An enforced shutdown saw everyone at Pave Aways down tools or leave their desk — but it was all for a good cause as we came together for our annual away day.
This year’s event, held at The Edge outdoor activities centre near Much Wenlock, included a range of team building activities with a special focus on mental health.
Sabrina Davies’ new role as health and wellbeing officer, where she will lead on company-wide initiatives to enhance the welfare of our team, was officially announced and there was an inspiring talk from Shropshire’s own Darren Edwards.
Darren told how he has gone from sustaining a severe spinal cord injury in a rock-climbing accident to becoming the first disabled person to kayak from Land’s End in Cornwall to John O’Groats in Scotland and how his disability has encouraged him to think differently.
Managing Director Steven Owen said: “Our away day is the single most important event of the year for us. It’s a chance for us to have fun with some team building tasks but this year it was about much more than that.
“We know the success of Pave Aways is down to our team and we genuinely care about them, hence Sabrina’s new role that will be looking at what we can do to support our staff further. This was one day where we can all come together, reconnect as a group and learn more about how we can work better together and look out for each other.”
Steven added: “People have mental health issues in all walks of life, but they are particularly prevalent in construction. This was a chance to tackle the stigma that can go with depression, stress or anxiety for example and let everyone know that we are here to help them.
“Darren’s talk gave us all food for thought about how we can help ourselves and those around us.”
Check out our photo gallery from the day! Scroll across using the arrows
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