Our Transport team takes on the Route 66 Challenge, from Chicago to Los Angeles (virtually!)

Our Transport team has decided to kill several birds with one stone (not literally!) by taking on Conqueror’s Route 66 challenge to raise money for MIND. The rules are simple: the 16 colleagues taking part in the challenge must, between them, cover 2280 miles (equivalent to the length of the famous Route 66) in 90 days. 

The team is already two days in having begun on Saturday (22 May), and Transport Operations Manager Nathan Da Rocha-Thomas explains: “We were having our monthly Let’s Hear It! action review meeting and were discussing what we could do for charity as a team. After a challenging year with restrictions on our ability to get out and about, we decided to look for an interesting event that could be completed together as a team, remotely and virtually. 

“The beauty of the Route 66 challenge is that it has something for everyone, and each colleague can contribute to the team’s journey along Route 66 by doing any fitness activity, ranging from walking, running, cycling to CrossFit, football, rugby or even kayaking!” 

So, once they’d settled on a challenge, the next thing to be decided was who would receive the proceeds. Nathan adds: “We had a team vote and MIND came out on top, so we’ve set up a JustGiving page where colleagues can make a contribution if they’d like to support the cause. We settled on MIND because we know it’s a charity that’s endorsed by the business and one that many people across the UK will have needed support from throughout the pandemic. All donations are very much welcomed and will be sent directly to the charity.” 

Alan Newton, Head of Transport and Fleet Management, is one of those taking part, and is keen to keep both mental and physical health on the agenda within. As the challenge got underway, he said: “My team’s mental health is very important to me, from both a personal and business perspective. Being a Mental Health Champion myself, I thought it would be great to do something as a team that would actively promote the value of increased activity and exercise. 

“We found the Route 66 challenge and it seemed like something everyone could be involved in. Now the start is upon us, the daunting challenge of 2280 miles is real, but I know as a team we will pull together to achieve it!” 

"My team’s mental health is very important to me, from both a personal and business perspective. Being a Mental Health Champion myself, I thought it would be great to do something as a team that would actively promote the value of increased activity and exercise."

And while it’s fantastic to hear that the team is implementing the outcomes from our Let’s Hear It! survey, championing the benefits of physical exercise and drawing the link to mental health – that’s not all they’re doing. In addition, a tree will be planted through the Eden Reforestation Projects for each team member for each 20% of the challenge completed - so by the end of the challenge, 80 trees will have been planted. 

Well done and best of luck to the 16 colleagues taking part. They are: Mike Mills, Alan Newton, Ian Barber, Ryan Coles, Carl Crawley, Mike Crowley, Matty Lawn, Lewis Newton, Jess Partridge, Kamran Rashid, Nathan da Rocha-Thomas, Jason Rocks, Peter Taylor, Ben Weimer, Jodie Wildman and Alison Hopkins.