re-brand Jeremiah’s Journey, which included creating a new logo and visual identity.

We are supporting two exciting events which will be taking place in Plymouth over the coming weeks to raise money for Jeremiah’s Journey. On May 30th, following the Plymouth half marathon, the charity will be holding an after party and barbecue at Heaven Restaurant and Bar.

This will be followed, on June 18^th, by a ladies Swish night (with a twist!) at the Treasury. For information about the events and to see how you can get involved, download the posters by clicking the images.

If you’d like to read more about Jeremiah’s Journey and their work, visit www.jeremiahsjourney.org.uk.

A new Academy formed by one of the South West’s top creative agencies, Bluestone360, is set to attract the best young design and digital talents in the region.  The Academy will offer a talented student or graduate the opportunity to gain valuable work experience from within Bluestone360’s offices in Royal William Yard, Plymouth.  They will be exposed to the creative and digital arena working on live projects and adding an extra layer to their CV.

There is high interest and buzz surrounding this exciting new innovative venture.  Only one place is available, so the Academy is open purely to the best talent.  Students who are interested will be sent a full, authentic creative brief.  They will then be required to submit their initial creative concepts to the agency for consideration.  The best six will be invited to present their concepts to a panel made up of the agency, client, trustees and media including Alexis Bowater, journalist and former Westcountry news presenter.  The winning student will then join the Bluestone360 Academy for an initial three months with the opportunity for a full time contract if they excel.

Crucially, one of the main projects the candidate will work on from conceptual idea to live venture is the national children’s charity, CHICKS (Country Holiday for Inner City Kids) website.  CHICKS provides free respite breaks for disadvantaged children across the UK.  Aiming to give children the chance to be children and create happy memories that they can hold on to when they return to their difficult home life.  This task has a wide scope and will be both challenging and exciting for the candidate.

Gavin Braithwaite -Smith, Blustone360 director commented, “The Bluestone360 Academy will seek to attract and harness the south west’s best young design and digital talents.  Proving that the region can be a creative hotbed and that London alone doesn’t have to be the automatic choice for graduates or those seeking to further their career.  The CHICKS website represents the perfect opportunity to launch the Academy.  A live project, for a national charity, led by one of the region’s most established creative agencies. We are delighted that this Academy will offer one talented young person a fantastic opportunity to advance in this field.”

Alexis Bowater, Academy Panellist added, “It is vital to give people chances at any time of life. For students entering the rapidly changing world of media this is a golden opportunity. The winning candidate will not only have to have innovative ideas, flair and imagination but also to be able to work as a team. CHICKS is a life-affirming organisation which changes lives in a positive and permanent way. Giving young students the chance to take part in a project like this continues that philosophy.  It will bring cutting-edge ideas to the charity’s website enabling them to communicate their important message more effectively to an ever wider audience.”

If you are a student or recent graduate and would like more information on the Bluestone360 Academy, please visit the Academy website at http://www.bluestone360.co.uk/theacademy/ The closing date for entries is 7^th May 2010.

Jeremiah’s Journey, the Plymouth-based charity, would like to say a big ‘Thank you’ to everyone who took part in the Spring Ball at Boringdon Hall.

The glamorous evening, organised and sponsored by Bluestone360 as a way to celebrate 21 years of existence, went smoothly in spite of the windy weather for the greatest enjoyment of the 250 guests.

The occasion saw interventions from Mervyn Orchard, director of Bluestone360, Alastair Carnegie, director of Total Energy Solutions, Jacqui Stedmon from Jeremiah’s Journey and the introduction of Bianca, Lady Eliot as the new charity patron.

Singer Ellie Kellman supported by Karl Meyer, from the Plymouth Music Zone charity, and dance performances from the TJ’s, provided entertainment for the night.

The charity auction, raffle tickets and other contributions made a huge financial success of the event raising more than £10,000 for the charity.

Monies will enable Jeremiah’s Journey to continue providing much needed support and guidance for children and families who have experienced the death of someone special to them.

Mervyn Orchard, director of Bluestone360 says: “Bluestone360 is delighted to support this incredible local charity which helps so many families in the Plymouth area. The Spring Ball is the result of the efforts of many people. It has been a great occasion for celebrating our 21 years in business and give something back to the community. We’ve been sponsoring Jeremiah’s Journey for six years now and are committed to many more.”

Sarah Wilson from Jeremiah’s Journey says: ”The Spring Ball has been a formidable boost to our fundraising efforts and we would like to thank everyone who contributed to the success of the event by generously giving their time and money. The money raised will help so many children and their families at a critical moment in their lives.”

Mervyn has since become a trustee of Jeremiah’s Journey.