County Sports Partnerships (CSPs) up and down the country have been helping businesses to get active and into the team spirit this summer with their Workplace Challenge Business Games events. The events are open to all businesses and all employees. Business Games feature a range of team sports and challenges. No experience is necessary as the emphasis is on fun and networking.
The following CSPs have delivered some excellent Business Games events and the highlights are featured below.
Active Norfolk Fit 4 Work Corporate Games
On Friday June 10, Active Norfolk welcomed 42 teams from organisations across Norfolk to the Sportspark for the Active Norfolk Fit4Work Corporate Games (picture with tennis rackets and green t shirts).
The games, sponsored by Healthy Norwich and The Forum, offered a unique opportunity for employees to get together and show off their team work and sporting skills against teams from other local businesses.
Teams enjoyed a day of sporting activities and friendly competition, which culminated in a nail-biting wait for the scores, which were incredibly close. This year, a team fromCrown Commercial Services were crowned champions, with Saffron Housing in second place and TRO in third place.
Kent Sport Business Games
Sixteen workplaces battled it out on Friday 8 July at Strood Sports Centre to see who would be crowned the Kent and Medway Business Games Champions 2016. Linked to Kent’s Workplace Challenge, the event was an opportunity for colleagues to come together, represent their workplace, try new sports, get active and have some fun outside the office.
This year, the Games meant business! Teams played adapted versions of sports such as Ultimate Frisbee, Pickleball, Human Table Football, Kwik Cricket and Sitting Volleyball. Individuals also took on the Challenge Zone involving a bike challenge, a Rowing challenge and a Golf challenge.
For 2016, Kent Sport, in partnership with Medway Sport, teamed up with National Grid-GrainLNG and Wellbeing People to deliver an even bigger and better Kent and Medway Business Games.
The event kicked off with a mass participation warm up led by Lucy Tomlinson, our very own Event Organiser and Workplace Challenge Coordinator. Over 120 people from 16 workplaces took part. The teams then competed in eight rounds of matches trying out all the different sports and activities.
Lucy Tomlinson commented “The afternoon was a huge success. The feedback from participants on the day was extremely positive and everyone seemed to be having lots of fun. The event is a great platform to promote sport and physical activity to a wide range of businesses and the adapted sports and activities went down really well. A bit of healthy competition definitely helped to keep everyone on their toes!”
The Awards ceremony took place at the end of the day. We’d like to thank Graham Taylor Engravers for donating the Team Trophies, Justine from Wellbeing People for handing out the team certificates and Simon from National Grid-GrainLNG for handing out the winning team trophies. All participants received medals and Business Games sports bottles.
Congratulations to Shepway District Council who were crowned our 2016 Business Games Champions, closely followed by Kent Cricket in 2nd place and Uniper in 3rd.
Northamptonshire Sport Business Games
20 teams from businesses and workplaces across the county battled it out in the 3rd annual Northamptonshire Sport Business Games at Moulton College.
After the success of the first two annual Business Games events, this year 160 competitors took part compared to 100 last year. Over half of the teams this year were new to the event with teams such as Pets at Home and RML Group from Wellingborough taking part in their first business games. At the other end of the scale, Parklands Primary School are committed attendees at Workplace Challenge events now having entered a team in every competition since the programme launched three years ago. They just can't stay away!
Each team, made up of 8 players, sported a different colour t-shirt to represent their business and took part in five different sports and challenges, including Netball, Walking Football, Bowls, Touch Rugby and a Team Challenge. Teams rotated around all the sports, getting to play against different opposition each time.
After an evening of heated competition and great sportsmanship, all their efforts were rewarded with a hog roast prior to the unveiling of the results.
Northampton School for Boys clinched first place, much to the disappointment of Everyone Active who had been reigning champions for the last 2 years.
Pets at Home (SDC warriors) came in 2nd place and Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust came in 3rd place.
Oxfordshire Sport & Physical Activity Business Games
The photo montage from Oxfordshire Sport & Physical Activity shows exactly what Business Games are all about depicting great team spirit, multi sport fun and of course trophies, medals and certificates!
