This week we launched our company-wide ‘Vacherin Run to the Moon’ challenge to support our teams’ physical and mental wellbeing and encourage a healthy lifestyle.
Staff wellbeing is fundamental to our core values and the ‘Vacherin Run to the Moon’ challenge reinforces our commitment to supporting a happy and healthy workforce. The new challenge invites every team member to embark on a physical challenge to walk or run 225,623 miles, the distance from earth to the moon, encouraging exercise and supporting inclusivity by providing a platform for group fitness and social interaction. The 12-month challenge kicked off with a weekly two-kilometre walk and a five-kilometre run from our head office in Hatton Garden.
The challenge is open to all staff and all abilities and, as well as providing health benefits, it was designed so our whole workforce can come together and work collaboratively to achieve a shared goal. We will be hosting a series of events including the weekly running club and walking clubs and promoting group attendance at Parkrun’s organised five-kilometre community runs to help participants prepare for the distance. Staff will also be encouraged to expand on this and do their own individual fitness activity to accomplish the milestone on the moon. Any mileage and activity they do will be recorded on a designated ‘Vacherin Run to the Moon’ group on Strava, a fitness app that tracks walking, running and cycling exercises, using GPS data.
Phil Roker, our Managing Director said: “It is so important for us to encourage a healthy lifestyle among our employees and Vacherin fully supports the health and mental well-being benefits of exercise and getting out in the fresh air. As part of our wider wellbeing programme we wanted to introduce a collaborative outdoor challenge that everybody to could get involved in and have fun along the way. Reaching the moon is a big target, but with teamwork and support it will be an enjoyable challenge.”
This wellbeing initiative follows Vacherin’s partnership with Hospitality Action to create a bespoke Employee Assistance Programme, that provides staff with professional help in areas such as health & wellbeing, working life, and financial matters. Vacherin has also recently trained 18 staff in mental first aid to reduce the stigma around mental health issues and better support staff.
As part of ‘Run to the Moon’, we hope to raise £21,000 for our charity partner, Luminary Bakery, a social enterprise in Stoke Newington and Camden providing opportunities for women who have experienced social or economic disadvantage to develop skills and improve their futures. The challenge aims to help 21 women to gain employment and independence in 2021. Funds raised by this initiative will provide necessary assistance including one-to-one mentoring, guidance with housing and childcare and an ongoing support programme.
This challenge follows the success of ‘Tour de Vacherin’, which took place in 2018 and raised over £20,000 for Luminary Bakery. The event saw nine of our people cycle 665 miles over the course of seven days to the Museum of Vacherin in the region of Jura on the Swiss French border.