Business4Life

We wanted to develop a scheme that gives young professionals the opportunity to develop their management skills while raising valuable funds for WaterAid.

Business4Life was the result, with the scheme providing hands on training and the opportunity to experience running a mini-business as part of their fundraising activities.

The 2008-09 team is tasked with raising £25,000 over the year, using the skills and knowledge they learn through the training scheme to set up a virtual business. The profits are income for WaterAid. The scheme benefits all involved:

• the candidates gain through personal development
• the companies they work for benefit form the training and development of their staff WaterAid receives the direct income fro the scheme.

Comprising 11 participants from Wessex Water and other local business, the team started in September 2008 and raised £15,017 by March 2009.

Personal fundraising events included an international taste evening, several Bath half marathons, a skydive, a quiz night, a Melbourne summer cycle race and a Walk for Water – an eight hour marathon walk carrying pottery urns full of water on a treadmill outside Bath Abbey.