National Stone Centre Case Study - Reputation Management

Reputation Management for the National Stone Centre

B2C Case Study: Building awareness and positive engagement around a major heritage and education project

The National Stone Centre is an educational charity, geological heritage destination and visitor attraction located on a 40-acre Site of Special Scientific Interest near Wirksworth in Derbyshire. The site tells the story of stone, geology, quarrying and the role of mineral resources in society.

We worked with the National Stone Centre and the Institute of Quarrying to support reputation management activity linked to a planning application for the future development of the National Stone Centre in Derbyshire. We focused on building positive awareness and stakeholder engagement around ambitious plans to transform the National Stone Centre into a world-class visitor and education destination.

Getting to Grips with the Brief

Our objective was to communicate and enhance the reputation of the National Stone Centre during a significant period of organisational change and future planning.

Our communications programme aimed to:

Build positive awareness of the National Stone Centre’s long-term vision
Support stakeholder confidence in the future development plans
Strengthen engagement with local communities and regional audiences
Communicate the educational and heritage value of the site
Generate interest in the proposed visitor centre and wider investment programme

The project required a reputation management strategy that balanced public engagement, media relations and stakeholder communications.

How We Delivered Success

Our team developed a reputation management campaign designed to communicate the future ambitions of the National Stone Centre while maintaining positive engagement with community and industry audiences.

Activity included:

Development of a launch communications campaign
Regional and local media engagement
Stakeholder communications support
Community engagement activity
Website content development
Educational video production
Promotion of the site's future vision and educational role

The campaign followed the merger of the National Stone Centre with the Institute of Quarrying, which introduced a new long-term strategy focused on investment, growth and visitor engagement.

Tools for the Job

Our campaign focused on creating positive visibility around the National Stone Centre and its future plans.

Key themes included:

Heritage preservation and education
Community value and public access
Geological and industrial history
Long-term sustainability
Visitor experience development
Future investment in the site

Media activity helped communicate the vision for a new visitor centre, educational facilities and exhibition spaces designed to create a nationally significant destination focused on the story of stone and quarrying.

The campaign also supported engagement with local audiences by providing accessible information about the proposed development and the benefits it could bring to education, tourism and heritage interpretation.

Our Successes

The reputation management programme helped build awareness and interest around the National Stone Centre’s future development plans.

Outcomes included:

Increased visibility for the National Stone Centre’s long-term vision
Positive engagement with regional media and stakeholder audiences
Greater awareness of the site's educational and heritage significance
Improved communication around the proposed transformation project
Stronger public understanding of the Centre’s future ambitions

The programme helped position the National Stone Centre as both an important heritage asset and a future-focused educational destination.

Brain Food

Through a targeted reputation management strategy, the Reputation Management Group helped support positive engagement around one of Derbyshire’s most distinctive heritage and education projects.

The campaign helped communicate the National Stone Centre’s long-term vision while strengthening awareness of its importance to education, heritage and the wider quarrying industry. We achieved this by combining stakeholder communications, media engagement, community outreach and digital content.

Reputation Management Case Study: Building Awareness for the National Stone Centre