Purrfect tribute to Derbyshire firm’s feline friend

Mrs Pickles, a calico cat, was adopted by staff at Lubrizol, in Hazelwood, shortly after she was born at a farm in nearby Shottle Gate.

She was a popular member of the Lubrizol team who have decided to name an onsite wildlife area Pickle’s Place in memory of the moggy.

Systems manager Claire Hollingshurst said: “We had quite a few suggestions for the name of our wildlife area, but when Mrs Pickles died everyone on the fund-raising committee thought this would be a very worthy name to choose in her memory.

“Old age crept up I’m afraid, she died just a few weeks before her 18th birthday. She had been on site since she was a kitten, replacing another cat who was called Mackenzie. She particularly enjoyed the company of our security team and visitors would often make a fuss of her while they were signing in.

“But we’re having a little plaque made with her name engraved on it, so hopefully Mrs Pickles will leave a lasting legacy here at Lubrizol.”

Earlier in the year staff had been invited to nominate a name for the wildlife area as part of a fund-raising challenge to raise money for Derbyshire Wildlife Trust.

The firm organised a range of activities for the Trust’s Wild Business Challenge, including a sponsored hedgehog hunt across the site.

Staff also took part in an Indulgence Drop which meant they gave up an item of food for a week and donated the money they would have spent to the Trust.

The company, which raised £215 for Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, also invited colleagues to guess how many miles the toy badger, Brock, would tot up in a month during business trips with staff.

In total he travelled 2477 miles, visiting Lubrizol sites in Huddersfield, Mostyn and Blackley as well as some seminars in London and Brussels.

The nearest guess was 2471, just six miles off the correct total, and the lucky winner of Brock the Badger and Wildfest Tickets was Dave Adams, who is one of a number of Lubrizol employees with a keen interest in the wildlife on site.

Dave leads a transect walk across the site on a weekly basis to record data about the flora and fauna on site and activity in the various nesting boxes. The company has kestrels nesting in the grounds, along with yellowhammers.