The Campaign
South Devon Railway set out to mark a remarkable moment in history: the return of Winston Churchill’s D-Day carriage to the rails for the first time in half a century. More than just a restoration project, this was a unique opportunity to tell a story of national heritage, remembrance, and engineering dedication.
Through a carefully planned PR strategy, the story was positioned not only as a railway achievement but as a cultural milestone, ensuring it resonated with local, regional, and national media outlets.
Matt and his team are a pleasure to work with. Since appointing them we have noticed a significant increase in bookings especially for our added value products. They quickly grasped the complexities of our business as a Heritage Railway operating as a major tourist attraction and have implemented some highly effective campaigns on our behalf. Their experience of the regional leisure sector and local PR is proving exceptionally useful.
- Alan Taylor | South Devon Railway
The Results
390 Pieces Of Coverage
£914k + AVE
127million + Reach
The campaign generated widespread press attention across broadcast, local, regional and national press, as well as specialist heritage media.
These results demonstrate how a heritage attraction can achieve national relevance through strategic storytelling. The campaign brought South Devon Railway into the spotlight as a custodian of British history while significantly raising its profile among new audiences.
Examples of Coverage
Increased brand awareness through 390 pieces of media coverage from top-tier news sites including The Sun, The Independent, The Times, and The Express, ITV, BBC TV and Radio.
With a combined reach running into the hundreds of millions, and standout pieces carrying high AVE values, the coverage spanned both traditional print readerships and fast-growing online audiences.
Summary
The return of Winston Churchill’s D-Day carriage was always going to be a historic milestone, but through strong PR, it became a story that captured the imagination of the nation. The campaign successfully:
Elevated South Devon Railway’s brand presence nationwide.
Delivered measurable media value with impressive AVE and Reach figures.
Brought heritage storytelling to a broad, diverse audience.
As visitors flock to step aboard this extraordinary piece of history, the campaign stands as a powerful example of how heritage attractions can achieve major PR success.
Want to talk about what more we could do? Want to become our next big thing?
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