Our Nautical Beginnings
When we launched Team Britannia PR back in 2018, our first major campaign wasn't promoting policy papers or orchestrating media coverage for charities. Instead, we were focused on something much more adventurous – supporting Alan Priddy's ambitious round-the-world powerboat record attempt.
This wasn't just any maritime challenge. The goal was to break the world record for circumnavigating the globe in a powerboat, slashing days off the existing record while showcasing British engineering excellence and maritime tradition. The record attempt would see Team Britannia's vessel the Spirit of Challenge – a revolutionary wave-piercing eco-boat – tackle some of the world's most challenging waters.
This project that continues to develop and grow, with the additional of a revolutionary eco-fuel that will transform the maritime and power-generation sector.
"From day one, we were drawn to projects with ambition, courage, and purpose," explains Alistair, founder and Director of Team Britannia PR. "The powerboat record attempt embodied all three – it wasn't just about speed, but about innovation, environmental responsibility through clean fuel technology, and putting British and European engineering on the world stage."
Maritime Roots Run Deep
Our connection to maritime challenges wasn't coincidental. Before founding Team Britannia PR, Alistair served as PR and Marketing Coordinator at the Jubilee Sailing Trust – an organisation that pioneered sailing opportunities for both physically disabled and able-bodied adults aboard two magnificent square-rigged tall ships.
This background provided not just professional expertise in maritime communications, but a deep appreciation for how nautical challenges can inspire, unite communities, and drive positive change. The maritime world's values of resilience, teamwork, and pushing boundaries would later become cornerstone principles in our advocacy work.
The powerboat record attempt remained close to our hearts, representing the adventurous spirit that would define our approach to even the most complex advocacy campaigns. Working closely with crew members like Daisy Coleman, we learned valuable lessons about persistence, strategic planning, and the power of a compelling narrative – all skills that would prove invaluable as our focus evolved.
Charting New Waters: The Transition to Advocacy
While maritime projects remained an important part of our portfolio, we began to expand our horizons. Alistair's background in journalism (having started as a reporter in Portsmouth) and extensive political experience (including running election campaigns since the 1990s and serving as an elected councillor for Hilsea Ward in Portsmouth from 2000 to 2015) provided natural pathways into advocacy work.
"I saw striking parallels between managing a record-breaking maritime campaign and orchestrating effective advocacy," Alistair notes. "Both require clear messaging, strategic timing, building the right team, and the resilience to navigate unexpected challenges."
The transition wasn't overnight. It began with supporting causes and organisations aligned with our values – freedom of expression, religious liberty, and championing those whose voices were often marginalised in public discourse. What started as occasional projects soon became our primary focus as we discovered our team's natural aptitude for this work.
Finding Our True North: Specialization in Advocacy
By 2018, Team Britannia PR had evolved into a specialised communications firm focused on developing bespoke public relations and public affairs campaigns. Our client roster expanded to include leading UK think tanks, charitable organizations, and political campaigns aimed at meaningful policy reform.
One of our breakthrough projects was the highly successful Reform Section 5 campaign, which successfully changed the law on insults in the UK. This campaign highlighted our ability to distill complex legal issues into compelling public narratives and mobilise broad-based support for legislative change.
Similarly, our work against the introduction of IPNAs (Injunctions to Prevent Nuisance and Annoyance) demonstrated our growing expertise in preventing potentially harmful legislation – a different kind of challenge than promoting positive change, but equally important in protecting civil liberties.
"What connects our maritime beginnings with our current advocacy work is the fundamental approach," explains Alistair. "Whether it's breaking a world record or changing legislation, success comes from meticulous planning, building the right coalitions, creating compelling narratives, and showing absolute dedication to the mission."
Navigating Rough Seas: Freedom of Expression Campaigns
As our reputation for effective advocacy grew, we increasingly found ourselves at the forefront of freedom of expression battles. The Defend Free Speech campaign became one of our flagship initiatives, reflecting our commitment to protecting fundamental liberties in an era of increasing speech restrictions.
This work has taken us into challenging territory – publicising cases of religious intolerance throughout the UK and defending individuals facing disproportionate consequences for expressing controversial opinions. It's work that requires not just communications expertise, but courage, principle, and careful navigation of complex ethical issues.
"The skills we honed during the powerboat campaigns – staying calm under pressure, adapting to changing conditions, and maintaining focus on the ultimate goal despite setbacks – have proven invaluable in our advocacy work," Alistair reflects. "When you're defending someone's right to speak freely against powerful opposition, you need the same resilience that ocean racing demands."
Maintaining Maritime Connections
Even as our focus shifted toward advocacy, we never abandoned our maritime roots. The Team Britannia challenge continues to hold special significance, and we regularly leverage lessons from the nautical world in our advocacy campaigns.
In fact, we've found that our unique background gives us a distinctive edge in a crowded PR landscape. While many firms can execute standard media campaigns, few bring the unique perspective that comes from having promoted both record-breaking maritime adventures and landmark legislative reforms.
Riding the Wave of Change: Our Approach Today
Today, Team Britannia PR operates at the intersection of public relations, policy advocacy, and strategic communications. Our clients range from charitable organizations and think tanks to campaigns focused on specific policy reforms.
Our methodology combines traditional PR tactics with digital strategies, grassroots mobilization, and direct engagement with decision-makers. We've assembled a network of media contacts, policy experts, and influencers who can amplify our clients' messages across multiple platforms and to diverse audiences.
What sets us apart is our understanding that effective advocacy isn't just about making noise – it's about making the right noise at the right time to the right people. This strategic approach has allowed us to achieve policy outcomes that initially seemed improbable, much like breaking a world record requires not just speed but precise navigation, timing and the right expertise.
Looking to the Horizon: The Future of Team Britannia PR
As we look to the future, Team Britannia PR continues to evolve while staying true to our founding principles. We're expanding our digital capabilities, developing new approaches to measuring campaign impact, and building partnerships with like-minded organisations globally.
"The communications landscape continues to transform rapidly," Alistair observes. "But the fundamentals remain constant – integrity, courage, strategic thinking, and compelling storytelling. Whether we're promoting a powerboat record or defending free speech, these principles guide everything we do."
Our journey from maritime PR to advocacy specialists reflects not just the evolution of a company, but the natural connection between different forms of human endeavor. The same spirit that drives explorers to push boundaries on the open ocean inspires advocates to challenge unjust limitations on human freedom.
As we continue to navigate these waters, Team Britannia PR remains committed to amplifying voices that deserve to be heard and championing causes that make our society more just, open, and free. From record-breaking powerboats to groundbreaking advocacy campaigns, our evolution continues – but our compass remains fixed on making a meaningful difference in the world.
For more information about our services or to discuss potential partnerships, contact us today.