Last week we closed the office for the whole day so that our team could enjoy our first Team Building day since the pandemic started!
We have added several new team members since our last team building day in 2019 including Fran, Katy, Che, Charlie and Harry! This is a huge growth for any firm but especially for one that puts family values at the forefront. This day was incredibly important for us to all bond as a team now that we are back in the office with all our new team members. It was also nice to be able to socialise outside of the office!
Axe throwing with Wild Blades!
Katie organised a wonderful day for us all. We visited Wild Blades, another local Haverhill business, for a day of axe throwing and team building challenges!
Despite the warnings of snow, the weather started out sunny but cold. Handy as the entire day was outdoors. Dan and Toby from Wild Blades gave us a safety breifing (axes are dangerous!) and then taught us the standard one-handed throw.
After a bit of practice, most of the team got this, some even hitting bullseyes early on! Jenni M. had an advantage as she had done it before, and it should be no surprise to anyone that Paul, James, Adrian and Charlie picked it up quickly.
Unfortunately, there were a couple of us who didn’t manage to master the one-handed throw. No matter how hard she tried, Fran couldn’t manage to hit the target with the right end of the axe using this method. Luckily, during a tea break, she practiced with Toby and tried a two-handed throw, and finally managed to hit the bullseye! Seeing this, Jenni D. also decided to try this method and also found it much easier.
Playing Games
Once we could all actually hit the target with the axe, we started playing games! First, we did a couple of quick rounds to see who could score the most. The first round was won by Paul (no surprise there) and the second round was won by Che! Charlie and James maintained a consistent second and third place. There were many other games including naughts and crosses, hit the card, and thump the stump.
Team Building Challenges
After a lovely lunch, we then began the team building activities. We had to work together to complete a series of 9 tasks in order to complete the Viking ship and sail to victory. It came down to the wire, but with us all working together and putting our strongest team members forward towards the end, we managed to complete all the tasks with 19 seconds to spare!
Overall we had a lovely day and feel like a much stronger team because of it, both in team spirit and arm strength! Dan and Toby from Wild Blades planned a fantastic series of events and were wonderful hosts and teachers who joined in with our banter perfectly. We highly recommend them.
A big thanks to Katie for organising the day for us, we can’t wait until the next one!
