Saturday's team buidling

I’m not sure who’s idea the team building was in the first place but it’s taken a number of months, if not nearing a year (if I really wanted to find out I could review the minutes of our team meetings) for us to get around to doing it.  We tend to work more with other teams across our organisation than with people within our team so the rationale was that we should all get to know each other a bit better as the only things we do all together otherwise are the aforementioned team meetings and a yearly gathering at Christmas (a very seasonable curry last year).

We agreed in principle that we would do something together but the details took a while to fall in to place. Suggestions for the event included:

• Tree surfing – vetoed by most of those aged over 50
• All you can eat buffet competition – no-one actually owned up to suggesting this. Quite how it would be team building eludes me but there was apparently a t-shirt for the winner
• Bread making – not met with a great deal of enthusiasm

Then I got an email from WaterAid. Matt, my husband, and I had done a sponsored walk of part of the South West Coast Path for them a few years ago and this time they were recruiting for teams to climb 200 peaks across the country. I suggested this at one of our legendary team meetings and everyone seemed to think that this was a pretty good idea. So I signed us up to climb our most local “mountain” Sheepstor.  

Then we all forgot about it for a while.

As the day neared I thought that perhaps we should sort out the logistics. I checked our team page on the website and found that, despite repeated invitations to “join my team”, very few of the team had thus far signed up. The walkers included my boss, me and 2 others. So I had to do a bit of motivation – the lure of a free t-shirt should do it. The week before the event we were up to 6 signed up which was adequate numbers and, in my opinion, a reasonable personality mix. I sensitively collated t-shirt six requests and placed my order.

We also began some publication of our “climb” across the teams that we work with in an effort to raise (or exceed) the £400 sponsorship target the WaterAid set. A couple of us did a bit of promotion via social media and we distribute sponsor forms to the noticeboards of the other teams that we work with. This was met with much hilarity in some locations because as far as sponsored events go this would not be the most challenging (one colleague is about to embark upon a Lands End to John-O-Groats cycle ride) but our walk was for a good cause, people are generous and the forms started to fill up a bit.

All that was left to do was to hope for fine weather and sort out the final arrangements for the day. Most importantly this included planning catering. The consensus was that we should have a pub lunch rather than a picnic (I think that was everyone’s preference apart from mine and I am aware that I am uncommonly fond of a picnic). We agreed to meet at 10.30am and I sent round an email confirming details, including the route map, emergency instructions (anyone would think we were attempting the North Face of the Eiger) and reminding people to bring:

• A drink +/- some snacks – I had made some “Paradise Slice” the night before for us to refuel on
• Sensible footwear (including socks due to my perceived risk of ticks this was after all Sheepstor)
• A hat and sunscreen (the weather forecast was looking good)
• Games / activities with which to augment the walk

I drove up from Plymouth with 4 others. From an environmental point of view this was particularly pleasing to me. We stopped off at, Helen’s, the last pick-up-point to adorn ourselves with our t-shirts. As you might expect from a carful of women the talk on the way up was mostly about men, we would save the more refined topics for the walk itself – our boss (the only man on the walk) would have to contend with a group of chattering women as it was so we could at least improve matters for him by chattering about something he might be able to join in with.

We arrived only a few minutes after the planned rendezvous which was good going considering as we’d spent a good few minutes meeting Helen’s lovely cat Coco.

I had been uncommonly organised and printed off a copy of the suggested route. Unfortunately, upon arrival, I found that I had left this at home. Fortunately, I had packed a map of Dartmoor and due to the wonders of modern mobile technology was able to download the suggested route so between those we should be able to work it out. Unfortunately the suggested route map was both tiny and rubbish, and very difficult to see on my phone screen in the bright light anyway. The Dartmoor map was rather aged so it was difficult to make out which path we were actually on, plus it was very windy so was difficult to keep the map under control. In the end we just sort of made up our own route (it wasn’t until we were well in to the walk that I realised that I could also have used the satellite tracking on my phone improve this process). This did actually include a bit of climbing to get to the top of the tor. This was where I was most glad of my sensible footwear although I think everyone else was most glad of it due to all the various animal poo (some of which we could identify) on our chosen paths.

 

There were actually sheep at Sheepstor

We had a really lovely time, and I don’t think that I’m just speaking for myself. The conversation flowed freely and most people chatted for a bit of time with most others. As well as animal poo we talked about pubs, gardening and lots of other things and we all sat quietly enthralled and snacking (fruit and jelly sweets as well as the Paradise slice) whilst our boss told us about his time in Saudi Arabia – much more adventurous than the rest of us put together.  I think we all enjoyed finding out a bit more about each other and would say that we fulfilled our team building objective. We didn’t even need to enhance the walk with any of the games; which was probably a good thing as I think that there might have been a big injury risk had we deployed the ball that I had brought and / or the blind folds that Amy had brought (for three legged races and blind pairs) up a windy tor.

The team at the summit of Sheepstor

As well as the sunshine we were lucky with the visibility: the view from the top was magnificent and we all took a turn looking through our boss’s binoculars back towards the city, as well as admiring the nearby reservoir.

View of Burrator Reservoir

We were ready for our pub lunch by the time we got there and our boss kindly got us all some liquid refreshment. As I wasn’t the designated driver I couldn’t partake of the rather lovely still cider that most of my friends were drinking but a taste was enough to encourage me to return to this venue with someone else as the designated driver on a future occasion. Over lunch we started planning future team building exercises which might include a trip to a theme park or a water park. That really would be pushing it asking for sponsorship.

In the car home we reverted to our very first topic of conversation: men. Fuelled by the rather lovely cider (and maybe the team building) the talk amongst my friends was slightly more graphic than on the way up.

The team building would continue for a few of us later on a night out to some of Plymouth’s numerous waterside drinking establishments. I enjoy getting dressed up and putting some make-up on from time-to-time and this would be an ideal opportunity. The evening started with a quick drink at mine where I cracked open the duty free vodka that I had brought back from holiday.

Charlotte had this with fizzy apple juice while Helen and I had a cocktail of vodka, elderflower cordial and tonic water. Helen noted that it was a shame that we didn’t have some cherries to improve these further and I duly produced the cherries in spirit that have been in my fridge just waiting for such an occasion. The concoction was delicious.

We met up with Amy and her boyfriend for a little while before they headed off for a curry, Charlotte and I headed off for a cider and Helen headed off to meet someone else for a bit. It was great to have a natter with someone who I don’t natter with enough. We gave Helen the requested 45 minute rescue call but she wasn’t coming back to us fast so I helped Charlotte across the cobbles (a reflection on the shoes she was wearing not the amount that she had drunk) and we settled ourselves outside another bar for another drink.

I enjoyed watching the mating behaviour of the people of Plymouth on a night out and very felt lucky not to have to be actively involved in it. Helen eventually joined us again – one of her skills is clearly getting the attention of men and there were some choice / hilarious / pathetic chat up lines which unfortunately elude me as I write. This may indeed be evidence that alcohol impairs your memory.

Fortunately my faculties weren’t too impaired and I was able to ensure I had enough cash for a taxi home and was completely able to remember where home was as well as indulging in some small talk with the taxi driver. And I even had the foresight to have some toast with my favourite yeast extract and a big glass of water before retiring to bed.

Hopefully this’ll the first of many enjoyable team building days.

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