Lubrizol employees around the world keep CALM with innovative health and wellbeing festival

Lubrizol, whose UK Technical Centre is based at Hazelwood near Duffield, has more than 300 members of staff based all round the world who will be taking part in this year’s CALMFest, set up by Derbyshire’s Sarah Markham.

CALMFest will be taking place during Mental Health Awareness Week from May 13-19. It will feature three sessions a day with experts in mental health-related topics sharing top tips on subjects including gut health, neurodiversity, sleep and financial wellbeing, with the overall aim of helping participants become at least one per cent calmer.

Sarah, founder of Calm In A Box, said: “I’m absolutely delighted to have Lubrizol’s support for CALMFest 2024.

“The event will bring together like-minded people and arm them with the tools to help them become at least 1 per cent CALMer. They can then take their new-found skills into the workplace, to help bring about change and it’s clear from their involvement that Lubrizol is a company that gives its people time to achieve their goals.”

Headline sponsors for the event are Nuclear AMRC, Nuclear Industry Association and St Modwen, while companies including Cooper Parry, Mortgage Advice Bureau, Rolls-Royce and the University of Derby are involved, too.

The event will also raise funds for mental health charity Mind, which Lubrizol has previously supported, raising £28,282 through a series of fundraisers, including holding the “Lubrizol Olympics” during the Covid lockdowns of 2020 and 2021.

Claire Hollingshurst, who is one of Lubrizol’s mental health first aiders, said: “It’s brilliant that Sarah Markham is holding CALMFest and I am looking forward to taking part, along with hundreds of other Lubrizol employees around the world.

“Mental health and wellbeing is something we take very seriously at Lubrizol. We have a team of mental health first aiders, including trained up members of our student cohort. We also hold ‘Wellbeing Wednesdays’ which give colleagues a chance to have time away from their desks ranging from anything from yoga to cooking and gardening. I’m glad that so many people from Lubrizol have supported CALMFest, it’s a great initiative which I am sure people will find very helpful.”