Bikes, mud, teamwork – and a fair amount of friendly abuse

Last weekend we swapped building sites and access platforms for something a little different, bringing together more than 20 members of the Michael Wilson & Son team, subcontractors, suppliers and customers for a corporate day at Inch Perfect Trials in Lancashire.

And what a day it turned out to be.

Whenever you organise an event for a group this size – particularly one bringing together people with very different levels of experience and confidence – there’s always that slight worry beforehand: Will everyone enjoy it? Will the weather behave? Have we picked something that genuinely works for the whole group?

And for Tom, as the person organising it, there may have even been a couple of sleepless nights in the run-up 😬 .

He needn’t have worried.

From complete beginners to those rather more comfortable on two wheels, every one had a brilliant day.

The bikes, equipment and facilities were first class, the food was fantastic – and the whole day was incredibly well organised.

But the biggest credit has to go to Matthew, his team and all the instructors at Inch Perfect.

Managing a group of more than 20 people with a wide range of abilities could easily have felt complicated, but they made it look effortless. Everyone was made to feel comfortable from the outset, the instruction was excellent and people were encouraged to progress at their own pace while the emphasis stayed firmly on safety, enjoyment and having a go.

By the end of the day there was plenty of mud, lots of laughter, a bit of healthy competition and, inevitably, an impressive amount of taking the mickey out of one another.

Which, for us, is exactly what a good team day should look like.

Although days like this are great fun, there is something important behind them too.

Michael Wilson & Son has always been built on relationships. That includes the people who work directly for us, the subcontractors and suppliers we rely upon, and the customers who continue to place their trust in us.

Construction is very much a team effort. Projects are delivered through people working together, communicating, solving problems and building relationships – often over many years.

So it was great to step away from work for a day and simply spend some proper time together.

Seeing colleagues, customers, suppliers and subcontractors laughing together, encouraging each other and occasionally watching one another disappear unceremoniously into the mud made the whole event a huge success.

A massive thank you to the instructors who were absolutely phenomenal throughout the day, and of course to Matthew’s mum for an excellent lunch!

Here’s to another day of bikes, mud, laughter, friendly competition and everything else that comes with getting the team together.

Thank you to everyone who joined us and helped make it such a memorable day.