Captain Tom Moore’s £32 million fundraiser originally introduced to the world by former Northampton student

A public relations specialist who studied in Northampton was the person who originally introduced Captain Tom Moore’s fundraiser to the world.

Daisy Craydon, who studied at the University of Northampton, knew Captain Tom’s daughter, Hannah, after she became her first PR client back in January 2019.

When the family came up with the fundraising idea of the 99-year-old walking laps of his garden in the lead-up to his 100th birthday, Hannah was keen to get Daisy on board.

The University of Northampton graduate was tasked with creating a press release about the fundraiser and handling all media enquiries on behalf of the family.

After Captain Tom’s appearance on BBC Breakfast during the early days of the pandemic, he captured the nation and went on to raise more than £32 million for the NHS.

National and international media picked up the tale about the veteran from Bedfordshire and it became one of the biggest stories of the pandemic.

Daisy said: “People have really embraced the story, at such a dark time, because it is offering so much hope. It was the story that everybody needed at the time.

“Tom has been incredible, and loved every minute of this journey.”

Although Daisy studied journalism during her time in Northampton, the course gave her the skills to succeed in her chosen field and help Captain Tom’s fundraiser become a huge success.

Daisy added: “I was lucky enough to get a two-week internship at CNN London whilst at University, which actually made me realise that I did not want to pursue the career I had originally planned on following.

“I worked with the PR department whilst at CNN on the London Olympics, and quickly realised this was my area of expertise. I wanted to become a public relations specialist.”

“The journalism and PR industries work extremely closely with one another, and the skills I gained from the course were extremely beneficial in my first PR role, and still are to this day, as a freelancer.

“I could spot a hook for a news story, and I understood what the journalists wanted from me.”

“I would 100 per cent recommend this course for anyone who is considering public relations as a career.”

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