Tales of yore revisited
Neil Pakey is the Commercial Director of Peel Airports Ltd and they are transforming the former RAF base at Finningley, near Doncaster into a new airport. Neil explains, “When it was suggested that the airport should be named Robin Hood, like many we were sceptical. We knew that Finningley was in Nottinghamshire until the boundaries were realigned in the 1970s. We knew too that the airport is the closest airport to the Major Oak by some 10 miles. But we didn’t really appreciate the real history of Robin Hood and just how relevant he is to South Yorkshire.
“We had time to reflect and thanks to academic historian David Greenwood, the author of The Origins of Robin Hood book, we learned about the real origins of Robin Hood, and some surprises too like confirmation of which of the legendary characters actually existed and the links between bard Richard Rolle and Robin. It occurred to us that South Yorkshire in particular had not remembered some of its rich history, so the airport was rebranded to Robin Hood Airport Doncaster, Sheffield, promoting the airport’s geographical proximity and links to Nottinghamshire, as well as South Yorkshire.
“We wanted to promote the new airport and restore some of the regions’ lost history. We realised that a good starting point would be to get residents on board through their local MP David Hinchliffe, MP for Wakefield, was already knowledgeable about the connection of Robin Hood to the area and he invited us to present our case for the development to 30 MPs in the House of Commons, hence the production of the commemorative booklet. Neil adds, “We needed a rush job with a quick turnaround. The design incorporated old manuscripts with complicated layouts and text integrated into the visuals. Pelican achieved everything we asked for in terms of turnaround, professionalism and production, which enabled the successful launch of the booklet in Westminster. We wouldn’t hesitate to use them again.”
Pelican’s Repro Manager Diane Holmes concludes, “This job demanded excellent design skills in terms of text, visuals and the layout. As the turnaround time was so tight, we used PDF`s to proof the booklet, gaining immediate approval on the layout. Controlling all the elements of a job in house and working on 24-hour shifts provides a distinct advantage when you’re up against a tight deadline.”