Telephone: 0781 116 9138

Anne Benson - Biography

An experienced food journalist and PR professional, Anne Benson has been writing about local and regional food for more than 15 years.

With strong communication skills, Anne has successfully promoted a range of clients from small producers and restaurants to major energy providers, farmers’ markets, food festivals and a rock group.

Previous contracts include the Food Tourism Consultant for The Mersey Partnership promoting the food offerings available throughout the region during the successful Liverpool - Capital of Culture Year.

In 2003 she won the PR Week Award for Crisis Management and has developed communication plans for a variety of projects from restaurants to a Government commission and a major charitable initiative.

Anne is Chairman and publicity officer for Wirral Farmers’ Market, a voluntarily run enterprise, which now has the reputation of being one of the best in the North West. In 2005 it won the British Urban Regeneration Association award for its contribution to regenerating the area of New Ferry, where it is based. In 2007 it won ‘Best Farmers’ Market in the UK’ at the BBC Food and Farming Awards.

Anne is Chairman of the Wirral Restaurant Association.

In 2006, she was one of the organisers of the first Wirral Food and Drink Festival, which attracted more than 14,000 people with recent festivals attracting over 25,000 visitors. www.wirralfoodfestival.co.uk

Journalism

Anne is now writing about local and regional food for the Liverpool.com magazine. She has written regular restaurant reviews for Metro newspaper in Liverpool and on a variety of food issues for the former North West Enquirer.

For six years she wrote a weekly column on regional food in the North West of England and North Wales for the Daily Post newspaper, which circulated through Merseyside, Cheshire and North Wales, and has also been published in the Daily Express and Seafood magazine.

As a restaurant reviewer and wine critic she has written for the North West Evening Mail, the Halifax Evening Courier, the Daily Post, www.taste.co.uk and was one of the team who contributed to the Dining Out in Wales guide, published in March 2004.

She wrote the Merseyside section for the successful North West Food Lovers’ Guide, along with other chapters, and has judged the North West Producer of the Year and North West Young Chef of the Year competitions.

Awards

• Leapfrog Award for Raising the Image of the North West Food Industry by Food Northwest- 2008

• Wirral Farmers' Market - ‘Best Farmers’ Market in the UK’ at the BBC Food and Farming Awards - 2007

• Wirral Tourism Ambassador Award for Anne's work with the festival and farmers’ market. The Mersey Partnership - 2007
• British Urban Regeneration Association Award for Wirral Farmers' Markets' contribution to regenerating the area of New Ferry - 2005
• PR Week Award for Crisis Management - 2003

Phone: 0781 116 9138    Email: info@annebenson.co.uk     © Anne Benson Communications, 2008.