1284 raised a glass with clients, friends and supporters at its annual summer drinks.

The gathering, at the Manor House in Quorn, marked another year of company growth, award wins, and purposeful campaigns.

Founded in July 2020, 1284 has built its reputation for strategic B2B and G2B communications that champion East Midlands innovation. It works with businesses, local authorities, charities, and social enterprises. 

The past 12 months have been a key period of growth. 1284 has joined the small number of UK public relations agencies to achieve ISO 9001, the world’s most widely used quality management standard, designed to support continuous improvement, consistent quality and stronger client satisfaction. Industry estimates suggest that fewer than 5% of UK PR agencies hold ISO 9001.

The year also saw 1284 awarded £55,000 of Innovate UK funding to accelerate the development of its CommsTally® platform. The Create Growth grant will support an £80,000 project to build a CommsTally® MVP, giving clients market-leading transparency around their PR campaigns and tackling long-standing productivity challenges in the sector while strengthening client trust.

The team has also grown with the addition of Content Editor Emma Oliver. Emma leads 1284’s content strategy, both internally and externally. She manages all aspects of the Loughborough consultancy’s digital marketing, while overseeing the rollout of a new operations management platform, optimising workflows and strengthening content marketing. 

It has been a year of recognition too. 1284 was named CIPR Midlands PR Small Agency of the Year 2026 and is shortlisted for the CIPR Excellence Awards Small PR Agency of the Year. The consultancy also won the Best Use of AI category, while account executive Lauren Cropper was named Rising Star after completing the PRCA Public Relations and Communications Level 4 programme. Lauren has also produced a sustainability action plan for 1284 after completing a climate leadership programme with Greener Futures Leicestershire and the University of Leicester.

Alongside this, 1284 has retained Cyber Essentials Plus accreditation for a second year, logged more than 30 hours of pro bono support and 77 hours of professional development, and expanded its client base.

Managing Director George Oliver said: “We’ve grown again this year, but what matters most is the impact our clients are having. 

“The summer drinks are a small way to say thank you to our clients, partners, and supporters for trusting us with their stories and to celebrate the brilliant organisations we’re lucky enough to work with across the region.

“It was great to see so many of our supporters and friends as well as clients turn up to have a chat, a drink and a slice of pizza as it gave us the opportunity to catch up with what they’ve been up to lately.”