Over 200 FPCR colleagues from across the practice’s six offices recently came together at Alton Towers, Staffordshire, for two days of team building, celebration, and thrill seeking.
The event brought together teams from across the business to strengthen connections and reflect on the practice’s recent achievements.
Day one – Alton Quest
The event began on Thursday afternoon with lunch at the resort before colleagues took part in Alton Quest – a digital, app-based treasure hunt designed to encourage collaboration, teamwork, and healthy competition!
Working in teams, participant navigated the theme park using tablets to solve clues, complete creative photo and video challenges and earn points on a live leaderboard. This activity encouraged teams to explore the park whilst working together to tackle a variety of problem-solving and location-based challenges.
A huge congratulations to the winning team ‘O’s & P’s’, which consisted of Assistant Ornithologist Oliver Sayle, Associate Landscape Architect Olivia Damsell, Senior Ecologist Oly Sayers, Associate Ecologist Paul Andrews and Principal Ecologist Paul Perrins.
Practice update and evening celebrations
Following the afternoon’s activities, colleagues retired to their rooms to get ready for an evening of celebration.
The evening began with a practice update from FPCR’s senior directors, reflecting on recent achievements and the continued growth of the practice. This included celebrating a hugely important milestone for FPCR – completion of the deferred payments for the company shares, cementing the transition to becoming a fully-fledged Employee-Owned Trust – alongside looking ahead to the firm’s 70th year in 2027.
A special segment was dedicated to honouring the remarkable contributions of FPCR Finance Director, Stephen Cooper, who is set to retire at the end of the month after 37 years working for the business.
Stephen commented: “Following a wonderful career at FPCR, I am ready to move on to the next stage of my life with so many happy memories of a really good job and a great set of colleagues. Thank you very much – it really has been a pleasure.”
Following the presentation, everyone enjoyed a three-course dinner before rounding off the evening with a DJ, photo booth, magician, and plenty of dancing.
Day two – theme park day
Friday saw colleagues enjoy full access to the Alton Towers theme park, taking on everything from the gentler rides to adrenaline favourites such as Oblivion, Wicker Man, and Rita – whilst building on connections from day one.
Bringing colleagues together
Events like this provide an opportunity for colleagues from across the practice to meet face-to-face, build relationships, and celebrate the achievements of the business as a whole.
A big thank you to everyone in attendance and to those who helped organise such a memorable and enjoyable couple of days.