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Amnesty International has appointed Feather Brooksbank to handle

its planning and buying account, pushing the combined value of business

wins at the agency this year to more than pounds 10m.

The Amnesty brief is estimated to be worth pounds 2m and is being

handled by Gary Parkes, group account director, from Feather

Brooksbank's Manchester office.

A forthcoming campaign for Amnesty International is expected to

concentrate on direct marketing, although the charity has previously

also run press ads.

Other new wins at the agency include Save the Children and insurance

company Hastings Direct, which Feather won without a pitch.

Stuart Feather, joint managing director, estimated the value of Hastings

Direct to be at least pounds 500,000, and added that the agency had

plenty of experience in the financial and insurance markets - it works

for Admiral Insurance and General Accident, among others.

According to AC Nielsen MMS, Save the Children also had a media budget

of around pounds 500,000 last year, the lion's share of which was spent

on press advertising.

As a result of the new business, combined with increased spends from

existing clients, Feather Brooksbank has been on a recruitment drive to

strengthen its account teams.

Feather said: 'Feather Brooksbank is not prepared to under-resource any

area of the business. We have always recruited the right people, and

trained, developed and nurtured them for the future. Career development

is crucial and we ensure there is always sufficient opportunity for

individuals to progress as we continue to expand our business.'

Feather Brooksbank has recently secured one of the longest sponsorships

to run on ITV, brokering a four-year deal to sponsor Where the Heart is

on behalf of its client Silentnight Beds.

Feather Brooksbank has offices in Manchester, Edinburgh and Glasgow and

is part of the Carat group.