A 105-year-old charity has changed its name, along with an updated logo and a strapline, to reflect its UK-wide operations.
Established as a charity in 1919, the Plunkett Foundation announced today that it would now operate as Plunkett UK.
The charity said that incorporating “UK” into its name “reflects that our services are widely available to communities across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland”.
“It reinforces that we are the only organisation which exclusively supports rural community businesses UK-wide,” said the charity, whose income in 2022 was £1.05m.
Separately, the North Yorkshire Youth Music Action Zone (NYMAZ) recently announced that it has changed its name to AMP and unveiled a new website as part of a £12,000 rebrand.
Leaf is charity’s ‘unique and distinctive visual signature’
Plunkett UK worked with brand agency PANDA on the brand refresh – after running a procurement process with a maximum budget of £10,000 – which features an updated logo comprising a leaf icon and a wordmark.
The charity said that the leaf icon, which is also an “abstracted initial p”, is a “unique and distinctive visual signature for Plunkett UK that has a direct relevance to our core area of operation – the UK’s rural communities”.
“It’s also significant in recognising the tireless endeavours and vision of Margaret Digby, who was a champion for the co-operative movement last century. She worked for Plunkett Foundation for a total of 50 years, first as research assistant, then secretary for most of that period, and finally a consultant.
“At times, Margaret single-handedly kept the charity going. She then became an honorary trustee in 1977, eight years before she died, aged 82.
“Margaret was the first to introduce a tree for Plunkett’s logo, which has evolved into a leaf over time, and we felt it was therefore appropriate to use our brand refresh as a way of bringing her back to prominence within the organisation’s identity.”
Plunkett UK CEO: ‘We felt the time was right’
James Alcock, chief executive of Plunkett UK, said the charity “felt the time was right – not just to establish a new colour palette – but to find a way of representing the organisation more accurately in terms of what we do, where and why”.
“The consultation we undertook demonstrated that many people who had benefited directly from our support only knew us for that one thing and didn’t appreciate the history behind the organisation.
“Many people didn’t realise the deep rootedness of the organisation in the co-operative movement and the social economy. They perhaps weren’t aware of the depth of business support we provide and to the breadth of business models throughout the UK. We found too that many weren’t aware of the relationships we have with governments, funders and policymakers to represent members.”
AMP: ‘Our new name reflects what we want to do’
Separately, NYMAZ, a charity that delivers music-making activities for children and in rural north Yorkshire, changed its name to AMP.
AMP’s director Sarah McWatt told Civil Society that her charity worked with Lee Goater and Maraid Design on the rebrand and website, which cost around £12,000 in total.
In an interview posted on the charity’s website, McWatt said that the name NYMAZ is “very much rooted in North Yorkshire” and that a lot of the charity’s work “has grown in terms of reach”.
“Through our youth voice work, we’re getting more recognition widely, as we have given training to national organisations such as Brass Bands England, and we have presented about youth voice to the national Music Mark conference in Southampton.
“Because we deliver a lot of our work in a hybrid fashion or online, it feels like our reach can easily go beyond the boundaries of North Yorkshire. Our vision and mission will be staying broadly the same. We want to continue to provide music opportunities for young people in challenging circumstances, and working in rural isolation will remain a key feature. We just feel it’s a much more fitting, vibrant brand that reflects the energy of the work we do.”
McWatt said the AMP felt like a name that could be embedded in the charity’s youth voice identity “very easily”.
“It’s a word linked to music, such as amplify. We feel that reflects what we want to do, as we want to increase our impact and grow. So, it feels aspirational as well.”
The charity recorded a total income of £165,000 for the year ending 31 March 2023.
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