EAST Coast train operator GNER's Back Our Bid campaign in support of its successful quest to win a new rail franchise has won one of the most coveted prizes in the public relations industry.

The York-based rail company won the hotly-contested gold award for Campaign Of The Year at the PR Week Awards in London.

GNER's team also won the Corporate Communications award, again for the Back Our Bid campaign, in the face of stiff competition from high street names such as British Gas, Vodafone and McDonalds.

Among the judges was Joyce Lorigan, vice-president of corporate communications Europe with The Walt Disney Company. She said: "GNER came out fighting with this campaign. It delivered a seamless plan that catered for all audiences in the messaging mix".

GNER's corporate affairs manager Alan Hyde said today: "It is great to get such fantastic recognition from your peers in the industry. The public campaign was just the tip of a very large iceberg, with staff from across the company, at all levels, contributing to GNER's success.

"The unprecedented support for Back Our Bid from our passengers was undoubtedly the cornerstone of the campaign. We are hugely grateful to all those who took the time and trouble to support us. Several months on, we are busy delivering improvements under our new franchise to repay the faith many placed in us."

More than 30,000 passengers registered support for GNER's East Coast franchise bid, with more than 1,500 letters being sent to MPs. An Early Day Motion was signed by 61 MPs and many councils and business groups expressed their support.

Celebrities including the former England and Newcastle United football manager Sir Bobby Robson also lined up to add their support to GNER's winning campaign. The York and Edinburgh-based PR team was also a finalist in the Private Sector Department Of The Year category.

Updated: 10:31 Friday, October 21, 2005