CHRISTMAS IS A TIME OF FESTIVE GLITTER FOR FIONA SCOTT & HER FAMILY

December is here! Christmas lights are up and businesses are starting to wind down to take a break over the festive season.

Fiona Scott is a Swindon-based journalist and media consultant specialising in working with small businesses and individuals who wish to raise their profile by working effectively with the media. She provides both retained services and training for those interested in practical public relations.

What does December mean for your business? 
When I started out in business, this was a quiet time of year. Now that’s not the case – also it’s a time when the media are hungry both for Christmas stories and for any story which doesn’t involve Christmas. The media gets, what’s known as, Christmas fatigue and soon want to write or record stories which don’t involve tinsel and Santa suits! As for me, I’m not in a humbug mood. I’m up for wearing a silly hat and tinsel throughout December. 

Give us a flavour of your highlights of 2023.
It’s so hard to know where to begin with this. Here are just a few ‘wow’ moments of the year. 

*I published my first book, The Hard Yards, about my first ten years in business and the myriad of mistakes I made. If it helps and entertains one person my job is done. I don’t pull any punches though. 

*I published my second social media diary and planner to help small business owners (for 2024) and that’s been selling well.

*I celebrated 15 years in business and held a party to raise money for a cause close to my heart, Ainslie’s Pavilion Project. We raised over £3,000 0n the night and I will be updating everyone soon on how the project is going. We are so close to submitting plans to build a new pavilion at Purton Cricket Club. 

*At home, our daughter graduated with a degree in English and Drama from the University of Exeter and came home to secure a job with a local performing arts company and is building her own career. 

*Our other daughter made the brave decision to go back to university to train to become a primary school teacher and she’s flying. She’s just finished a placement at Gorse Hill Primary School where she was made to feel so welcome.

*Our grandson Oliver turned one! Where did that time go? 

Christmas will, of course, be big news in December. What does this mean for you? 
We love Christmas in our family and always have. Both my husband and I have wonderful memories of this time of year from our childhoods so we have always tried to make it special for our children. Already our home has so many lights we light up our corner of the street. We love so many things about this time of year. It’s not all about the presents for us, it’s the time spent watching films, the good food, the cosy atmosphere, the silliness while trying to be grateful too. This is not a good time for many people. 

December 2 was Small Business Saturday in the UK – can you name up to three local independent ‘retail’ businesses you would recommend using? 
We have some brilliant independent business in Swindon and wider Wiltshire. I’d like to shout out to Kapada in Old Town which sells vintage clothes, also Chickkks also in Old Town where Kim spends time trying to control my unruly grey (now almost white) hair! I’d also like to thank every business owner in the town and in Wiltshire who trusts me to raise their profile – some for many years. It’s an absolute privilege to work with them all. 

December 20 is the Festival of Winter Walks name some of your favourite walks:
Anyone who follows me on social media knows that I love walking and I walk our dog Jess every day, rain or shine. My number one walk would be near my home along the Wilts & Berks canal in Swindon where in the course of a year, I’ll share my walks with swans,  squirrels, deer, foxes, herons, jays, robins, ducks etc etc. It’s amazing how the same walk can look different on a daily basis. 

Another walk we love is through Savernake Forest in Marlborough just because woodland is glorious. 

Finally any walk which involves a beach works for me. Jess loves running on a beach (when allowed of course) and she becomes very ‘puppy’ like and I still love looking for shells even though I’m pushing 60!

Are you doing any kind of special offer or package in December (or January) that you’d like to mention?
I have produced a social media diary and planner for 2024 (a hard copy) to help people plan their content. This will be helpful to anyone who runs their own business, who is a marketing executive or perhaps runs a charity. The diaries are £49.99 and stocks are limited. Please email me if you’d like one and they can be collected so on postage costs are incurred – [email protected] 

If you could choose three words to sum up 2023 – what would they be – and why? 
Just three! That’s so hard for me. However I’d opt first for ‘gratitude’ – the fact that I’m still here in business after 15 years and some of my clients have worked with me for all of that time. That’s utterly astonishing. I’m grateful every day that I can make choices around who I work with and how I work. 

My second word is ‘collaboration’ – this year I’ve relished working with other freelancers on various projects to deliver the best outcomes for clients. This has included other PR professionals, SEO and website specialists, photographers and experienced writers. If we all take the view of providing the best service we can together – with no one being greedy, the better the outcomes for all. 

My final word is ‘hope’ – it would be wrong to suggest that everything in my world, or anyone else’s, has been utterly perfect all of the time. There have been some awful moments and, when those moments come I choose to ‘hope’. That could be looking for and recognising those who do help showing the good of humanity or it could be the wish that those who treat you badly take a moment to learn from their behaviour. I ‘hope’ for this as that’s what I try to do myself. I don’t always succeed however the only true failure is not to learn. 

For more information visit https://scottmedia.uk