Win a Half Day Teambuilding Experience worth £1000 for up to 20 People!

Win a Half Day Teambuilding Experience With Yorkshire Teambuilding Worth £1000 for up to 20 People!

You herd it here first, Yorkshire Teambuilding is giving away a pair of socially-distanced team building experiences like no other. H&E North finds out more about how chasing sheep is uniting teams across the UK.

Here on Amy Gault’s family farm in the hills of Hebden Bridge, there’s no Wi-Fi and not much in the way of phone signal, but teams have long been coming to drink in the spectacular views of the Upper Calder Valley while taking on their next big challenge. The more sensible elements of the business, such as the first aid and health safety training, run out of the classroom, but their wackier teambuilding options – namely sheep herding and ‘chickolympics’ – run in the lush open fields on the fully-working farm. “Hebden Bridge is famous for all sorts of reasons,” says Amy. “Not only have we been dubbed the lesbian capital of the UK but voted the fourth funkiest town in the world! An influx of hippies really put us on the map in the 70s – and that might be an inspiration for our slightly alternative way of thinking!”

Equipped with a degree in Outdoor and Environmental Education, Amy has been delivering corporate team building for the past 20 years. But five years ago, it was an experience in the paddocks that gave her the baa-rilliant idea to bring corporate events into the farmyard: “I remember watching the farm hands making hilariously hard work of herding the sheep into their pen. I told them, if they could just communicate and organise themselves properly, there must be an easier way! The thought struck me that this would make a perfect opportunity for teams to look at the way they interact and synergise.”

Within a year, Amy was running trial events, ushering family and friends into the sheep fields and watching the magic unfold: “It was an interesting learning process and we had lots of positive feedback from younger members, and on the other end of the spectrum my dad was going: ‘well, that was bloody ridiculous – this will never take off!’ But within a year, we established the event as a bespoke corporate package which teams from across the UK have been benefitting from ever since. We have nothing but space, so social distancing is not a problem. We were successfully able to run when restrictions allowed last year, so are taking bookings with confidence again this summer.”

While the concept of running around after a flock of sheep in the name of team building sounds inherently ridiculous; with the right facilitation, Amy believes it can be a valuable learning exercise: “Inevitably every time a group comes in, their first attempt is a shambles! As I pull them back in to reflect, we start to look at things we might do to improve next time. The session gives a surprisingly accurate overview of the team dynamic and there are so many metaphors you can draw across to the workplace to facilitate shared goals.”

While it’s important for teams to have a laugh, especially during such trying times, Amy proves there is no reason teams can’t use fun experiences to develop a roadmap for the future of their workplace: “At the end of each session, we ask participants to pull out a key learning point from the day and write it on a little piece of fabric which gets sewn up into a string of bunting they can hang in their office. It’s a lovely way to bring that learning back into the workplace after the initial excitement has worn off.”

With experience in reaching challenging young adults, Amy is particularly aware of how to gently challenge individuals, ensuring more reticent team members are able to participate in a psychologically safe learning environment: “It’s my belief that the wallflower has the best ideas but is often overlooked because they’re not putting themselves forward. I always want to draw people out to bring out the best in them.”

Yorkshire Teambuilding offers three packages for up to 20 participants, which can double on full days which include rotational events: “The Bronze package is a great taste of what we offer, comprising a half day of activities with tea and cake. Silver is a full day of sessions with a locally sourced meal, usually a Yorkshire burrito (that’s a roast dinner wrapped in a Yorkshire pudding, for those who haven’t been fortunate enough to try one!). While the bespoke Gold package, with more activities and deeper facilitated reflection, centres around developing team cohesion and getting into the grit of some of the issues businesses are facing. Sometimes I’ll uncover particularly sensitive issues I may not have the correct expertise to deal with, so I’ll refer them on to a coach or a specialist counsellor who can help.”

The Silver and Gold packages are capped off in the best way Amy knows how: a tutored tasting session with the finest local ales or gins: “We make sure to leave the drinks until the end of the day – I don’t think we’re insured to let you loose with the sheep after a tipple!”

Yorkshire Teambuilding is offering one lucky winner a half-day for up to 20 team members at the farm including tea, cake and sheepherding worth £1,000! The runner-up will receive a fun one-hour Zoom team building session for 20, sheep not included. To be in with a chance to win, head to our website and answer the following question…

What do you do to keep your team happy?

Enter online at Hospitalityandeventsnorth.com/competition. Entries must include your personal and company name, address, daytime telephone number and email address. Winners will be randomly selected on the closing date: 6th April 2021.

Terms and conditions apply: Winners must respond within 14 days of email notification to claim. Attendees must be over 18 and travel at own cost. No cash alternative and non-transferable. Prize days must be completed before 6th May 2021. Dates and times subject to availability. Maximum one entry per organisation. When entering the competition online, you have the option to not be entered into H&E North Magazine and Yorkshire Teambuilding’s databases to be contacted about news, promotions and special offers. The organisation’s name may be used in future print and marketing campaigns. Publisher’s decision is final.