A three-man team from Westerleigh Group is doing things by halves when it comes to fund-raising – taking part in this year’s Great Bristol Run Half Marathon in aid of Dementia UK.

Rob Metcalf, Shaun Chapman-Young and Chris Rawlinson will be taking on the challenge on 19 May.

All three work for Westerleigh Group, one of the UK’s largest independent owners and operators of crematoria and cemeteries, with 40 sites in England, Scotland, and Wales, all set within beautifully landscaped gardens of remembrance which provide pleasant, peaceful places for people to visit and reflect.

Westerleigh Group prides itself on providing exceptional care to the bereaved, the standards of which are inspected by the Federation of Burial and Cremation Authorities (FBCA) in England and Wales and the Scottish Government in Scotland.

Rob is manager of Test Valley Crematorium in Hampshire; Shaun is manager of Westerleigh Cemetery & Crematorium on the outskirts of Bristol and Chris is Project Manager in Westerleigh Group’s Development Team, based at the company’s national headquarters on the outskirts of Bristol.

Westerleigh Group has pledged to raise at least £300,000 for Dementia UK over a two-year-period and this event will contribute towards that, with the trio having a team target of £500.

Rob is no stranger to running, and regularly runs between three and five miles in the evenings and often covers a half-marathon distance on Sundays.

In April 2023 he completed the London Marathon, raising more than £2,600 for Huntington’s Disease Association, so running the Bristol Half is something he is hoping he should be able to take into his stride.

Chris used to run regularly but longer excursions took a back seat following the birth of his son 19-months-ago and this event offered the perfect opportunity and incentive to return to it.

He said: “I lost my Grandma to Dementia in 2015, so I thought this was a great opportunity to set myself a target and raise funds for such an important cause.”

Shaun was a regular runner until the Covid-19 pandemic placed so many restrictions on our lives, and said he then fell out of the habit.

“I’ve wanted to get back into my fitness ever since and when the option of signing up for the Bristol Half Marathon came along, I jumped at the chance.

“I have seen the devastation that Dementia can cause and I will feel very proud to be running for them.”

If anyone would like to support the trio and contribute towards their fundraising, they can visit: www.justgiving.com/page/westerleighrunners