About Purple Rain

Rebecca McConnell established Purple Rain in the spring of 2011 as a Public Relations consultancy. To find out why she called it Purple Rain, you can read the blog post here.

An Economics graduate of Queens University Belfast, Rebecca is a full member of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations. She has over fifteen years experience working in the Communications industry in Northern Ireland.

Rebecca worked on a range of public and private sector clients in her former employment at ASG PR (Anderson Spratt Group) and The PR Agency as well as in-house roles at the Presbyterian Church in Ireland and the Youth Justice Agency.

Career Highlights

• Editor of new PCI Publication Inspire, March 2024.
• PR support, copywriting and editing for Bangor Worldwide Missionary Convention since 2014.
• Secretary to the Guild of Agricultural Journalists (Northern Section) from June 2020 to June 2023 and currently Chairperson.
• PR Lead on Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council’s Get Future Ready campaign, February 2023.
• Received Level 3 Award in Leadership and Management through Southern Regional College in February 2021.
• Set up Tales of Courage website and Instagram account @talesofcourage in February 2021 to promote positive stories of courage online.
• Delivered social media and media plan for the 2018, 2019 and 2020 Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council’s Enterprise Week.
• Launch PR for opening of Food Matters at the Barn cookery school in August 2019 and subsequent social media support.
• Runner up in the UK Premier Digital Awards 2019 Best use of social media for Presbyterian Church in Ireland campaigns Christmas Means More and Easter Means Everything.
• Project Manager for Bank of Ireland Open Farm Weekend 2016, 2017 and 2018.
• Provided press office support to the Presbyterian Church in Ireland from June to December 2014 working with the Clerk and Moderator of the General Assembly regarding press statements and issuing Church Leader (Ireland) group announcements.
• Editor of Presbyterian ReachOut magazine in 2015 and 2016.
• Editor of Presbyterian Women’s official magazine Wider World in 2015 and 2016 and also 2022 and 2023.
• Event management of #yfsms14 social media seminar hosted by YFCU in December 2014 featuring social media author David Taylor.
• Edited the Winter/Spring 2013, Summer 2013, Autumn 2013 and Autumn 2014 issues of Rural Dispatch, the official magazine of the YFCU.
• Provided key account support for Calor Gas Village of the Year, Campbell College, Douglas & Grahame, Heatons, Marks & Spencer, Phoenix Natural Gas, Porcelanosa, Prisoner Ombudsman, Remus Uomo, The Co-operative Insurance Cup, Tennent’s NI and Youth Justice Agency.
• Became an Accredited Practitioner with the Chartered Institute of Public Relations in January 2013.
• Media Services Volunteer at the 2013 World Police & Fire Games and 2014 Giro d’Italia Big Start in Belfast.
• Finalist in the South East Economic Development (SEED) Young Entrepreneur Award at the 2012 Get Up & Grow conference at the Canal Court Hotel, Newry.
• Launch PR for the inaugural Wedding Fayre at The Outlet, Banbridge in May 2011.
• DVD Production – managed the creative process for a promotional DVD for Campbell College in 2010 and managed the promotional campaign for the 2013 YFCU You Tube series ‘Give it some welly’.
• Public Affairs – coordinated an MLA Outreach Programme for the Youth Justice Agency in 2008 in preparation for the transfer of Devolution of Policing & Justice powers to Stormont.
• Event management – organised a number of high profile Youth Justice Agency events including the Official Opening of the Juvenile Justice Centre.
• Public Relations Officer for the Down County Committee of Young Farmers and Rathfriland YFC receiving the Guild of Agricultural Journalists Trophy for Top PRO in Northern Ireland in April 2008.