On Friday 24th September, the team at Eton Bridge Partners spent 8 hours walking 21 miles through the Berkshire and Surrey scenery. “Why would you all give yourselves blisters for fun?” I hear you ask?

A) Believe it or not…we actually like spending time with each other! Having grown our headcount by 25% throughout the pandemic, it is extremely important to us as a company that we can all spend time together away from technology in a social setting.
B) 21 miles signifies the 2021 year of the Pandemic; a year which has been troublesome yet also positive for so many. Charities have been under huge pressure during this period, particularly across mental health and families; we therefore wanted to positively support an incredible charity – Young Minds.
C) As a brand that embraces wellbeing, collaboration, and people this was the perfect opportunity to come together and challenge ourselves, whilst also raising money for a great cause.

Having gone through the challenges of remote working together at the same time as a period of significant growth, we wanted to bring everyone together to solidify our culture whilst supporting a great cause.

A walk is all-inclusive; personal physical constraints can be accounted for….we can walk and talk without exasperating our lungs whilst also appreciating the beautiful scenery which we often forget is right on our doorstep!

So what REALLY happened on Friday 24^th?

However well planned, no day can go without hiccups….

8am – Charity t-shirts on and glitter painted on our faces (and the office floor!) taking us beyond the normal corporate Friday into the determined mindset of conquering the 21 miles that stretched ahead of us!

8.20am – the herding of adults begun with final toilet stops, and last-minute packing of water and snacks into rucksacks…a big thank you to our sister portfolio company, Wholebake who helped to keep our bellies full and spirits high with energy! We particularly recommend the Coconut & Macadamia Bounce Balls!

8.25am – we hear news of train delays meaning some of our London colleagues haven’t yet reached Windsor; luckily, we have an amazing support team on standby who can help them join us on the route….…so you think they’d take the option of car transport to catch-up, right?

8.30am – Laces strapped, a quick group photo and off we go!

10.30am – our first ‘pit-stop’ where we were then joined by our delayed London colleagues…who had run the first 10km to reach us! Luckily our support team also provided us with much needed fruit, water and pick-me-ups!

11.00am – Little did the group know, that the walk would also involve a small obstacle course. See photos. A few hurdles, stings, and dock-leaves later, we were back on our way.

12.00pm – we passed a pub…it would’ve been rude not to stop for a quick takeaway beer!

12.30-4.00pm: some family members (including dogs and babies) came and left; the sun shone; constant chatter meant 4 hours and the remaining distance flew by!

4pm: Arrive back at the office to bubbles, beer, and takeaway pizza!

4.30pm: Planning our 30mile challenge walk for 2023….and a new fitness Charity challenge for 2022…watch this space!

After various lockdowns and over 18 months of working from home it was the most fantastic day being in nature and being able to spend time with friends and colleagues achieving a fantastic goal for a great cause. We had such fun in complete unity completing a challenging but equally very enjoyable task. It was one of my favourite team-building exercises to date that allowed us all to get to know each other better in an informal and relaxed environment.

Mike Trollope

Why the route?

Our ‘mother ship’ and growth have originally stemmed from Windsor, so it felt fitting and significant for this walk.

I absolutely loved the 21miles Charity walk we did for Young Minds! The cause was great and the whole experience was unforgettable. I won’t lie, it was not the easiest thing to complete the whole walk but I did it and really enjoyed it. I got to speak and bond with a lot of people in the company and saw some lovely places along the way!

Klaudia Sucharzewska

Why Young Minds?

As a family and people-orientated business, it is important we support the next generation. Many employees within EBP have ‘grown up’ with the business, and others have family members who are intertwined with their everyday working life; now more than ever due to the Pandemic and working from home.

Young Minds was, therefore, voted internally as the perfect charity to support. Not least because their bright yellow t-shirts would mean no one got lost on the day.

Watch this space for bigger and better Charity events in 2022/23!

If you would like to see our route and perhaps enjoy some of the scenery yourself, please do so – EBP Young Minds Sept 2021 – MapMyRun

Thank you to everyone who sponsored us on this venture helping us to raise over £10,000!