PURPLE Dragonfly of Harrogate spread its wings and launched last May - and so far its speedy hovering over the public relations scene has paid off.

The company, which was the brainchild of 25-year-old Abigail Crerar, has bagged numerous clients, including Business In the Community, Harrogate, the Met Club, the Harrogate business networking organisation, Mosaic Events of York, and motivational speaker Philip Hesketh, of Harrogate.

Now Abigail's venture, operated from her home in Mornington Crescent, is being considered as a possible Evening Press New Business of the Year. Abigail herself has been nominated as a Young Business Entrepreneur of the Year.

She is using her experience as a former press officer working in health education in London where she worked on campaigns to get across the message about World Aids Day and anti-drugs and anti-drink messages targeted at young people.

She worked as an events co-ordinator in Sydney, and worked in the internal communications department of software giant CODA, in Harrogate.

It was while she was in Cairns, Australia that the name for her new business occurred to her. "I visited a place called Dragonfly Caf and it was magical," she said.

Meanwhile, armed with a strong dislike for what she calls the usual PR agency mentality - "fake, pretentious and frosty" - Abigail says she has her own communications task ahead.

"It just seems that many people don't understand what PR can do for them, how it works and how it need not be so expensive."

Updated: 12:00 Monday, August 16, 2004