Former Wisbech student receives high praise for report into rural protection

A FORMER Wisbech college student has won national acclaim after designing the Campaign to Protect Rural England’s (CPRE) Annual Review.

Graphic designer Phil Newton, who had studied at Wisbech’s old Isle College, has received glowing reviews of his report, from CPRE President and best-selling author Bill Bryson and Third Sector magazine - which is known as the ‘bible’ of the charity sector.

The report has now been viewed over a quarter of a million times on Bryson’s facebook page.

It was launched at the CPRE AGM in July and senior managers hope to enter Phil’s design for two national awards.

Phil, who tendered for the design job on behalf of his South Lincolnshire company, Double 7 Design Ltd, said: “I knew I would be competing against established firms across the country but I was keen to reach a national audience with a project I could really believe in.

“A lot of the work I do promotes rural businesses, so I support CPRE’s campaign for affordable housing and rural transport to help keep villages like mine alive. And it’s not every day I get to work on something with a foreword from the best selling non-fiction author of the last decade!”

Dan McLean, Communications Director at CPRE, said: “We are always very keen to use independent rural firms to reflect our work and to promote investment in rural communities. However, even without this principal, we simply liked Phil’s work the most.”

Since completing the Annual Review, Phil has also made headlines with a report on reintroducing bottle deposits.

A copy of this report was waved at David Cameron by an MP during Prime Minister’s Questions, with the PM making a commitment to investigate.