‘Grundfos employees get fit while raising money for charity’
Employer:Grundfos Manufacturing
Area: Sunderland
Theme: Bike Ride / Physical Activity
Grundfos Manufacturing, based on Ferryboat Lane in Sunderland, are part of the Denmark-headquartered Grundfos Group, producing water pumps and fire suppressant units.
Grundfos have participated in the Better Health at Work Award since 2012 supported by Amacus.
Following on from the success of the first event in 2013, all Grundfos employees, family and friends were invited to join the second annual 25 mile charity bike ride. The event aimed to help create awareness about physical activity and was aimed at everyone from the serious cyclist to the recreational rider.
On the 22 June 2014 everyone began the bike ride from Grundfos finishing at South Shields. The weather was a glorious sunny day with the route taking you on the C2C trail. Parts of the ride took you along the riverside and riders got to see the National Glass Centre, Stadium of Light, Roker Pier and Seaburn Beach. Riders could choose to participate in a 12.5 miles (one way) ride or the full 25 mile ride. The bike ride started at 9.30am with a rest stop at South Shields, where refreshments were provided for all participants. Hudson Catering provided the lunch boxes and drinks which, of course, were healthy. We encouraged all participants to wear helmets and in addition puncture repair kits were given to each bike. This was not a timed event and everyone could take it at a leisurely pace or do it competitively.
A total of 84 people took part in the bike ride. This was an increase from the previous year. The 84 people were made up of Grundfos employees, friends and families and also 2 people from Komatsu in Birtley who the team had been networking with since the silver award.
When people arrived back to Grundfos they wrote their comments on a white board displayed in reception. The consensus was that it was a great event with some of the more adventurous wanting to do the Coast to Coast bike ride next! In addition we received an email from the two Komatsu employees thanking us for a great and enjoyable day and indicating they would like to do it again next year. An added bonus was raising over £300 for Grundfos’s two chosen charities NSPCC and Cancer Research. This event will continue to happen to support the company’s health and well-being agenda, as the health benefits from this activity include: controlling your weight, reducing your risk of cardiovascular disease, but more importantly it improves your mental health and mood. For each year that this event takes place is the aim to get more people participating.