Following the success of last year’s event, we are excited to announce that once again, we are sponsoring St Luke’s (Cheshire) Hospice’s Twilight Walk. The 10-kilometre torchlit walk through Delamere Forest will take place on the 23rd of March and aims to raise invaluable funds for the Hospice.

Last year, we were approached by a filming team to use the Carbon Capture Plant (CCU) as a backdrop for the filming of COBRA, a prime-time TV drama series starring Robert Carlyle and Victoria Hamilton. As a long-time supporter of St Luke’s Hospice, the team couldn’t resist the opportunity to use the filming as a way to raise funds for a good cause. The fee paid by the production company was used to cover all the costs relating to the Twilight Walk, meaning that every penny of the staggering £62,000 raised by the 850 participants could go directly towards helping families and patients cared for by the hospice.

This year, once again, thanks to an exciting filming project, we will be sponsoring the Walk for the second year in a row, as well as getting involved in the running of the event, with many staff members volunteering to help at the event village.

Phil Davies, General Counsel & Compliance Director, said: “St Luke’s were appointed our “Charity of the Year” some years ago, and after so many of our people came forward with their personal experiences of the incredible work that goes on in the hospice and how their own families were supported during difficult moments, it’s no surprise that the hospice has been our charity partner ever since. Having worked with the amazing team at St Luke’s for many years now on various events and challenges, from the National Three Peaks to the Sandstone Trail, sponsoring the Twilight Walk felt like a natural fit and after last year’s success we jumped at the chance to do it again this year and help raise all important funds!”

Andy Bailey, Corporate Partnerships Manager for St Luke’s adds: “We were delighted with the funds raised last year, which thanks to TCE’s sponsorship, meant that all funds raised could go to support local people and their families. We are thrilled to be working with the team at TCE once again and hope that we can beat last year’s incredible feat. It really is an unforgettable experience, combining the magic of twilight with the beauty of Delamere, as hundreds of supporters walk together for the hospice.”

The charity is close to the hearts of many of us here at TCE and this year, as well as sponsoring the event, we will be running a raffle for walkers to win various prizes.

For more information on the event or to take part, head to: https://slhospice.co.uk/event/twilight-walk-2024/

Charlotte King is a Weaverham schoolgirl on a mission. She’s fundraising for an expedition to Kenya in July of next year. During the four weeks she’ll be spending in Africa, she’ll be volunteering for projects that help local people. She has been doing all sorts to raise funds for the projects including making bath bombs using sodium bicarbonate donated by Tata Chemicals Europe (TCE).

We caught up with Charlotte to get the lowdown on her trip to Kenya.

Hi Charlotte! Tell us about your trip and what you’ll be doing while you’re out there.

Next year I’ll be heading out to Kenya with Camps International for four weeks. During that time, I’ll be helping to build schools, installing water tanks and fitting ethical elephant deterrents to protect local crops and reduce poaching.

Why did you want to do this trip?

I want to help local communities out in Kenya who don’t have access to basic amenities and immerse myself in a totally different culture and way of life. From my point of view, I see this trip as an opportunity to gain some confidence in my own abilities, develop my communication skills and gain some experience in leadership and problem-solving. I hope throwing myself into this once in a lifetime experience will help me to grow both personally and professionally.

What are you most excited to experience?

As well as my volunteering projects I’ll be visiting the Maasai tribe and the biggest game sanctuary in the world, Tsavo National Park, which is well known for large herds of elephants. I’m really excited to see all the different animals, landscapes and communities!

Tell us how you’ve been fundraising.

After learning that young girls in Kenya walk on average 6km a day just to get water as part of my fundraising for the trip I decided to run 6km every day in September. It was really tough to get up and do it every day but the thought that girls younger than me are doing this every day really inspired me and got me through such a tough mental challenge!

And you’re making bath bombs right?

I am! TCE have donated everything I need, including some bicarbonate of soda (sodium bicarbonate) and I have some lavender leftover from making lavender bags. Everyone loves a bath bomb, and they make the perfect Christmas presents! I’m really grateful to TCE for donating all the products I need to make bath bombs.

How much are you looking to raise in total?

I’ve got £4000 to raise and all the money raised goes towards the projects I’ll be helping on. The funds will support local communities, wildlife and the environment in Kenya.

We spotted you in the local paper – what was that like?

It was a bit strange seeing myself in the Northwich Guardian! But I’m grateful for the support and I think lots of people saw it which will hopefully mean more donations and more support for the projects in Kenya.