On Friday 15th July, 10 teams from businesses across the county competed against each other to see who would be crowned Oxfordshire Business Games champion 2016.
Despite an over cast, and at times, wet day, spirits were high and teams arrived early at The Leys Pool and Leisure Centre to receive their last minute instructions, goodie bags and team t shirts.
The day’s proceedings kicked off with a boisterous Bubble Football tournament followed by a barbecue lunch giving the teams ample time to recuperate and socialise. Touch Rugby was next on the agenda with a friendly yet highly fought competition coming to a close shortly before the rain came down. Due to the inclement weather, rounders had to be abandoned and the inflatable team challenge was brought forward. Teams battled ‘Bish Bash’, scrambled through nets and walloped the ‘Wack a Wall’ in the ultimate competition of the day.
The medal ceremony completed a very full but enjoyable day with the Legacy Leisure team taking the honours as 2016 champions.
Sport Birmingham Business Games
Braving the rain in the name of sport, Brum's businessmen and women swapped their ties for their trainers for the annual Birmingham Business Games. Perry Barr's Alexander Stadium welcomed over 200 of the city's professionals, who battled it out in their teams of 10 to be crowned the ultimate champion (picture with podium and yellow t shirts)
The final scores were close after the corporates-turned-competitors had tried their hands (and in some cases feet) at softball, volleyball, bowls, tug of war, and athletics. However, when the points were counted and verified, it was the aptly-named 'All Stars' – a mixed team of individuals from a number of organisations - that emerged victorious. Joint second were JMP Consultants and 'Where There's Oak, There's Fire' from Oaks Consultancy, with local charity Sport 4 Life coming in a respectable fourth.
Speaking about the event, participant Kathryn Small from Gowling WLG said:
"The evening was great fun, with all teams rolling their sleeves up and getting stuck in! The atmosphere was great despite the occasional wet weather trying to dampen the team spirit, and there was a real sense of community. Sport Birmingham have put on yet another fantastic event and I can't wait to enter again next year (and hopefully finish slightly higher on the scoreboard)!"
However, while the day was all fun and games, at the event's core was the very important task of raising money for charity. The Birmingham Business Games is Sport Birmingham's flagship event for workplaces and this year they joined forces with local charity LoveBrum to raise the profile of the event and the brilliant work done by both charities. As well as having sport masseuses on hand to soothe aches and pains in exchange for donations, there was also a charity raffle held on the night, where entrants had the chance to win prizes such as 2 tickets to a Birmingham City Football game in the hospitality box, a free treatment Session/Sports Massage from Achieve Physio or a 1 month free membership with 2 Personal Training sessions from Nuffield Health.
Overall, the evening amassed £1500.
Amy Bird from Sport Birmingham said:
"I am thrilled with the success of this year's Business Games! All of the teams turned-up with so much enthusiasm and it was great to see so many people getting involved and having fun out of the office.
I am incredibly pleased about the money we raised and I cannot even begin to thank all those who donated. On behalf of both Sport Birmingham and LoveBrum, I would like express our gratitude to all of the sponsors, the competitors, volunteers and the staff who ensured the success of the event: we couldn't have done it without you."
This year's generous sponsors were Simkiss Guy Recruitment, Swallow Drinks, Synaxis Design Consultancy, Achieve Physiotherapy, New Leaf Health, Onyx Accountants, Gowling WLG, Clean Space and Irwin Mitchell.
How can your business get involved?
The first step to getting your business involved in the Workplace Challenge and Business Games events is to sign up for free on the Workplace Challenge website – www.workplacechallenge.org.uk
If you need convincing or want to know more about hoe your organisation can help employees to be healthy and active check out our manifesto – www.workplacechallenge.org.uk/manifesto
If you’re inspired by the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic games and want to get your business moving why not take part in our Shake Up September 2016 National Challenge? Find out more and get involved at www.workplacechallenge.org.uk/shakeup
