What do PRs do on their lunch breaks?
I asked some PR pros where they spend their well-earned lunch breaks. Here’s what they told me…
Sophie Neal, Junior Account Manager, Neo PR
“Neo PR is based in the beautiful Buckinghamshire countryside. We are surrounded by fields which means there’s somewhere for us to stretch our legs and take our office dog for a walk. It’s much nicer being in the countryside whilst the weather is hot, and we’ve been making the most of it by eating our lunch outside and having some team BBQs!”
Sarah Hookey, Head of Operations, Prova PR
“Lunchtime actives carried out so far include walking meetings; a steps challenge in July and August which saw all members of the team offered subsidised Fitbits, enjoying the beautiful local gardens and parks of Warwick. The promotion of ‘Fika’, a Swedish pastime which sees employees taking some time away from their desk to clear their minds, get active and increase positive productivity. This month, Prova will also be partnering with The Serenity Barn for Pilates and meditation in the park.”
Liz Willingham, Managing Director, Liz Lean PR
“To celebrate reaching our 20th anniversary, we’ve come up with ’20 Acts of Kindness’ to mark this very important agency milestone. One of these activities has included a two-minute Sandbanks beach clean, which all members of staff have completed on rotation in their lunch breaks. We’re so lucky to work in such a beautiful location and we’re all passionate about looking after the environment we live and work in. You can follow our other celebratory activities on social media with #LLPR20.”
Paul Stallard, International MD, Berkeley Communications
“At Berkeley Communications we are lucky enough to work in the beautiful surroundings of Green Park in Reading. In this glorious heat you can find us outside playing table tennis or in a boat on the lake or simply relaxing in the sunshine. After an hour of that we are normally quite happy to get back inside to the aircon.”
Dan Shorthouse, PR Account Executive, Small Man Media
“We’ve got a lovely church by our office that has a beautiful garden and fountain. It’s a real sun trap and a great quiet place to get away from the office and the town centre. Best thing to do is to take a book and eat your lunch at the same time – it does mean that your lunch hour flies by though!”
Corinne Card, Co-founder, Full Story Media
“I often spend my lunch hour on Brighton seafront, which is within walking distance of our offices. Getting out to the beach transforms my working day, blurring the boundary between a ‘work day’ and a ‘holiday’. This is great because, as a business owner, the latter happens rarely. An hour is enough time to have a quick swim if I’m feeling brave, and a relax in the sunshine. Meanwhile, the WiFi on Brighton seafront is surprisingly good, so I can respond quickly to anything urgent.”
Julia Portelly, Junior Account Executive, Wildfire PR
“The Wildfire office is located next to Canbury gardens in Kingston, overlooking the River Thames. In the summer we head down to the picnic benches overlooking the river, and it has become the perfect spot to catch some rays and have a chat over lunch! The view from our balcony is beautiful.2
Steph Palmer, Account Manager, Carnsight Communications
“I work for a small company just outside of Bath, it’s just myself and my boss, Jess, whose house we work from. Her house is located in a very small and quiet village, making the garden a perfect place to sit in and clear my mind for an hour. When the weather is as glorious as it has been because the house is south facing, the afternoon sunshine comes round just in time for lunch, it’s a great place to sit and soak up some vitamin D.
Jess also grows lots of vegetables in her garden so, if I fancy a bit more of an active lunchtime, I can go and pick some produce for that night’s dinner!”
Mark Stuart, Account Director, Battenhall
“The Battenhall team is loving this weather and we try to spend as much time as possible outside at lunch. Typically we pick up some awesome food from Exmouth Market and then hit the office’s roof terrace to get our daily dose of vitamin D. We have some amazing views of the City and local buildings, parks and community places. Recently we watched the RAF 100 anniversary flypast from the terrace and, given how hot it’s been, our resident yoga teacher, Steph Bennett has been regularly running her classes for several employees from the rooftop. It’s the perfect way to unwind!”
Edward Cooper, Consultant, Babel PR
“During these glorious summer days, the Babel team has been migrating to the roof of our offices in Fitzrovia. Fully equipped with garden furniture for those who just want to bask in the sun, as well as table tennis and table football for the more competitive amongst us, the roof terrace offers views over London and the perfect place to spend our summer lunchtimes. And for those of us who can’t stand the heat, we’re never too far away from our (air conditioned) meeting room with its interchangeable boardroom-come-pool table.”
Sophie Foyle, Associate Director, ADPR
“ADPR is a strategic communications agency based in the heart of the South West, in Somerset. Surrounded by beautiful rolling hills and picturesque countryside, our team of 10 professionals all love the outdoors and are lucky enough to be able to spend their sunny lunch breaks exploring our local area in West Lambrook (near Yeovil and Taunton in Somerset). Located near a traditional cider farm, next door to a fabulous fruit farm and around the corner from fields of horses and sheep – what more could you want when times are busy! Inspiring our creative juices and providing the perfect backdrop for developing innovative campaigns for our diverse range of clients, Somerset fills the team with inspiration, passion and creativity on a daily basis. And as a dog-friendly company, our PR pooches – Chester and Luna – help to get the team out and about at lunchtime, for a stomp around the local grounds and footpaths – perfect for relaxing and evaluating campaigns and events, or providing a natural breath of fresh air when there’s lots going on!”
Sally Burfoot, Senior PR Manager, PMW Communications
“The PMW courtyard, which is at the centre of our converted barn in the beautiful Sussex countryside, is a lovely sun trap which enables the team to enjoy a spot of alfresco lunching – there’s also a barbecue permanently set up and we regularly all come together for lunchtime barbies. Each office has access to the space, so as well as being used during breaks, the team also hold internal meetings outside. But, when it’s just too hot in the courtyard, we can seek refuge in the shepherd’s hut. The hut has heating so we still have a lovely place to eat away from our desks when we’re not enjoying a heatwave.”
Where do you spend your lunchtime? Let us know in the comments below.