STAFF at the Warrington Campus of the University of Chester are working hard to raise money for this year’s BBC Children in Need appeal through a variety of activities.
But few have gone to the lengths of Jim Mason, programme leader and senior lecturer in commercial music production, who walked to work and then back home again – a distance of 22 miles.
Jim lives at Urmston, in Trafford, and the walk took around eight hours in total.
He left his house at around 5am to get to work for 9am and then arrived back home at around 9pm.
In between, he worked a full day at the University, which involved lectures, tutorials with students and daily administration.
Jim has worked at the University for more than 16 years, and walking to work and back has always been something he aspired to do. He said: “I love walking, I’d walk to work every day if it was practical. The morning of my walk to work was fantastic – the sunrise was amazing, I listened to just the right playlist and I even stopped off for a lovely cooked breakfast at a ‘truckstop’ type cafe.
“The walk home was harder, my legs started to ache a lot in the last hour. I’m not a very fit person, so I did start to really feel it towards the end and it was a challenge. When I got home, I had a nice bath and some chips! People have been really generous with their donations – I’ve raised much more money than I thought I would for Children In Need, who do great work.”
So far, Jim has raised more than £600. Donations can still be made at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/jimmasonurmston
Other staff at the Warrington Campus are planning to raise money too. Jeanette Lowe and Annette Collins, both LIS (Learning Information Services) resources assistants, will be completing 5K on the Warrington Campus running track to There will be a bucket for donations at the Warrington Campus reception for those who would like to donate.
