Syngenta Staff take up Fit To Work Challenge

In response to an appeal for employers and employees to engage in Fit For Work practices, employees at Syngenta in Huddersfield have set up a lunch-time 'Step In' Club. The walking club shall take lunch time walks each month and seeks to provide a social environment where people can take a break from their work, socialise with work colleagues and also get some exercise.

But it doesn't stop there. Employees at the site wanted to encourage participation and raise a bit of cash for local charities at the same time. So for each walk, the Step In Club count up their collective steps and donate 1p for every step taken from their Employees Community Gift Fund.

Syngenta Community Relations Manager, Carl Sykes said "Our first Step In Club walk took place on Mental Health Awareness Day and we had 19 walkers step 89,262 steps in 40 minutes. That raised a handsome £893 cash, which the group decided to donate to a mental health charity. It's early days but we shall see how interest develops and maybe we can widen the Club theme to Step In to Cycling or Step In to Pilates or whatever fitness activities engage people. We can also review the frequency of activity." The Step In Club participants agreed to donate the cash raised to local Mental Health and Wellbeing charity, Support 2 Recovery (S2R) in Huddersfield.

The firm came up with the idea, having attended a Kirklees Conference at the University of Huddersfield earlier this year. The Everybody Active initiative is inviting employers and employees alike to take up the challenge and stay fit for work.