FULL-service public relations agency Cornerstone Design & Marketing has made a number of new appointments across various departments, increasing its staff to 17.

Latest recruits at the Oldham agency include Greater Manchester journalist Gillian Potts, from Stalybridge, and account manager Alana Allan, from West Yorkshire.

Former Oldham Times reporter Gill has joined Cornerstone’s PR department with an extensive CV and contacts.

Her experience includes writing, sub-editing and news gathering for weekly and daily newspapers including the Manchester Evening News, Oldham Evening Chronicle, Rochdale Observer and the former Tameside Advertiser, where she won the national Newspaper Society Journalist of the Year award.

During her career she has worked on a number of high-profile news stories including the legacy of the moors murders, Dr Harold Shipman, the murder of British Army soldier, Fusilier Lee Rigby, and the Manchester Arena terror attack.

In addition to news, Gill has magazine and feature-writing experience on topics including health, wellbeing, families, lifestyle, food and drink, fashion and consumer journalism.

In recent years, she helped launch Newsquest’s weekly Oldham Times newspaper and website, and worked as a copy-sub on the Liverpool Echo, Huddersfield Examiner and Manchester Evening News dailies. She has also been a freelance writer for agencies across Greater Manchester.

Now at Cornerstone, her writing role includes producing content for business and consumer audiences for multiple channels. This includes writing press releases, website content and email marketing and social media campaigns.

A significant area of her new work covers the UK pharmacy sector for the Care range of family healthcare products, a brand owned by Huddersfield-based Thornton & Ross.

This includes writing business to business and business to consumer content, updates and training resources for pharmacists and health care professionals across the UK, and also liaising with health, research and university and other stakeholders on projects.

Gill grew up in Threshfield, near Skipton, in North Yorkshire, attending Upper Wharfedale School and Craven College in Skipton. She then went to Darlington College of Technology for her professional NCTJ journalism qualification.

Alana Allan, from West Yorkshire, is another new appointment at Cornerstone and is an account manager.

She is working with clients including North West Ambulance Service (NWAS), Greater Manchester Combined Authority and LTE Scientific in Saddleworth. In recent years, Cornerstone and NWAS, which is a long-standing client, have received a number of joint regional PR industry awards from the Chartered Institute of Public Relations for their campaigns.

Born in Malaysia, Alana was raised in Holmfirth and attended Holmfirth High School, Greenhead College in Huddersfield and then university in Bristol.

She then worked in Bristol as an agency account manager at Modern B2B, primarily across digital campaigns, and as an experiential account executive at Prophecy Unlimited, a brand activation agency. Her experience includes working on global client accounts across a range of industries including automotive brands Lexus and Toyota and tech centric B2B clients such as FreedomPay and Flexera.

Alana was attracted to Cornerstone because it is a full-service integrated agency, meaning she can work with colleagues across all disciplines, which she enjoys. Her role includes regular contact with clients and briefing projects to Cornerstone’s in-house graphic design, digital media, website development and PR teams.

Her background is mainly digital, including work on social media, email campaigns and content strategy. Now, as an account manager she ensures projects run smoothly, hit deadlines, keep to budget and are of the highest standard. She likes being involved in the whole process from early concepts, strategy and planning through to final delivery.

Cornerstone, founded in 2007 by managing director David Wadsworth, moved to larger, bespoke headquarters in Oldham late last year and enjoyed growth above 40 per cent in 2019 after multiple contract wins.

Cornerstone works with clients in sectors including gyms and leisure, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, engineering, structural design, property, building society, arts and tourism. In addition, it works with charity and research organisations including Cancer Research UK.

In addition to regional CIPR Awards success, Cornerstone has been a finalist in the Oldham Business Awards and in the Manchester Publicity Association (MPA) Awards.