Bath Spa University has appointed national PR agency Grayling’s Bristol office to handle its public relations brief for the next year.
The account was secured by Grayling, part of the London Stock Exchange-listed specialist communications and PR group Huntsworth, following a competitive tender process which included a number of regional PR consultancies. 
The core PR strategy will focus on the sector-leading research emerging from the university’s expertise in art, sciences, education, social science and business. It will also showcase its creativity, culture and enterprise, from the music studios to the biology laboratory.
Grayling will also work with Bath Spa’s established national ambassadors, including professor of creative writing Naomi Alderman – winner of the Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction 2017 – and highlight the value of its local and national partnerships, including with Bath Festival, Theatre Royal Bath and the Holburne Museum, as well as with Santander, which recently renewed the relationship between its universities global division the university.
The university has around 7,600 students and nearly 1,000 staff spread across its three sites, including its main campus at Newton St Loe, its Sion Hill campus in Lansdown, which is the main base for the Bath School of Art and Design, and at Corsham Court, where the majority of its master’s courses are taught.
It is also developing a new art and design campus based in the iconic former Herman Miller furniture factory in Oldfield Park, designed by renowned architect Sir Nicholas Grimshaw, which it bought last year and is a key part of the Bath’s industrial heritage.
Bath Spa head of communications Jane Wakefield said: “Bath Spa is a leading university for creativity, culture, enterprise and education, and we are proud to showcase the achievements of our talented students and staff.
“The team at Grayling clearly understands our ethos and will play an important role in shaping how we evolve the way in which the university is perceived over the coming years.”
Head of Grayling’s Southern Region Craig Ling added: “We are thrilled to have been appointed by Bath Spa University at such an exciting and pivotal time for both the university itself and for the wider education sector.
“Bath Spa has a truly unique voice, offering a compelling blend of heritage, modernity, tradition and innovation. Working closely with the university’s in-house team, we’ll help to showcase that engaging blend at both a regional and national level.”
Grayling also has offices in London, Birmingham, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Leeds and Southampton.
