Chris Hart-Jones being given the Christine Sewell award by Barnsley plant manager Paul Mellor
A Barnsley manufacturing production manager has won an award after inspiring company staff from all over the UK to pedal, walk, run, row, swim and even play golf to raise more than £27,000 for Mind, the mental health charity.
Chris Hart-Jones, production manager at Lubrizol in Barnsley, has been crowned with the company’s prestigious Christine Sewell award which is given annually to someone who has gone above and beyond in volunteering their time for good causes.
Chris inspired Lubrizol employees based at the company’s sites all over the UK to come together in a united charitable endeavour for the first time in its history, with the target of raising £25,000 for Mind.
The idea behind the challenge was sparked by the Tokyo Olympics which were originally due to take place in 2020. Lubrizol employees were challenged to collectively complete the distance between Britain and the Japanese capital city, around 5,882 miles.
But Covid meant that joint activities planned by Chris and his team for the “Lubrizol Olympics” could not take place at first. It was therefore necessary for the company of scientists to get inventive by coming up with some personal challenges of their own in order to complete the distance.
Chris’s contribution was to complete 300 miles on his Peloton bike at home, the distance between all of Lubrizol’s sites in the UK. Along with many other UK residents, Chris and his wife acquired a Peloton bike in lockdown in order to keep up with their fitness and mental health during a time of isolation.
He said: “Before lockdown, my wife convinced me to start going to a gym, which I really enjoyed. But Covid obviously put paid to that, so we got the Peloton.
“The 300-mile site-to site challenge was one of many we came up with to incentivise staff to get involved. The distance had to be covered within one month and you could choose how you wanted to cover the distance, either by walking, cycling, running or rowing! I chose to put my Peloton bike to good use and covered the distance on the bike.
“Many people find exercise very beneficial for their mental health which is why the idea for the Lubrizol Olympics seemed an appropriate way of raising money for this particular charity.”
The idea sparked the imaginations of employees across Lubrizol’s UK sites who came up with some fantastic feats of endurance. One employee, Dave Spivey from Derbyshire, completed 1,000 miles on a home rowing machine, while Claire and Tim Hollingshurst from Derbyshire ran, walked and cycled the equivalent distance from John O’Groats to Land’s End – 603 miles – along with undertaking the Yorkshire Three Peaks. Another staff member took the water on the Beaulieu River in Poole harbour to row 21 miles – the equivalent of the English Channel.
Then, when social distancing restrictions were relaxed, Lubrizol staff finally came together to take part in several joint walking challenges, including climbing Mount Snowdon; Scafell Pike, the famously gruelling 12-hour Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge and Mam Tor in Derbyshire. For employees who had begun working at Lubrizol during Covid, climbing a mountain together for charity was the first time they had actually met in person.
In the end, nearly 70 employees from Lubrizol smashed their original target and achieved 8,542 miles. With more than 800 family, friends’ and colleagues’ support, they have so far raised more than £27,000 for Mind, and the final tally has not yet been fully counted.
The company’s original £25,000 target was reached as Chris and colleagues completed the final steps of the Yorkshire Three Peaks, reaching the finish line only seconds before the 12-hour time limit was up.
Chris, who took part in all of Lubrizol’s joint walking challenges, said he had been greatly humbled to receive the Christine Sewell award which saw him receive £500, now added to the total for Mind, plus a prime parking spot when he comes into work!
He was handed the award as a surprise after being asked to attend the board room during his working day, where he found a large group of people waiting and applauding him.
He said: “I was just completely shocked and surprised and humbled, because I feel that I haven’t won this award. I’m accepting it on behalf of everyone who has been involved with this activity. I’ve not done all those thousands of miles and raised all this money myself. I’ve contributed to it just like everyone else has, so I’m hugely humbled and honoured to have received it but I’m accepting it on behalf of everyone who was involved.”
