The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority

The new Sellafield Plan, which outlines a detailed scope of complex work over the coming years, was welcomed as "unique" as it collected one of the UK's most prestigious communications awards.

Judges at the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) 2012 Excellence awards were also impressed by scale of the 188-page plan, which brings to life the site's work programmes in a way that is easy to use, update and understand. It was recognised as a real first for the communications in the industry: 

"The sheer magnitude of this project first struck the judges, but it was the collaborative process, the strategic approach to its execution and its effective use of a relatively small budget that clearly took it over and above other entrants in this category. 

"One aspect that impressed the judges was the ring-binder approach, enabling the document to act in a unique way with each user. Overall, the entry was felt to be a step change in the role of communications, with peers seeing it as a benchmark within their sector, highlighting the innovation of this entry," according to judges at the London event.   

NDA, Sellafield Ltd and NMP came first in the external Publication of the Year category at the event in the Hilton on Park Lane.   

The Olympics provided the backdrop for the event with British Olympic medallist Colin Jackson, CBE, compèring the star-studded ceremony, which featured other Olympians including Lord Coe, Sharron Davies, Mark Foster and Adrian Moorhouse.   

The team responsible for developing the Plan beat off strong competition to make it to the finish line and the NDA's Brian Hough, Sellafield Ltd's Emma Law and Bill Anderton from NMP stepped up on stage to be presented with the award in front of an 800-strong audience at the Hilton on Park Lane. 

Speaking immediately after the presentation, Brian said:

"It's a fantastic achievement and we were delighted that the judges recognised the sheer size and complexity of the task. That, alongside the real difference we felt it makes, were the points we tried to hammer home during the interview that led to the final decision. 

"So many people were involved in pulling the final document together that this award justifies all their hard work and the effort, commitment and importance we place in improving the way we communicate the progress of the decommissioning mission." 

Emma added:

"Just to have been short-listed for a CIPR Excellence Award was a huge honour. To then go on and win our category was a very proud moment. The Sellafield Plan was a real team effort and its success is a credit to all of the people across Sellafield Ltd, the NDA and Nuclear Management Partners who put in hours, days and weeks of hard work in the run-up to its publication. " 

Bill said:

"For me, the Sellafield Plan external publication is an amazing and truly unique document. It shows, at a glance almost, both the history and the lifetime of what is the most complex nuclear site in the world. It is a brilliant reference document and we should all be very proud of it. I call it my Sellafield Bible. It was a huge task but one that a few people stuck at through some very hairy times and this prestigious award is a wonderful recognition of that effort." 

The CIPR is the professional body for public relations practitioners in the UK. With 9,500 members involved in all aspects of PR, it is the largest body of its type in Europe. The Excellence Awards cover 28 categories with entries scored in areas including campaign and project planning, creativity and measurement and evaluation. All finalists are interviewed by an expert judging panel.