A number of close friends, long-time colleagues, neighbours, and family members joined Sandra Saer for a Reception at Gaskyns Café, in Queen Street, Arundel, on Friday (25 May). This special party marked both the Official Launch of Sandra’s children’s book, STAR SANDWICHES AND MOON CUSTARD, and also her thirty years successfully publishing SMH BOOKS, publicising and marketing the titles, as a one-woman band.
The photos show Sandra, and a board which she compiled, to illustrate many of the 30 years’ highlights for SMH, and pics of the board with its books.
Sandra’s career began with a thorough grounding in provincial journalism, which set her up for, among other things, the way to prepare and write press releases for the media, which would not find themselves immediately into the ‘WPB’!
Poached from the ‘Chester Chronicle to work at Chester Zoo, she was self-appointed, with the agreement of the director, Gerald Mottershead, to be the First Press and Public relations Officer of Chester Zoo. This came about because a sea lion had disappeared from its enclosure, and Sandra sent out a story to media, which was used – worldwide. In one year, she doubled the Zoo’s gate takings.
After years working as a PR consultant, broadcaster, and publicist for the BBC, and major UK publishers, she founded her own PR company, Macgregor Hastie Associates, but left this to bring up her four children. Moving to West Sussex with them, she filled the gap, when they left home for college, by founding SMH Books.
Now living in Arundel, Sandra does not plan to publish any more books; just concentrate on her writing…
