A brilliant day on the water for a very important cause

Saturday was a little different for the Shuker team as we swapped our usual working environment for a day on the water at the Severn Hospice Dragon Boat Race.

Our team, the Shuker Screw Crew, joined businesses, friends and members of the local community for a day of racing, fundraising and plenty of friendly competition, all in support of Severn Hospice.

It was a fantastic event from start to finish. With teams preparing for their races, supporters lining the banks and plenty of noise and encouragement throughout the day, there was a real sense of occasion.

Most importantly, everyone taking part was there for the same reason: to support Severn Hospice and help raise funds for the important work it does across our local community.

By the end of the event, we were delighted to have raised £2,357 for Severn Hospice.

 

 

Taking the Shuker Screw Crew onto the water

There is a big difference between working together on a building project and trying to get a dragon boat across a finish line.

The principle, however, is familiar.

Everyone has a role to play, communication matters and the result depends on people working together.

Once the Shuker Screw Crew were in the boat, individual effort could only get us so far. The paddling needed to be coordinated, the pace needed to be maintained and everyone had to keep going together.

It was certainly a different type of teamwork to what we experience during a normal working week, but that was part of the appeal.

The competitive element made it even more enjoyable. There was plenty of determination once each race got underway, with teams giving everything they had and supporters encouraging the crews from the side.

For our team, it was a chance to step away from the usual routine and take on something completely different.

 

Supporting an important local charity

While the racing created plenty of excitement, the reason behind the event was never far from our minds.

Severn Hospice provides care and support to local people and their families when they need it most. Its work has a direct impact on communities across the region, making it a charity that is particularly important to the people and businesses who live and work here.

Events such as the Dragon Boat Race provide an opportunity for local businesses and the wider community to contribute towards that work.

For us, taking part was about more than entering a team. We wanted to be involved in an event that brought people together while supporting a cause that makes a genuine difference to local families.

It was encouraging to see so many businesses and teams taking part and putting their time and energy into supporting the event.

 

 

A different kind of teamwork

Teamwork is a big part of everyday life at Shuker.

Our projects involve people with different skills, responsibilities and areas of expertise working together to deliver the right outcome. Good communication and a shared understanding of what needs to be achieved are important parts of that process.

The Dragon Boat Race gave us a very different way to put those principles into practice.

There was nowhere to hide once the race started. Everyone had to keep pace with the rest of the crew, listen to the rhythm of the boat and keep pushing towards the finish.

It was also a useful reminder that teamwork does not always have to happen in a working environment.

Sometimes, putting people in a completely different situation can bring out a different side of a team. There was plenty of encouragement, a fair amount of competitive spirit and, above all, a lot of enjoyment throughout the day.

 

Getting involved in our local community

As a business operating in the local area, we believe being part of the community is important.

Our work naturally brings us into contact with a wide range of local businesses, organisations and people. Supporting events such as this gives us the opportunity to contribute in a different way and get involved with something outside our normal day-to-day activities.

The Dragon Boat Race was a particularly good example of that.

It brought together people from different businesses and backgrounds, all giving up their time to support the same charity.

There was no need for complicated reasons or agendas. The purpose was straightforward: get involved, have a good day and raise money for Severn Hospice.

That simplicity was part of what made the event so enjoyable.

 

An event built around people

One of the best things about the day was the atmosphere around the races.

Dragon boat racing is naturally a team event, but the experience extended well beyond the people actually sitting in the boats.

There were supporters cheering from the banks, teams encouraging one another and people taking the opportunity to spend time with colleagues, friends and other members of the local business community.

That created an atmosphere that was competitive without losing sight of why everyone was there.

For our team, having colleagues and supporters around us made the experience even better. It turned what could simply have been a day of racing into something that felt much more like a shared community event.

 

 

Away from the usual working day

Our normal working environment is focused on projects, clients, deadlines and the practical demands that come with delivering work to a high standard.

A day like this offered a welcome change of pace.

There were no plans to manage, programmes to work to or site issues to resolve. Instead, the challenge was much simpler: get into the boat, work together and give it everything.

That gave the team an opportunity to spend time together in a completely different setting.

It is easy for the day-to-day demands of work to mean that people spend most of their time focused on their individual responsibilities. Events outside the workplace provide a chance to bring everyone together and enjoy something as a group.

The Dragon Boat Race did exactly that.

 

 

Thank you to everyone who supported us

A day like this does not happen without the people behind it.

We would like to thank everyone who supported the Shuker Screw Crew during the fundraising campaign, whether by making a donation, sharing our fundraising or helping us spread the word.

We are also grateful to everyone who came along on the day and supported the teams from the sidelines.

The encouragement from supporters helped create the atmosphere around the races and made the event even more enjoyable for everyone taking part.

We would also like to thank the Severn Hospice team and everyone involved in organising the event.

Putting together an event of this scale takes a huge amount of planning and coordination, and the result was a thoroughly enjoyable day with a clear purpose behind it.

 

A day we will remember

Looking back, the Dragon Boat Race was a great combination of teamwork, competition and community.

It gave us the chance to support Severn Hospice, spend time together away from our usual working environment and meet people from other local businesses and organisations.

It was also a good reminder of what can be achieved when people come together behind a common cause.

For the Shuker Screw Crew, the day will certainly be remembered for the racing, the atmosphere and the experience of getting out on the water together.

But more than anything, it was about supporting an organisation that provides an important service to people and families in our region.

We are proud to have played our part and grateful to everyone who supported us along the way.

£2,357 raised for Severn Hospice, and a brilliant day shared with the local community.

We look forward to finding more opportunities to get involved, support local causes and give something back to the communities in which we work.