Welcome to 32West

About us

Many businesses start at the kitchen table, before graduating to a box room, office and then offices.

32West followed exactly such a trajectory as it was formed and quickly blossomed into a successful PR, social media and marketing agency.

Established in 2018, word of a bright new star on the business scene quickly spread.

As the client base grew, so too did the team. The kitchen table and boxroom no longer provided the space required and the business moved into a purpose-built office space on the cusp of the Lake District National Park.

Now operating across four sites; the Lake District, Liverpool, Newcastle and Carlisle, 32West has clients from London to Scotland – and many locations in between.

Our growing team of 13 comprises a handpicked bunch of hugely experienced media professionals, with well over a century of experience (collective, of course!).

Working with clients in the areas of PR, communications, social media, creative design, marketing, media buying, reputation management, and podcast production, the team has demonstrable experience in delivering on many fronts.

With all the creative punch, panache, energy, drive and enthusiasm of a big city firm (without a big city price tag), the 32West team makes collaboration a fun and enlightening experience.

Professional to the core and raring to go, we live by three key words; Create, Excite, Inspire.

Our mission is to help amazing businesses grow.

Our ethos

We believe in honest, up-front conversations and they underpin everything we do. Integrity is at the heart of our operation and we work to protect and enhance our reputation as a trusted provider of PR and creative services.

We work best when we are seen as an extension of our clients’ We are equally adept at performing full marketing suite functionsie we operate as the marketing business partners of a business without in-house resources and carry out all associated tasks.

Internally, 32West’s mission is to have a happy and fulfilled team and we strive to achieve this by various means. Our culture is positive and inclusive and we place a focus on personal development and wellbeing. We have staff loyalty and bonus schemes, hold quarterly team building away days and have trained mental health first aiders among many other initiatives.

As an extension of our professional work, we have a strong CSR ethos and work to make a positive difference in the communities we operate from.

We play an active role in the education of young people through school outreach programmes and are engaged with a number of agencies involved in the education sector.

As a business we provide pro bono support for a number of organisations/charities; we see this as an essential part of our commitment to making a positive difference. We also give all team members a paid day of leave every year to volunteer for a charity of their choice.

In 2022 we developed and adopted at board level an environmental policy that seeks to ensure we minimise our carbon footprint and take positive steps towards becoming carbon neutral in the areas we are able to control. So far we have introduced a recycling scheme and purchased three electric vehicles.

Our Services Supporting our clients in...

Our Team

James Higgins - Director

32West founder James spent almost two decades in the news media industry as journalist and editor, collecting a number of prestigious industry awards along the way. He is passionate about helping businesses to grow through creative campaigns and story telling and works with clients in the hospitality, finance, retail and technology sectors.

Originally from Manchester (the Red side) he now lives in Cumbria and can be found most days drinking cans of Pepsi Max with a side order of Wine Gums at 32West HQ.

Frank Stretton - Director

Resident joke teller and 32West director Frank may like to raise a smile - but he is serious about the business of helping amazing companies to reach and surpass their potential.

An expert in media buying and cross platform marketing campaigns, Frank - who has almost 30 years of experience - is also responsible to 32West’s innovative Digital Business Centre platform. An exiled manc, he likes to play golf (badly). He is the UK’s biggest fan of triple cooked chips.

Jonathan Lee - Director

Jonathan was a regional MD for a major UK media company before he left and joined the team at 32West. He now spends his days delivering for a portfolio of clients in a wide variety of sectors including, nuclear, robotics, hospitality, legal, charitable and engineering.

A director of the business, Jonathan has worked the length and breadth of the UK and is now based in Cumbria. He is a lifelong Blackpool FC fan, an avid consumer of chocolate-covered ginger biscuits and has two dogs to which he answers.

Caroline Barber - Account Director

A former winner of the coveted North West Journalist of the Year award, Caroline, puts her skills as a formidable communicator and content specialist to good use for her portfolio of clients. With a particular expertise in the public sector and local authorities, Caroline helps chief executives and senior leadership teams with comms strategies and implementation. When she’s not in the office, Caroline can be found in a field with the family pony Norman, about whom she regales her colleagues with stories of equine adventures.

Our Team

Suzanne Higgins - Business Support Manager

A former teacher and business owner, Suzanne provides vital support to the 32West team across the finance and Digital Business Centre functions. Having owned and operated a successful children’s toiletries company, she understands the needs and challenges of businesses when it comes to PR, communications and social media management. Suzanne is also responsible for the monthly wage run, so is everyone’s favourite person at least 12 times a year! Outside of work, she loves to fire up the oven and bake a super cake.

01229 808 306

Claire Sherwen - Senior Account Manager

Claire is a content creator with a passion for words and results. She’s worked on award-winning newspapers and magazines for more than 20 years as a journalist and editor, and now creates great content and campaigns for 32West’s clients.

Claire’s favourite things are talking and writing so this job is perfect for her. She usually spends her weekends standing on the side-lines watching her kids play football or out and about in the Cumbrian countryside.

07957 776 206

David Coulter - Senior Content Creator

David brought cakes to the office on his first day - and has been a popular guy ever since! He has a background in news media and public relations and joined the 32West team having worked most recently at one of the UK's biggest publishers. When he's not at work, David's three children keep him incredibly busy. If time permits, he enjoys pulling on his football kit and playing for his local team. David works across a range of 32West's clients, creating compelling content packages to tell their stories.

07949 493 640 david@32west.co.uk

Samantha Down - Client Relationship Manager

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07375 817 563 samantha@32west.co.uk

Our Team

Amee Wightman - Social Media Account Director

Amee heads the social media operation at 32West having spent time working on some of the UK’s biggest fashion brands. Now operating across a variety of sectors, she ensures her clients achieve continuity, creativity and engagement across their social media channels.

Even out of the office, Amee’s thirst for social media knows to ends - and she spends time buying (by her own admission) mostly useless items she has seen on social videos. Proof if ever it were needed, that social media campaigns do work!

Celia Powell - Senior Content Creator & Videographer

Celia is 32West’s Anglo/French content creator and has a real passion for videography. A BCTJ journalist and documentary maker, she joined the team having spent time as a news reporter. Now she creates engaging content packages for clients and is always on the lookout for the next big video opportunity.

Outside of work, you will find Celia in the middle of nowhere, indulging in her passion of fell running with her dog, Trigger.

Georgia Stretton - Social Media Specialist

Georgia is a graduate in business management, and also something of a whizz when it comes to socials - especially Instagram and TikTok. She manages multiple accounts, helping clients in a diverse range of sectors to reach the right audience at the right time. Outside of social media, Georgia loves to study and understand the theory beneath business practices. In her spare time, she can be found cheering on Manchester United at Old Trafford and updating her own Instagram account as a micro-influencer in the fashion world.

Matt McVeigh - Graphic Designer

Matt is the creative genius behind many of the graphics, adverts and branding projects delivered by 32West. Read his CV, and he says design is in his blood. He worked at a number of creative businesses before joining the team and has the ability to bring the house down with his infectious laugh. Matt has huge talent when it comes to illustrating and art and enjoys hitting the canvas in his spare time. He is also a huge Disney fan and his favourite film is The Little Mermaid.

Charities we work with