Each week Bristol Business News gives a prominent member of the city’s business community the last word on its weekly e-bulletin. This week Catherine Frankpitt, founder and director of Strike Communications, answers our 10 questions.
What was the LAST: 
Film you watched? Dodged the heat for a couple of hours last weekend at the cinema watching the latest Thor film. I’m not a particularly avid follower of the Marvel Studios films but this was a fun movie with a great cast. Easy escapism.
Book you read? The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah, which tells the story of a mother fighting for her and her family’s survival in Texas in the terrible drought during America’s Great Depression in the 1930s. The themes around the fragility of the planet and humankind’s relationship with it and how this differently impacts the wealthiest and poorest make this historical novel feel very relevant.
Music you bought/downloaded: The official Derry Girls playlist. I love this series – the scriptwriting is so tight and characters so strong. And the soundtrack takes me back to my carefree teenage years and partying in the 90s.
Concert or play you went to? It’s another throwback to the 90s… Back to the Future the Musical. I was sceptical beforehand but it really works as a West End show – it’s absolutely joyous and chock full of iconic lines that I’d forgotten about. “Roads? Where we’re going, we don’t need roads.”
Sporting event you attended? It’s been ages since I attended a sporting event in real life. Probably the Bristol Epic 10k at Ashton Court last summer, which I ran with a friend. It was our first running event after all the Covid lockdowns, so it was a great feeling to take part in something with other people again. I love the annual Great Bristol 10k too, which is coming up next month.
Holiday you went on? A long overdue trip to Sorrento with my daughter last month to soak up some Italian culture and lots of gelato. Super relaxed week in a stunning location. I could definitely live in Italy.
Restaurant you ate in? The Garden of Easton on St Marks Road. My first time here and I loved it. The two floors of the restaurant are chock-full of vibrant plants and greenery, so it’s a beautiful space to be in, and the menu of sharing plates was delicious. I highly recommend going but book if you’re going in the evening – we went on a Tuesday and every table was taken.
Thing that annoyed you? People wasting water. We’ve just had the driest July since 1935 so it is driving me nuts at the moment when I see people power washing their cars or driveways. So unnecessary.
Thing that made you laugh out loud? I enjoyed the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and the Sport Relief All Star Games this week was a really nice touch to finish with. Gareth Thomas doing rhythmic gymnastics was very funny.
Piece of good advice you were given? Eat the frog. If you’re someone who procrastinates and puts off the worst jobs until last, this is for you. Imagine a slimy frog on your dinner plate. Instead of leaving it till the end, just chop it up and eat it first, to get it done. I have this written on the white board in the office, to remind me to just get on with the jobs that I don’t want to do.
Catherine Frankpitt is a chartered PR practitioner with more than 20 years’ experience. Having worked with many organisations in Bristol over the years, she decided to take the plunge and start Strike Communications in early 2020 as a lean and dynamic PR consultancy with the aim of supporting organisations doing positive and worthwhile work, often with limited in-house resources. In spite of launching just before the pandemic, Strike has successfully grown over the past couple of years and now has a small team and an enviable client portfolio, mostly consisting of arts and cultural organisations and charities.