We asked John Foster, Sodium Bicarbonate Production Manager for TCE, why he felt it was important to support Charlotte’s expedition:

“When Charlotte contacted us to ask whether we could help with her fundraising we were more than happy to help. We have a personal connection with Kenya, as Tata acquired the former Magadi Soda Company in 2005, so it felt a natural fit. She explained that to raise funds for Kenya she had the idea of producing bath bombs and so we donated our product bicarbonate of soda. Charlotte has made an incredible start to her fundraising, and we look forward to following her amazing journey.”

If you’d like to make a donation to Charlotte’s expedition head to her Go Fund Me page here:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/charlotte-king-kenya-expedition-2024

We recently teamed up with TV presenter and farmer Jimmy Doherty to help prepare for the very special arrival of a polar bear from central Sweden.

We’re used to our products being used across a multitude of sectors, from de-icing roads to treating water and of course being used in the food industry but helping to create Europe’s largest polar bear reserve is a new one – even for us!

At the start of the month, we were approached by the team at Jimmy’s Farm in Suffolk whose latest mission is to recreate a tundra-like environment that will be home to various rescued species including reindeer, arctic wolves and arctic foxes. After receiving a phone call from a wildlife park in Sweden which was closing, Jimmy began the challenge of relocating the bear to the UK. Meet 18-year-old Ewa, her favourite food is honey, and she loves spending time in her new enclosure rolling around in bark chippings!

Helping furry friends is something we have done before. A while back we helped the RSPCA with some poorly seal pups, donating salt for some nasty eye infections. This time we’ve donated 49 25-kilogram bags of our PDV salt. The team at Jimmy’s farm created a salt plunge bath for Ewa which will have numerous benefits for her skin and overall health. We’re pleased to see that she’s now thriving in her new home.  

As we approach Christmas, a time for families, we thought it appropriate to introduce our readers to the work of St Luke’s Hospice – a charity that we’ve supported for the past four years. St Luke’s is a very special place, featuring many dedicated people who provide an all-important service to the communities of mid and south Cheshire. We’ve interviewed Andy Bailey from St Luke’s to find out more about their vital work in our local community.

• What is your position at St Luke’s Hospice and how long have you been working there?

I’m the Corporate Partnerships Manager – which basically means I work with businesses that want to support the Hospice. I joined the team in July 2018 and the time has flown!

• Tell us a little about St Luke’s Hospice

St Luke’s is a warm and welcoming space, based in Winsford and serving the population of mid and south Cheshire, which is approximately 300,000 adults. We are dedicated to supporting people from the minute they get a diagnosis for a life-limiting condition, through our Day Hospice which helps patients manage their symptoms, gain confidence and maximise their quality of life and also our specialist In-Care Unit which provides pain control, emergency respite and end of life care. We support the whole family – relatives can stay with their loved ones overnight in one of our rooms and we offer a counselling service to help family members at this most difficult time.

• When did TCE first become involved with the Hospice?

TCE started getting involved with the Hospice in the summer of 2015 and haven’t stopped working with them since.

• How is TCE involved?

TCE is involved in a number of ways, and over the years they have developed a programme of challenges and activities to appeal to all members of their workforce. This includes organising treasure hunts, bake sales, taking on treks such as the Sandstone Trail and Three Peaks and even creating and selling chilli at Hallowe’en. Most notably though, something of a ‘summer tradition’ has been established, with various team members creating their own challenge for St Luke’s. Last year, 20 cyclists took on the Cheshire canal ring over a weekend in June and earlier this year, five keen motorbike enthusiasts spent a couple of days riding over 600 miles to visit some of the UK’s most iconic dams!

• What has the TCE support meant for St Luke’s?

Everything we provide at St Luke’s is totally free of charge for our patients and families, including all the expert care, medicines, therapies, meals, activities – everything. Obviously, this doesn’t come cheap, so we rely on local businesses to raise funds to keep the Hospice open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. TCE have been a formidable supporter of St Luke’s for many years and we truly value their continued support. The relationship between TCE and St Luke’s is really strong. Earlier this year I was honoured to be invited to British Salt’s 50th anniversary lunch, hosted by HRH Duke of Kent. It was also great to meet some of the team at Lostock at the ‘Dropped Items’ campaign event.

• What do you have on the calendar with TCE for 2020?

I’ve always found that when it comes to corporate fundraising, it’s all about the personality and drive of the people within the business. At TCE I know there are some brilliant characters leading the charge for St Luke’s. I’ve recently spoken to Helen Taylor who is determined to organise a skydiving challenge in 2020 – so if you’ve not yet signed up, you’ll probably be asked very soon!

