We can hardly believe that we are writing this, it is Christmas week and yet strangely it still feels like the beginning of Summer? When we closed those doors to our offices back in March, much like the rest of the country we envisaged that it would only be a couple of months before we would be working alongside our work family and friends again – now we are living in the virtual world, enjoying the benefits which that can bring (no queuing on the M6/M62, etc. and being able to see more of family) but also working through the challenges of not being able to meet face-to-face and chat in the kitchen whilst making the daily cup of tea!
Our year has been the same as so many others and a mix of mainly highs (for which we are thankful) and lows. We have newly acquired offices, waiting to be filled with the hustle and bustle of daily work chat and calls and we have had to onboard a new member of staff totally virtually. However, on the upside, I cannot reiterate enough how fantastic it has been, and how lucky we are to have such a positive and upbeat team. Together the BT&S family (both at work and home including the children and pets) have kept us smiling even when things have felt a little overwhelming. We also had our one-year anniversary in July, where we held BTS Olympics outside, and even though it was not what was planned we simply had the most amazing and fun time.
It’s fair to say we all love Christmas and we recently took part in the National Elf charity day for Alzheimer’s raising £479 for a cause that is very close to our hearts – we found ourselves tramping around the woods on the coldest and wettest day so far, dressed as elves. We got some funny looks but thoroughly enjoyed the fact that not only were we raising money for a fantastic charity, but also having some much-needed team fun and giggles and a little cheeky coffee to keep warm!
We have all found this year challenging in one way or another and everyone will have had a different experience personally of the year. However, what we can say is this - no it has not been the norm, and things have constantly had to be changed or amended, but where there is a will there is a way and I am happy to say that we can look back over our BTS year and feel so incredibly lucky that we still have memories to laugh and smile about. Our Christmas party was cancelled but now we are looking forward to a Spring Christmas party instead, our Christmas incentives have changed slightly and now we are banking our prizes for next year so we will have even bigger treats instead…. you see where this is going…..
Finally, we hope you all have a lovely Christmas and here’s to 2021. Let’s hope it brings cheer and goodwill to all, and more importantly, take care and we hope to be able to personally see you next year.