Bannatyne Group

A member at the Bannatyne Health Club in Tamworth has been inspired by her dog’s charity work to raise money for St Giles Hospice by completing the London Marathon.

Jane Gibson was inspired to fundraise for the hospice, which supports those living with the impact of life limiting illnesses, by her four-year-old Rottweiler, Myson. After the dog received bronze and silver awards during obedience training, Jane realised that his loving nature would be well-suited to providing therapy and enrolled him to visit patients at the hospice’s Whittington site.

The charity was so enamoured with his cheery personality, that he now attends weekly as part of the hospice’s regular schedule of activities.

Jane has spent two years working with the health club’s fitness team, focussing on her cardio levels and building up her general fitness ready to tackle the London Marathon.

Jane said: “St Giles has played a big part in the lives of my friends and family through its magnificent care and dedication to support those touched by serious illness.

“Myson, my Rottweiler, has volunteered as a therapy dog for the last few years. He has been a big hit with all the patients, staff and people that visit. I saw the difference his presence made, and it inspired me to do something myself – so here I am ready to run a marathon, which is not something I ever thought I would do!

“The team at Bannatyne Health Club has been fantastic helping me prepare. The fitness team will stop by and give you pointers while you’re working out, and if you’re ever not sure about how to use a machine, or want to know how to work a particular muscle group, they’re only too happy to help.”

Mark Reynolds, general manager at Bannatyne Health Club & Spa Tamworth, said: “We’re all very impressed with Jane’s transformation since joining. She has approached improving her fitness in the correct way, with an achievable goal over a reasonable time frame. I know she’ll feel a sense of satisfaction when she crosses that finish line – not only because it represents a huge personal achievement, but she will also have helped a cause close to her heart.

“We’re always pleased to back our members’ charity endeavours and wish Jane all the best during her marathon. St Giles does some fantastic work and I know many people’s lives would be much more difficult without its support.”

ENDS

NEWS RELEASE: ISSUED ON BEHALF OF BANNATYNE GROUP

CONTACT: Caroline Walker on 01325 363436

Notes to editors:

With 70 sites across the UK the Bannatyne Health Clubs brand is owned by Duncan Bannatyne OBE, who is also known for his appearances as a business angel on the BBC programme Dragons’ Den. The company has more than 210,000 members and employs more than 3,000 people.

The Bannatyne Health Clubs chain is now in its 22^nd year, it began in 1997 with the first club on Teesside. The idea was born following a skiing accident after which Chairman Duncan Bannatyne OBE needed regular exercise to recover. He could not find facilities locally and decided to use some of the proceeds from the sale of his previous business, Quality Care Homes plc, to establish the fitness chain.

Bannatyne Health Clubs can now be found in towns and cities throughout the UK, with a particularly strong presence near residential areas of large towns.Bannatyne’s places a strong emphasis on wellbeing and exercise forming a central part of living a healthy lifestyle of its members.

A large number of Bannatyne Health Clubs also feature a Bannatyne Spa, which offer spacious therapy rooms providing luxurious treatments for men and women including body massage, facials, manicures and hairdressing.There are currently 47 Bannatyne Spa sites across the UK.

In addition Duncan Bannatyne OBE owns and operates a number of successful businesses as part of the Bannatyne Group including:

Bannatyne Hotels Ltd, which operates Bannatyne Hotel incorporating Maxine’s Restaurant in Darlington, County Durham, The Bannatyne Spa Hotel in Hastings, Bannatyne’s Charlton House hotel in Shepton Mallet, Somerset and Bannatyne Hotel in Durham City.

www.bannatyne.co.uk