Last weekend, I was part of a Mitsubishi Electric team that took part in Chester Zoo’s ‘Run for Nature’ event, joining thousands of others all raising much needed funds to support the Zoo’s conservation efforts.
This year’s event featured a 10K run, a new 5k challenge and the children’s 1-mile fun run, which my 5-year-old daughter Halle and my colleague, Michael Smith’s daughter, Nora took part in. They both deserve a special shout out for joining Team Mitsubishi Electric and running brilliantly – they really were amazing!
We also need an extra big cheer for Michael Smith from our Wakefield office, who smashed it by coming 34th out of everyone who took part. Joining us were Michael Brocklehurst, Jamie Penny and Tim Ravenscroft
The runs took us through both the local countryside and the zoo grounds, which was a brilliant experience, running alongside giraffes, zebras, elephants and some of the other 500 species being cared for.
Visit the Zoo and you will quickly see why it is the most visited zoo in the UK
Matt Dodwell Regional Business Manager for the Northwest
Vital and important work
The Zoo is one of the UK's largest and has been open since 1931. For anyone uncertain about the important work they do, many species like the endangered Eastern Black Rhino would likely already be extinct if it wasn’t for places like Chester Zoo.
As a not-for-profit organisation, the zoo ploughs everything into its conservation mission, both in the UK and around the world and works with more than 3,000 species globally, including hundreds of international animal conservation breeding programmes, which are ensuring the survival of species on the very brink of extinction.
We’ve had family passes to the Zoo for about four years now and love going whenever we can.
My kids absolutely love it, so when we heard about the run, we thought it would be a great way to support the Zoo and help strengthen the relationship with Mitsubishi Electric.
Altogether, the event will have raised over £200,000 and this year’s primary focus is on giraffes which are a particular favourite of my daughters. Every pound raised helps the Zoo to do more important conservation work to help the Nubian giraffe survive and thrive, so raising money to help them felt extra special. It was also my eldest daughter’s very first running event, which she was thrilled to be part of!
An African Savannah
On top of that, it gave us the perfect chance to explore the new Heart of Africa area at the Zoo — the amazing new home of the giraffes.
It was also great to share the experience with other Mitsubishi Electric colleagues and their families.
We’re proud of the ongoing partnership between Chester Zoo and Mitsubishi Electric, working together to support conservation and a more sustainable future, and events like this are a fantastic way of showing our support on a personal level.
The zoo is aiming to be net zero in its scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030 and net zero in its scope 3 emissions by 2050 at the latest. As part of this, it is actively working to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels. Each of its buildings have very different requirements, based on their use, including the animals and species housed in them.
As a business, our involvement lets us demonstrate how renewable heating and energy efficient air conditioning can be used to help keep the zoo’s animals comfortable, whatever the weather in Cheshire.
A heat pump for almost any home
We’ve been working with the zoo’s facilities teams to reduce carbon emissions and deliver energy efficient comfort across a diverse range of buildings with internal climates from African savannahs to South American rainforests.
We have also recently been involved in the Heart of Africa project with Ecodan heat pumps and M Series air conditioning installed in the 51 luxurious and thoughtfully designed lodges which allow guests to wake up to the sounds and sights of the African Savannah,
The zoo is working tirelessly to reduce carbon emissions and remove gas from the 128-acre site and, in addition to heat pumps in the Zebra enclosure and the lodges, there are more throughout the zoo in places as diverse as the Butterfly Habitat, the snow leopard, and the home of the endangered Eastern Black Rhino.
When we announced our partnership with the Zoo in 2024, TV presenter George Clarke summed it up beautifully when he said that: “If a heat pump can heat a rhino house, then it can heat just about any home.”
I thoroughly enjoyed the day and, if you’ve never been to Chester Zoo, I really would recommend a visit and you will quickly see why it is the most visited zoo in the UK, attracting around two million visitors each year. It has previously been named as the best zoo in the UK and third in the world by TripAdvisor.
I’m also pretty certain that we will be taking part in the Run for Nature event again next year, certainly after seeing Halle wearing her finisher medal to school with pride!
Matt Dodwell is Regional Business Manager for the Northwest
