Captain Tom introduced to the world by former University of Northampton student

The PR support behind one of 2020’s biggest news stories has credited the University of Northampton for setting her on her highly successful career path.

Daisy Craydon hit send on a press release for Captain Tom Moore, who shot to fame around the world in April after raising more than £32m for NHS staff by walking laps of his garden in the lead-up to his 100th birthday.

The Journalism graduate got the gig after getting to know Captain Tom’s daughter, Hannah, in January 2019 after she became Daisy’s first PR client

Hannah was so impressed with Daisy’s work, that when the family came up with the idea of Captain Tom’s fundraiser, during the early days of the pandemic in the UK, they enlisted her to produce a press release and handle all media enquiries.

Captain Tom’s appearance on BBC Breakfast captured the nation’s imagination, and his original target of £1,000 swelled to £32m as the national, and international press picked up on the heartwarming tale.

Fielding hundreds of media requests and co-ordinating the campaign has meant Daisy’s had little time to reflect on her success, but she’s found a moment to praise the industry grounding she received at the University of Northampton.

“I loved the Journalism course, in particular the creative writing element, the creation of a magazine and my dissertation based on the reporting of feminism then and now,” said Daisy.

“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.”

While Daisy preferred PR over journalism, she found the degree provided her with a firm footing for a career in public relations.

She said: “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.”

Daisy, who is originally from Luton, added: “The course was fantastic, as were the teaching staff – particularly Hilary Scott, who is still there, and made us laugh, cry and question our news knowledge on a daily basis. I particularly enjoyed learning how to use different software, and to this day, it’s a skill I highly value, and is transferable into lots of different roles.

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

Commenting on the Captain Tom campaign, 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.”

You can watch Daisy talking about her experience with Carolyn Parry, founder of Career Alchemy, on Vimeo.

The interview is part of Career Alchemy’s INSPiRED Teenager Plus Facebook initiative, which provides a free research-proven course aimed at helping parents/carers work with and enable their teen to make good career choices with support from a community of over 20 highly trained and experienced careers professionals. Visit the website for more details.