Bath brand agency The House is encouraging other city-based firms to back the campaign to turn Bath City FC into a community-owned club after committing £1,000 to buy shares.
Nearly £109,000 of the £750,000 funding target has been raised so far for the Big Bath City Bid, which aims to transform the debt-laden club into a thriving community asset that reflects its vibrant and creative home city.
Hitting the target would secure the immediate future of the Conference South club, satisfy urgent creditors and buy a controlling stake in it.
It would then be owned and run by the fans and wider community, bringing together the best of Bath to build a brilliant, vibrant and exciting club.
The House business head Graham Massey said: “We’ve invested because we are inspired by the game-changing potential of a community-owned club with social purpose at its heart. “We don’t see our investment as an act of charity – we are investing in the transformation of a vital community asset and local institution that will produce real social and economic returns for Bath.
“Having worked with Bath Rugby Foundation, we understand the power of sport to change lives.”
The House’s £1,000 investment will give it a special listing in the programme and a 10% staff discount.
But it believes the real benefits will be:
- A boost to Bath’s profile as a creative, future-focused, beautifully inventive city
- A chance to develop a social impact programme which will increase social capital, employability and ‘upskill’ local people, including the young, supporting the next generation of local talent
- A new, attractive marketing channel for Bath business
- Above all, a hub for business, local authorities and the third sector to work together and tackle local challenges such as elderly isolation, health and wellbeing, independent living for the disabled, mental health and the skills gap.
The House creative head Steve Fuller added: “What excites us the most is that, as ‘owner-members’, we would have a direct voice in the future shaping of the club.
“With the best of Bath’s businesses engaged, the possibilities are endless: a Bath City Ladies team, a third-generation all-weather pitch that makes Twerton Park the true ‘home of Bath football’, a co-working space for our innovative start-ups.
“This is about more than ‘corporate social responsibility’. We know from our own work that businesses with a clear sense of ‘purpose beyond profit’ enjoy a competitive advantage in attracting customers, employees and investment. We will be a stronger business for our involvement in the Big Bath City Bid. By buying community shares in Bath City, we are really just investing in ourselves.”
To find out more, watch the on the bigbathcitybid.org.uk website.
Pictured: The House team members Emma Maggs, Lisa Carter and Sammy Burt show their support for the Big Bath City Bid
