York PR duo appointed to lead regional and national launch of EmAble

Two York PR experts have been appointed to spearhead both regional and national media relations for a new intelligent fashion brand inspired by the memory of a young woman lost to cancer.

Jo Leatham PR and Linda Harrison PR have been instructed to deliver a strategic PR campaign for EmAble ahead of its Spring 2026 launch.

Targeting national and regional media, the campaign will highlight EmAble as an innovative new brand in the adaptive fashion market, sharing the founders’ personal story and inspiration behind the business.

Established by York mother and son Joanne Nicholson and Matthew Rhodes, EmAble has been created in memory of Emily Rhodes, who passed away in April 2019, at the age of 25, following a three-year battle with cancer. The brand aims to transform the experiences of people undergoing treatment for life-changing health conditions by designing intelligent, adaptable clothing that allows easy access during medical procedures.

The clothing line has been engineered to simplify hospital appointments by removing the need for patients to fully undress for examinations and treatment — including radiotherapy, chemotherapy, dialysis, blood tests, transfusions and intravenous therapy. The garments combine fashion-led design with functional innovation, supporting and empowering patients.

Matthew said: “We are delighted to be working with Jo and Linda at such a pivotal moment for the business. As we prepare to introduce EmAble to the market, it is important that we share our personal story behind the brand. Their expertise will be instrumental in helping us achieve regional and national visibility.”

Jo said: “We are incredibly proud to be supporting this family-led York-based business as it prepares for launch. Through their own loss and tragedy, Joanne and Matthew are true trailblazers in their mission to help others. Their passion and dedication for supporting people navigating treatment is inspiring, and we are honoured that they have entrusted us with their PR as they gear up to launch EmAble,”

Linda added: “We’re both passionate about helping local businesses create headlines and share their stories through PR, while connecting their story with journalists. EmAble is a powerful example of innovation driven by lived experience, and we look forward to building awareness across regional, national and sector-specific audiences as the brand scales.”

As well as leading PR campaigns for organisations across Yorkshire, Jo and Linda run sellout networking events such as Meet The Media, where business owners get to pitch their story to leading regional journalists and gain valuable insights and expert advice about how to make their news stand out.

They run regular practical PR skills training workshops – sharing their knowledge and expertise in, for example, how to pitch a story idea to a journalist and how to create a newsworthy press release. They also host free monthly PR Coffee Mornings in the city where businesses get the opportunity to pose leading questions about how the media works.