Bath Half: The companies and their causes

By Anita Jaynes on 20 October, 2017

As an official media partner of the Bath Half Marathon, The Business Exchange will be bringing you a series of articles focusing on some of the corporate teams entering and the charities they’re running for.

Each year thousands of people take to the streets to run the 13.1 miles of a two lap course of the historic city raising significant sums of money for local causes.

In our first article we profile Gary Squires, Director of Bath’s Creatrix PR – one of the city’s most established PR and communications firms.

Name: Gary Squires

Age: 46

Company: Creatrix PR

Website: creatrixpr.co.uk

Description: Creatrix PR is a full-service communications agency founded by myself and my business partner Vicky Windsor in 2000. The company is working on some of the most high profile development projects in the city including plans for a new stadium for Bath Rugby, Bath Riverside and Mulberry Park, as well many other developments across the South of England.

Which charity are you supporting at the Bath Half 2018?: Age UK B&NES

Tell us about their work: Age UK B&NES is a local independent charity serving local people. They provide services which aim to meet the differing needs of the region’s older community, supporting individuals to help them live a healthy, happy and satisfying later life.

Why have you chosen them: We’re all getting older and living longer! We have an ageing population in this country and as a company we feel it’s important to look after those who have contributed to society, and who now may need a little extra support in old age. So many older people out there are without the physical and mental support they need. Many people think that Age UK B&NES is supported by a central funding pot, or the local council – it isn’t. All of their funding comes from charitable donations, so we’re getting our trainers on to raise as much money as possible to help the cause.

Is this your first Bath Half Marathon?:  No, this will be my 11th Bath Half Marathon having first tackled it as a complete novice back in 2005. It was my first taste of endurance sport and since then I’ve competed in marathons and Ironman triathlons from the USA to Japan.

What are you looking forward to about the event?: It’s a fantastic part of the local sporting calendar with a great atmosphere in our iconic city. I’ve taken part in races across the world, but there’s nothing like taking to the streets of Bath each year.

Who else is on your team?: There are six of us in total – Liza-Jane Gillespie, Ben Carey and Craig Gill all from Creatrix, along with Vicky’s son Fred and Liza-Jane’s partner Al.

What affect has entering the team had on your office dynamic?: The good thing about entering a team is that we help to motivate and encourage each other, sharing training tips and advice when needed. There’s only one member of our team who has never run a half before, so most of us are used to it. We’re all looking forward to getting that photo with our medals once we’ve crossed the line.

How can people donate?

Anyone who would like to support us can donate via our Justgiving page, www.justgiving.com/fundraising/creatrixpr

To find out more about the Bath Half Marathon Corporate Challenge and to enter your team visit: www.bathhalf.co.uk/entries/corporate-challenge/

Pictured above: The Creatrix PR team, from left to right,Gary Squires, Liza-Jane Gillespie, Craig Gill and Ben Carey. Below is a photo of Gary’s collection of Bath Half Marathon medals to date.