Category: News

Amanda Chalmers, has been listed among the SME Midlands Enterprise Awards winners for her PR agency.

Chalmers News PR was named as The Best PR & Marketing Agency in the West Midlands 2026 when the roll of honour weas revealed last week.

The news brings Amanda’s impressive national awards tally to six, since launching her Warwick-based business almost eight years ago after five years as the first female editor of independent The Stratford Herald.

Awards Coordinator Daniel Griffin, said: “For nearly a decade, the Midlands Enterprise Awards have shone a spotlight on the SMEs that form the backbone of the regional economy. From ambitious start-ups to long established local champions, this programme exists to recognise the innovation, resilience, and determination that small and medium-sized enterprises bring to the Midlands every single day.

“SMEs do far more than drive revenue. They create jobs, strengthen communities, and push industries forward with fresh thinking and fearless ideas. These awards are our way of saying that their work matters and deserves to be celebrated loudly.

“The aim of this programme is to champion this varied region and celebrate the businesses it encompasses, and we believe we have once again done this in the 2026 instalment of the awards.

They added: “Both the West Midlands and the East Midlands are represented, and whether a business is a bustling enterprise in the heart of a major city or a one-person operation in a small town, we are delighted to recognise all of their contributions to both their industry and the local communities.

“Here at SME News, we pride ourselves on the validity of our awards and the winners we select for them. Awards are given solely on merit, provided to those deserving of acclaim for their hard work and ingenuity.

The former journalist’s 30 years in the regional press, culminated with a stint in the Stratford-Upon-Avon Herald editor’s chair between 2014 and 2018, before launching the agency, which specialises in affordable cross-sector PR for small businesses and start-ups as well as charities and not-for-profits.

It also follows hot on the heels of her recently celebrating being named among the Top 10 Businesses From Home in the UK Small Business Awards, as well as Influential Woman In Business in the Innervision Media Awards; and receiving the Ladies First Excellence In Media Award in 2023 and 2025 and the Woman Who Awards ‘Achieves In Media’ category gong in 2024.

Amanda worked on newsdesks in and around Warwickshire, including the former Nuneaton Tribune and Rugby Advertiser, and, as deputy editor at the Daventry Express and Buckingham and Winslow Advertiser series before joining the Herald.

She said: “I’m incredibly proud to once again be recognised nationally for my work and am so grateful to those who continue to nominate me, support me and champion my success.

“Awards are wonderful – and all the recent accolades are testament to the hard work that’s gone in to building the agency from the ground up – but the most rewarding part of my own journey of growth as an entrepreneur, is the countless number of small business owners and charity founders it’s brought me into contact with. It’s their energy, vision and drive that inspire me to succeed every day. And long may that continue!”

To learn more about the Midlands Enterprise Awards and access the full list of winners visit HERE.

A Coventry-based charity is appealing to the public to support an emergency response appeal following the flash flooding in Nepal, which has so far claimed more than 1,300 lives.

Feed The Hungry UK are working with their partners in the stricken area of South Asia to supply food, aid and transportation for hundreds of families who lost of everything in the devastation, last week.

More than 5,000 people are now missing after powerful floodwaters and debris swept through a Himalayan valley, wiping out entire settlements, destroying roads, bridges, buildings and communication lines, and cutting off many remote communities. It is believed to have been triggered by a glacial collapse which registered a tremor with a magnitude of 5.2.

Pastor Ruben Rasaili is running a team on the ground in Nepal to help coordinate Feed The Hungry’s rescue mission, which has been focusing on supply and distribution of food packs, feeding more than 1,200 a day.

Reporting from the flood sites of Nuwakot and Trishuli, he said this week: “I saw thousands of houses swept away, and people crying for help. They don’t have food, they don’t have clothes, they don’t have a place to live. Even now, we are carrying some of the women who have lost their family members – we rescued them, and we’re taking them to Kathmandu to help them. It is such a miserable situation.

“Daily about 20 helicopters are rescuing injured people and dead bodies in north of Kathmandu in Nuwakot and Rasuwa district. More than 18,000 houses have been swept away, and thousands of people have lost everything they have including business, houses, children or family members, cattle, vehicles, everything.”

He added: “Those who survived are finding shelter in a public hall or with some families in the village. We found some families who had been starving for three days, as well as many injured people we are taking to tent hospitals.

“We need to provide food supplies, water aid and so many other necessities that people need to survive so if you would like to get involved, please donate.”

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said Sunday it has released $150,000 from the South-East Asia Regional Health Emergency Fund (SEARHEF) to support the needs of the communities impacted by the flash floods which they have described as ‘one of the worst tragedies in the country in recent times.’

