Independent PR agency recognised for national impact of pro bono campaign seeking justice for 29 service personnel in the 1994 Mull of Kintyre crash
UK-based independent public relations agency, Tim Reid Media, has won Gold for Pro Bono Campaign of the Year at the prestigious PRmoment Awards 2026 for its work supporting the Chinook Justice Campaign.
The award recognises the campaign’s sustained efforts to secure transparency and accountability following the 1994 RAF Chinook crash on the Mull of Kintyre, which killed 29 people.
Led by former BBC correspondent Tim Reid, the agency has supported the campaign on a pro bono basis, helping families of those who died bring renewed national attention to the case and press for a judge-led public inquiry.
Over the past ten months, the campaign has generated significant national media coverage, secured political engagement at the highest levels, and reignited debate about the circumstances surrounding the crash and the subsequent handling of the case by the Ministry of Defence.
Director, Tim Reid said:
“This award belongs first and foremost to the families, who have shown extraordinary resilience and dignity over more than three decades.
“Our role has been to ensure their voices are heard, their questions are taken seriously, and their campaign continues to reach the public, the media and decision-makers.
“To receive this recognition from PRmoment is a real honour, but the job is not done. The families are still seeking answers.”
The Chinook Justice Campaign has focused on highlighting the lack of airworthiness of the RAF Chinook Mark 2 aircraft, which was described as “positively dangerous” by MoD test pilots and engineers, who were forbidden from flying it on safety grounds, in the days preceding the crash.
The families are seeking a judge-led public inquiry and have set out more than 300 questions which remain unanswered, as well as calling for full disclosure of all relevant documents, some of which remain sealed until 2094.
The campaign has drawn support from politicians across parties and continues to gather public backing through its 52,000 strong petition and advocacy work.
The Award highlights the campaign’s impact, persistence and for turning decades of private grief into a public reckoning, giving 47 sons and daughters the courage and platform to speak for the first time about their trauma and the Ministry of Defence cover-up that has followed the crash.
The PRmoment Award judges said:
“Powerful justice seeking campaign for families with sound strategy and strong outcomes.”
Shan Gregory-Smith, whose husband Richard died in the crash, collected the award on behalf of the campaign.
She said afterwards:
“Tim Reid Media has transformed our campaign – bringing clarity, integrity and national attention to a fight for justice that had long been ignored.
“Thanks to his expertise, our views are finally being heard.
“Tim’s tenacity and dedication are unrivalled. We are delighted that Tim has been recognised for his outstanding work which truly changes lives.”
It’s the second award the campaign has won, winning earlier this year in the Public Good category at the Indie Awards 2026.
Tim Reid was judged one of the most impactful and influential independent PR practitioners in the UK at the inaugural Impact 50 Awards last year.
Tim Reid Media is an independent PR agency specialising in media relations, crisis communications and media training.
The business has built a strong reputation for social justice campaigns, recently working on the Hicks’ Rule campaign for the parents of two teenagers killed in the Hillsborough Disaster; the Mother and Baby institutions campaign, and the detention of award-winning reporter Ahmed Shihab-Eldin in Kuwait.