Seizing Opportunities and Empowering Communities: Grayling's Support for Anglesey Freeport

Client: Stena Line

Grayling’s pro-active four-month lobbying campaign for Stena Line successfully secured freeport status for Anglesey against the odds. Our strategy focuses on two core tenants; to build support amongst those who have experienced historic underinvestment and the loss of jobs and opportunities to the south, whilst seeking to maximise the trade and economic opportunities resulting from Brexit. Grayling ensured that local residents became advocates for the Freeport, with nearly 2,000 local residents signing up to register their support for the bid and over 600 members of the community writing directly to Michael Gove and to Welsh Economy Minister Vaughan Gething. We secured endorsements from over thirty-five high profile MPs, MSs and Peers, plus backing from a diverse array of nearly forty international and domestic businesses. Grayling also harnessed the power of broadcast media, which included Stena Line’s Ian Hampton appearing twice on Ian King’s Sky News Show, as well as securing fifty pieces of coverage in political-facing news outlets. In March, following a dynamic, impactful campaign, a historic visit to the Port of Holyhead by the Prime Minister, the First Minister of Wales and the Secretary of State for Wales marked the official announcement of Anglesey as one of the inaugural Welsh freeports. The bid secured initial seed funding of £26 million, opening up transformative opportunities for the people of North Wales and further afield. Grayling's multi-faceted campaign played a vital role in securing this momentous milestone, setting Anglesey on a new path to economic growth and community empowerment.