Efforts are continuing to rescue workers, potentially in the hundreds, believed to be trapped in Nepalese hydropower tunnels.

Feed The Hungry is an international Christian humanitarian organisation committed to fighting hunger due to poverty, war, famine and natural disasters. The charity works to reduce world hunger by establishing feeding programmes and supporting disaster relief.

With its partner organisations, since 1987, Feed The Hungry have globally assisted in feeding over 650,000 children every day in 30 countries.

Feed The Hungry CEO, Canon Gavin Kibble MBE said: “Nepal is no stranger to catastrophic events. Feed The Hungry UK first became involved with supporting the country after the earthquake of 2015. We have supported Pastor Ruben with his work within the poorest communities by providing support to dig wells, food, and resources to improve many children’s education.

“Eleven years later in face of unimaginable apocalyptic destruction, this partnership has enabled Ruben to be amongst the first on the scene, able to provide food, water and tents. Donations from around the world are providing a lifeline and hope to so many people impacted by this disaster.”

Feed The Hungry are asking for public support:

• £10 could provide a family with rice for a week
• £20 could provide dahl, sugar and cooking oil for a family
• £35 could provide a family with a full package of emergency food and clean water
• £65 could provide an emergency tent for a family who has lost their home

Every gift, large or small, will go directly to help Ruben reach families in Nepal with the basics they need to survive the days and weeks ahead. Donate HERE.

A Warwick mum who founded a charity in her late daughter’s name, was thrust into the West End ‘spotlight’ when a special surprise was sprung on her by the BBC’s The One Show, which aired last week.

Rachel Ollerenshaw cut short her family holiday in France to travel to London, on the promise of a last-minute TV interview about her charity Molly Ollys. But she was to discover something rather different awaiting her at The Coliseum Theatre, where she was greeted by the cast of the illusionists show, Now You See Me Live.

Rachel, who established the charity in 2012 following the death of their eight-year-old daughter Molly from a rare kidney cancer, was the latest recipient of The One Show’s ‘One Big Thank you’. This regular segment of the live prime time magazine show celebrates community heroes who ‘go above and beyond to help others.’

As well as meeting the cast – and some unexpected friends and family waiting in the wings who’d been in on the secret – an emotional Rachel was shown pre-recorded video messages from some of the previous families helped by the charity, as well as a tribute by The One Show presenter Alex Jones.

The seven-minute segment was included at the top of the show which was seen by more than three million people – including Rachel’s family and friends who gathered at her home to tune in on Thursday (August 20^th).

Rachel, who was also gifted a pair of tickets for the stage show, said: “It was certainly a shock and a little embarrassing being thrust centre stage but a welcome surprise and very humbling to hear the emotional messages from people of all ages around the UK who Molly Ollys have helped over the years or worked alongside.

There were volunteers, companies and families and they all managed to keep it a secret, which was no mean feat.

“Whilst every day we miss Molly, over the last 15 years it has been our absolute privilege to meet so many special, brave children and young people and their families. To help, albeit in a small way and to work alongside the incredible health professionals who support them is an honour and gives me and all of the team at Molly Ollys great satisfaction.

“Thank you to my family, friends, all the Molly Olly Team, the families and our donors for your encouragement and backing, enabling me and my colleagues to make a positive difference.”

The grand televised gesture comes as Molly Ollys approaches its 15^th anniversary, in which time the charity has raised a total of almost £6 million; granted more than 5,000 wishes; supported more than 21,000 children and distributed more than 23,000 Olly The Brave books to more than 70 hospitals.

It supports children with terminal or life-limiting illnesses and their families and works alongside the NHS to support projects within the hospitals and the community, including the creation and refurbishment of Magnolia House at Birmingham Children’s Hospital. This is a safe and non-clinical space where medical teams and families can have important discussions.

Molly Ollys is also responsible for funding the first ever consultants in paediatric palliative medicine at the hospital.

The charity works to and help with their emotional wellbeing. As well as providing wishes, they donate therapeutic toys and books to both children directly and to hospitals throughout the UK.

The therapeutic toy lion called Olly The Brave has his own Hickman line and a detachable mane which helps to explain and normalise the effects of chemotherapy. These form part of an Olly The Brave pack that has now been handed out to more than 70 hospitals or health centres, along with a set of books from the charity’s exclusive Olly The Brave series.

Molly Ollys need the support of companies and individuals to enable them to help more children. They welcome the opportunity to provide more information about their work. For details contact Rachel on 07747 854914.