Couldn’t be prouder to share that I’ve been recognised for a second year running as one of the UK’s top independent PR practitioners in the Independent Impact 50 awards 2026🖤🐺✨
What makes these awards so special is that they recognise contribution beyond campaign results alone — mentoring, collaboration, thought leadership, innovation, raising standards, supporting the wider industry, and helping shape where communications goes next.
As someone who’s now been freelance for 6 years, after 15+ years in PR overall, that means a lot.
What more to ask for, really? Great food, brilliant conversations, lots of laughter, and genuinely such a lovely reminder of the power of community in freelance life. I was also really honoured to be invited to give a short speech alongside some incredibly talented people from across the industry.
One of the best parts was seeing some familiar faces from last year’s awards, while also meeting so many brilliant new people shaping the future of our profession in their own way 💛 We had a blast!
Special shoutout to Andrew Bruce SmithSara McCracken FCIPR Chart.PR MBADee CowburnNatalie TriceAndrew BlochJon Gerlis Chart.PRJames ThomlinsonHope EatockClaire QuansahMiranda Rocksmith FCIPRSteph BridgemanAlison Gallagher-Hughes Chart.PR MCIPR – and lots more!✨
And of course, my amazing partners and clients who provided some lovely snapshots for this!
I think this community continues to prove something really important:
Independent doesn’t mean small.
And it definitely doesn’t mean less impactful.
Freelancers contribute far more to this industry than people sometimes realise — often quietly helping shape campaigns, teams, client relationships and ideas behind the scenes. We might just be the industry’s secret ingredient.
Massive, massive thank you to Nigel Sarbutts, Rod Cartwright for making this possible – and of course, the judges, and the teams at PRovoke Media, PRCA, Chartered Institute of Public Relations, 72Point and Socially Mobile for continuing to champion independent practitioners and drive the change many of us want to see in the industry.
And huge congratulations to everyone recognised this year — so well deserved. Let’s keep championing each other and making this community even bigger ✨
Loupa PR 
Leave a comment