Sponsorship has always played a part in Pipekit’s brand awareness strategy.  We have used it as a way to improve our public image, increase our reach and exposure to new clients and engage and reconnect with our customer base…

But it’s always been more than just that.  It’s been about introducing corporate social responsibility into the mix and supporting things we have a connection with. Supporting our local Shropshire community and giving something back.

Our sponsoring journey began in 2014, when we started engaging with Shrewsbury Morris Dancing’s handle on Twitter and via the forum #shropshirehour On paper, the marriage of a traditional folk dancing team and a pipework and valves distributor was somewhat unusual.  But the potential for ‘smashing of sticks and clanging of pipes’ felt right from the beginning. Five years on and our sponsorship pairing continues. As a local voluntary group, Shrewsbury Morris Dancing benefits financially from our annual commitment and we reap the benefits of associating ourselves with an organisation that has over 90,000 followers on Twitter. Plus one that is rooted in the community and has been dancing all over Shropshire and beyond for 40 plus years. Quite simply, it feels good.

In 2017 Shrewsbury Town In The Community followed.  The official charity of Shrewsbury Town Football Club, it runs and supports various projects across Shropshire to make a positive difference for children and adults alike. Pipekit has been a Friends of the Community member for three years now because we can see how important our role is in growing inclusive, community initiatives. Various football development programmes are obviously on the menu but it’s more about what else a football club and its local business supporters can do to enrich the community.  A programme of events includes disability sport provision, further and higher education courses, health and well-being community sessions and primary and secondary school outreach. In fact, one of our employee’s daughters was on the Shrewsbury Town In The Community National Citizen Service programme this summer, which made us even more proud. It feels good to be part of something bigger and to be making a difference in many people’s lives.

Our involvement in Shrewsbury Town FC increased in 2018 when the opportunity to become the new Website and Social Media partner for the club became available.  As Town supporters, we were obviously delighted to seize the opportunity but there’s no doubt that the chance to take our sponsorship to another level was too good to miss. The national reach of football has created exposure for our brand and company on a much larger platform.  We are in the second year of a two year contract and have relished the journey…even when they lose. It’s rewarding that we can support our local club, at the same time as benefit from the exposure and associations that go with it.

Sponsorship has and will continue to be a valuable marketing tool for Pipekit but we would never enter into a partnership without having that ‘community’ connection. We’re a small, family-owned Shropshire based business, with local staff living in our local community.  We, therefore, want to be part of and do our bit for that community, within the resources available to us. Our community may flex and shift over the years but having a connection is vital and having the opportunity to give something back in non-negotiable.