At the 2026 East Anglian Marketing Awards, Break was named Non-Profit Team of the Year, in recognition of the creativity, energy and impact of its in-house marketing and communications team.
The award was presented by Stephen Hannah of Zagwear, who kindly sponsored the category. Break’s winning team comprises Neil Park, Julia Parker, Nikki Neile, Paige Selby-Evans and Hollie Griss, with the interview responses below provided by Neil Park, Head of Marketing and Communications at Break.
From taking over Norwich with the GoGo Safari trail to producing recruitment content that captures the real stories behind Break’s work, the team has packed a huge amount into the last year. Here, Neil reflects on their win, the work they’re most proud of, and why great marketing isn’t defined by budget alone.
Q: Massive congratulations! How did it feel to hear Break announced as Non-Profit Team of the Year?
A: We were absolutely thrilled to be announced as winners of the Non-Profit Team of the Year. We are a small team and we were a little nervous, so we hadn’t tried to get too excited. Then, when it was announced, we were so shocked and thrilled. I then had the realisation that I’d have to say a few words on stage and panic set in!
Q: What are you most proud of the team achieving over the last year?
A: We have achieved so much over the last year or two. We’ve had a mini rebrand, we’ve supported our colleagues in care, we’ve helped recruit foster families and refreshed our 46 charity shops, but for me, the GoGo Safari trail across Norwich was a real highlight.
Where else do you get to take over the city for 10 weeks? And we had an economic impact of £16.3m to the region. It’s a marketer’s dream!
Q: How do you make sure your marketing and communications stay rooted in Break’s mission and values?
A: One of our values is that we are “all about relationships” and we try to live that by listening to all our stakeholders and also to each other. We also have the value “We challenge to encourage change” and that gives us some freedom to try new things and take risks in our marketing.
Above: Stephen Hannah of Zagwear [second from left] presents the award to the Break Charity team.
Q: Marketing for a charity often means achieving a huge amount with limited resources. How do you approach that challenge?
A: Jules is pretty persuasive and she gets everyone in the team involved in some outrageous social media stunts. We work hard but have a lot of fun, and I think that energy comes out and makes it easier to promote our fundraising events.
Q: Is there a particular campaign, piece of content or project that the team has been especially proud of?
A: We recently produced some videos to support our staff recruitment. We had the opportunity to spend more time with our care home managers and it was a real pleasure to listen to and document their stories.
We saw first-hand the impact that the charity makes on the lives of young care-experienced people and the people who make a real difference to their lives.
Above: The Break Marketing team with one of the Go Go Safari sculptures in 2026.
Q: How important is curiosity and experimentation to the way your team works?
A: Another of our values is “We are curious about the world around us.” Where possible, we try and test and learn, but when time is tight or resources are limited, we do have to try and get things right first time.
We do try and take time to reflect on a project and then make sure that we improve on it for the next time we have a similar campaign.
Neil’s Advice for entering awards
Regardless of whether you win an award, just being involved is a fabulous experience.
Q: What do you think charity marketing can do particularly well that commercial marketing sometimes can’t?
A: Charity marketing has the ability to tap into something deeper than consumer choice. At its best, charity marketing can inspire people to be part of a cause, create change and support others.
Charity marketing also has the power to tell authentic human stories which resonate on an emotional level.
Q: What advice would you give to someone considering entering the EAMAs in 2027?
A: The EAMAs are a superb event for our region. There is so much creativity in the East and regardless of whether you win an award, just being involved is a fabulous experience.
Q: Finally, what does it mean to have the work of your team recognised alongside East Anglia’s biggest agencies and brands?
A: It’s brilliant. It’s great for the team to have some recognition and to see our work recognised alongside some fab agencies and brands from the region.
As a small in-house team, we are often competing to be seen above brands with bigger budgets and resources, and this is a reminder that great marketing isn’t defined by budget alone.
Why We’re Sharing This
At the East Anglian Marketing Awards, we want to celebrate the breadth of marketing talent across our region — and that means shining a light on the brilliant work happening inside charities and non-profit organisations, as well as agencies and commercial brands.
Break’s story is a brilliant example of what a small in-house team can achieve with creativity, curiosity and plenty of energy. From a city-wide campaign with a £16.3m economic impact to authentic storytelling that brings their work to life, their marketing demonstrates that impact isn’t simply a reflection of budget or team size.
We’re sharing this interview to celebrate Break’s well-deserved win, and to give other marketers a glimpse into the people, ideas and thinking behind the work.