To kick off the new year in style, the team took over Blackwell Grange for a day of training, creativity, inspiration and perspiration – not necessarily in that order! The company has grown exponentially over the last few months, so it was incredible to have everyone all together in one place, including Christian’s lovely dog, Hendricks (check out our Instagram for the latest pup-dates).

On arrival we were greeted by the sight of a bicycle-powered smoothie machine, which only hinted at the activities to come. There was an abundance of freebies on our very own Verve merch stall, hosted by Jo – it wouldn’t be a Verve event without multicoloured merch (or Jo, to be fair).

After some exciting company updates (which you may or may not be hearing about soon!), a little love from our ‘people person’ Natalie and an entertaining presentation from our resident GIF-genius Peter re all things technology, we were encouraged to choose from a variety of physical wellbeing sessions; yoga, HIIT, desk therapy treatment, or a walk around the beautiful grounds. As you can probably imagine, the team were well up for the challenge and some competitive natures certainly came out.

After a workout of sorts and a spot of lunch, it was time to discuss general wellbeing initiatives within The Verve Group – one suggestion was a water drinking challenge to make sure everyone is remaining hydrated through the working day. There was also an opportunity to talk about charitable causes and how we can support these during the coming year. This was a popular discussion, and the team came up with some brilliant ideas. We can’t wait to get started on them and we will make sure to keep you updated along the way.

The afternoon also included some emotional wellbeing sessions, ensuring that the team had all the tools needed to support themselves as we move into 2022 – including a mindfulness session and a ‘Managing Stress and Anxiety’ workshop. Apparently drinking wine is not how that is managed. Who knew?! Finally, it wouldn’t be a Verve day out without a spot of creativity (in the form of making our very own wall installation – pictures to come!) and a cheeky pub quiz – any guesses who won?!

Feeling suitably refreshed and inspired, we are ready for any challenge that comes our way in 2022, and can’t wait to show you what’s to come…