Every year, a team from Tata Chemicals Europe and its sister company British Salt pull on their walking boots to raise money for local charity – St Luke’s Hospice in Northwich, Cheshire. Since 1988, St Luke’s has been providing palliative care to local people, supporting them in ways which go beyond the scope and funding of the NHS.

After an epic 8 peak challenge in 2017, this year a 31 strong team team took on what they thought would be a gentle stroll over the rolling hills of Cheshire. As well as supporting St Luke’s, the challenge was also a fitting way to celebrate 150 years of the Tata Group. 15 miles, 33000 steps, a total ascent of 3340 feet and 8.5 hours later, the team that took on the challenge will confirm this was no walk in the park!

The challenge started from Tegg’s Nose car park near Macclesfield, heading up to the first peak, Shuttlingsloe, for a quick break in the biting wind. From here, the team trekked down into the valley and up to the Peak View Tea Rooms. Following a quick pit stop at the tea rooms for a well-earned cake or two, the team then headed up to Shining Tor and on to the final leg of the walk past Lamaload Reservoir and back up to Tegg’s Nose Country Park.

Phil Davies, summed up everyone’s thoughts: “St Luke’s does fantastic work and we’re delighted to be able to continue to support it with our annual challenge.” So far, the Tata Chemicals Europe and British Salt team have raised £1250 which is still climbing – unlike the team the following day.

Peter Houghton, who organised the event, said: “It was great to spend the day with colleagues in the countryside. Well done to everyone for completing the challenge, the participants should be proud to make it round the walk and for raising funds for St Luke’s at the same time.”

To find out more about St Luke’s, please visit www.stlukes-hospice.co.uk

Tata Chemicals Europe’s Phil Davies will be sleeping rough help raise awareness of Manchester’s homelessness problem on Monday night.

The initiative, called ‘The CEO Sleepout’, invites senior level employees from any industry to give up their bed for one night and help those who don’t have one. Participants will be asked to lead by example by braving the cold and sleeping outdoors side-by-side with their peers to raise awareness and funds for homeless people in Manchester.

Phil, our General Manager for Business Services, will be sleeping under the stars at Emirates Old Trafford Cricket Ground alongside 100 other senior business leaders. He said: “As the nights start to get longer and colder we should remind ourselves what a vital cause this is, with hundreds of people facing the prospect of sleeping on the streets of Greater Manchester this coming winter.

“I feel strongly about this issue, and troubled that, other than buying The Big Issue, have never really done much about it. I want to help raise awareness of this terrible problem, not least in my own children and their friends so that in the future they don’t simply walk past and think that this is normal or somehow acceptable in 21st century Britain.”

The CEO Sleepout will support the priceless work of these charities and other local charitable projects. Our ultimate goal is to help make Manchester a fairer and even better place in which to live, work and do business.

Phil is very close to his fundraising target, and would like your help to shed light on this very important issue. Please donate here: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/phil-davies21

Fundraising walkers from Tata Chemicals Europe braved charging bulls and torrential downpours to raise money for its corporate charity St Luke’s Hospice (Cheshire) by walking the length of the Sandstone Trail.

The trail, which runs from Whitchurch in Shropshire to Frodsham in Cheshire, is a stiff challenge when tackled in one day!

The 30-strong team, which also included representatives from St Luke’s Hospice, completed the 34-mile route over about 12 hours.

Tata Chemicals Europe communications manager Richard Redman, who walked the trail, said: “It was a great day, and very much a family affair. We opened it out to spouses and children, which we felt was an appropriate decision because of the wonderful work that St Luke’s Hospice does to help families in our communities.

“The day was quite eventful – we were charged by bulls, drenched in rain, and I even received a shock from an electric fence! But I think we’d all agree that we would do it all again for this great cause. We donned hiking boots, waterproofs and rucksacks full of nutrition to last us the day, and set off walking at 7am from Whitchurch in Shropshire, arriving at Frodsham after 7pm. At the halfway point we were met by the St Luke’s Hospice big red bus, from which we were served pasties, cupcakes and refreshments – much-needed energy for the second half of the trek.”

So far, the team of Tata Chemicals Europe and St Luke’s Hospice have raised £2,000, and Tata bosses have agreed to match whatever is raised, so the final total will exceed £4,000.

As part of its on-going support of St Luke’s, which included completing the Three Peaks Challenge in 2015, Tata Chemicals Europe is already planning its next major event: a ‘rowathon’, to take place in December 2016.