Channel 5 News Names Nicky Wake "Hero of the Week"

Nicky Wake

Some media moments do more than generate coverage. They crystallise a story, introduce real people to a national audience, and create a step-change in awareness that smaller, fragmented hits simply can’t replicate.

That is exactly what happened last week when 5 News, formerly known as Channel 5 News, named our client Nicky Wake their “Hero of the Week”, spotlighting her work as Founder of The Widowed Collective in a powerful national broadcast feature secured and facilitated by The Prominence Collective.

For those unfamiliar with Nicky, her journey into this work began with personal loss. Her husband Andy died in 2020 following prolonged medical complications. In the years that followed, while navigating grief and solo parenting, Nicky recognised how few dedicated spaces existed for widowed people to connect with others who truly understood their experience. That realisation led to the launch of The Widowed Collective in 2025, a UK-wide peer-to-peer support network created to ensure that widows and widowers do not have to rebuild their lives in isolation.

Our role was to identify the strength of that story not just as a personal narrative, but as a national human-interest feature with clear public value. Through proactive pitching and strategic positioning, we introduced Nicky and The Widowed Collective to the 5 News team as a compelling “Hero of the Week” candidate, framing her work around community impact, lived experience and the urgent need for widowed support networks. From there, we managed the conversations, coordinated logistics, and ensured the filming structure allowed the story to be told with care and clarity.

The feature itself brought both the personal and the collective dimensions into focus. Filming began with Nicky speaking about Andy, their life together and the realities of widowhood. It then moved into a Widowed Collective gathering, where members shared their own experiences and spoke openly about the support, understanding and solidarity they have found through the community. The result was not simply a profile of one individual, but a window into a growing national network built on lived experience.

National broadcast at this level carries particular authority. 5 News’ evening bulletin typically reaches between 1 and 1.5 million viewers per broadcast, with an early evening audience share of around 3-4%. Alongside this, the programme’s combined social media audience of approximately 973.8k across Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube ensures the story continues to reach audiences well beyond its initial airing.

But the real significance of this moment goes beyond audience figures. Television and radio accelerates trust. It introduces organisations into mainstream conversation. It ensures that people who may never actively search for support, or who may feel unsure about seeking it, are exposed to something that could make a tangible difference to their lives.

This feature also reinforces the importance of joined-up broadcast PR. A television appearance of this scale is most powerful when it sits within a broader communications framework. Messaging must be consistent. The organisation must be prepared for increased visibility. Digital platforms, press positioning and narrative clarity must align so that when national attention arrives, it builds sustained momentum rather than creating a short-lived spike.

The finished film, which you can watch here, captures The Widowed Collective with warmth, dignity and authenticity. It shows the organisation not as an abstract concept, but as a living, breathing community in action. For widowed people watching at home, that visibility matters deeply.

For founders and mission-led organisations rooted in lived experience, this is what strategic national broadcast looks like in practice. A carefully positioned story. The right media partner. Thoughtful preparation. And visibility that drives real-world impact.

If you are building something that deserves to be seen at a mainstream level, and want to explore how The Prominence Collective can secure and manage meaningful press and media opportunities for you, we would love to talk, so please get in touch.