Science company employees from Lubrizol’s Derbyshire base stepped out of their labs and offices to create festive letters and crafts bringing cheer to care home residents this Christmas.
A team from Lubrizol took time out of their working day to take part in the ‘Give … a few words’ campaign which sees volunteers writing thousands of positive letters to care home residents in Yorkshire – where the campaign is based.
It was not just employees at Lubrizol’s Derbyshire UK Technical Centre in Hazelwood who took part in the letter-writing – the company saw employees from its offices as far away as Spain and Mexico putting pen to paper to give some joy to care home residents thousands of miles away.
The ‘Give … a few words’ campaign was founded in Yorkshire during the first 2020 Covid lockdown, a time of acute isolation for many care home residents who could not be visited by family.
It started as a way of reaching out to those in care homes and has been so successful that it now has around 850 letter-writing volunteers with more than 2,000 letters and Christmas crafts being sent out this year.
Sharron Wilkinson, founder of the ‘Give … a few words’ campaign, came to Lubrizol’s offices in Hazelwood to lead its letter-writing and Christmas crafts morning. The company has supported the campaign since its inception with employees from round the world getting involved in hand-writing letters every year.
Sharron said: “We don’t just include care homes – it’s everything from charities, voluntary groups to community organisations, often reaching people who are isolated in the community, and also others who may be having a tough time and just need a little positive post.
“It was really important during Covid but actually it’s equally positive today. It really does have an impact. A lot of recipients keep their letters really close to them and if they’re not feeling great they will get their letters out and read them again.
“Thank you to Lubrizol for everything they have done for our campaign over the past five years. The support is very much appreciated.”
The Lubrizol team was taking part in the letter-writing and Christmas crafts session as part of the company’s global International Volunteers Day which saw more than 550 employees giving back to their communities in 11 countries around the world. Their contributions included assembling more than 2000 hygiene kits; stuffing hundreds of cuddly animals, making blankets, translating books and wrapping presents.
The ‘Give … a few words’ campaign matches up writers and recipients by supplying a few details about the interests of the person who is set to receive a letter.
Emma Fahey, a project manager at Lubrizol, who took part in the letter-writing morning, said: “I thought it was a great opportunity to get involved with the community. Giving a small amount of time is easy for me and it’s going to make someone happy over Christmas.”
Fellow letter-writer Victoria Hurst, an account manager at Lubrizol, said: “It has been really nice. I live away from my family so I spent a lot of time writing to them. I chose someone to write to who likes the outdoors and dogs and I found it easy to relate. It was nice to choose who to write to and make it a lot more personal.”
This story was written and shared on behalf of Lubrizol by Lucy Stephens. Can we share your news and get you in the headlines too? Find out how we can help by getting in touch.
