A call for a share of the Wood for Good campaign cash has been made by the Northern Ireland Timber Trade Association (NITTA).
Speaking at the association’s annual dinner the chairman, Maurice Brooks, made his plea to Timber Trade Federation (TTF) guests – the president Philip Underwood and vice-president Geoff Rhodes.
Mr Brooks said that to date the campaign has had little impact in Northern Ireland and asked the TTF to take a message back to Charles Trevor and the campaign committee.
‘The size of the Wood for Good campaign is £9m spread over three years’, he said. ‘In fairness to the regions of the TTF and the Northern Ireland Timber Trade Association, who have shown such initiative in advance of the campaign, let us have our fair share of the spend!’
Mr Brooks said NITTA has the organisation and professional advice in place to ensure the money will be spent wisely and cost effectively, adding that in a national advertising campaign it is usual to allocate 2.8% of the available funds for Northern Ireland. ‘By the standards of the advertising industry, £252,000 from the Wood for Good campaign should be allocated to this region, he said. ‘At minimum the campaign should match our fund raising on a pound-for-pound basis.’
Mr Brooks was referring to the £115,000 raised by NITTA over the past two years for its proactive product promotion activities. This has funded seminars and the association’s kiln dried initiative aimed at architects, specifiers and the construction industry.
Charles Trevor, managing director of Wood for Good, was unavailable for comment.
