Team away day
Your Place held an all staff away day at the Clifford Chance London HQ, almost three years after the last one due to the Covid-19 restrictions.
The day was an ideal opportunity for the team to come together and discuss how they have found the past couple years, recent changes to the organisation and to hear what the strategic roadmap is going forward. The host for the day was the incredible Vanessa Belleau, a Diversity and Inclusion consultant, who has been working closely with Caritas Anchor House.
How the day unfolded
The journey to now:
The away day started with group discussions on each person’s proudest achievement and how they have taken care of their mental health over the past couple of years. Amanda Dubarry (Chief Executive) then reminded everyone of how much we have accomplished together since our last away and how Caritas Anchor House continued to help so many people who have experienced homelessness despite the challenges of lockdown. The session finished with a panel discussion amongst Caritas Anchor House Directors, who then took questions from staff afterwards.
What’s new or changed since we last met?
Susan Smith (Head of Support, Frontline Services) gave everyone an update on our new services and Suzanne Maverick (Communications and Supporter Engagement Manager) presented our plans to bring new energy to our brand, refreshing our internal spaces for residents and launching a new website in the autumn. And our Belonging Committee spoke passionately about the work they are doing to promote inclusion and diversity.
What’s coming up in the next 12 months?
Amanda Dubarry (Chief Executive), John Lowery (Director of Frontline Services), Siva Selliah (Director of Finance) and Craig Hardaker (Director of People) each gave an update on their departments strategic vision. This was followed by an engaging Q/A session where the microphone was passed around giving everyone a chance to ask questions and voice their opinion.
London trivia quiz:
The day finished with an interactive quiz on London trivia. The winners achieved the impressive score of 9/10 and Brian, from the maintenance department, was very happy with the victory. The lucky winners will be going on an Unseen Tour led by people who have experienced homelessness.
Amanda Dubarry, Chief Executive of Caritas Anchor House, said after the event on Wednesday:
"So much has changed since our last staff away day, and it’s been a tough couple of years for everyone. However, to meet local needs we have grown the number of sites we operate, the services we provide, the number of residents we support, and the size of the team we have supporting them. To bring everyone together to reflect upon the last three years and to discuss our future was invaluable."
"I want to extend my thanks to Clifford Chance for their generous hospitality and to Vanessa Belleau from Highfifteen for acting as our host. Taking time away from our day jobs has helped clarify our objectives and sense of direction and has given us the space to have some really useful discussions which will inform our plans over the next year or two."
Everyone who attended would like to express their gratitude to Clifford Chance for donating their conference room at their London Canary Wharf office. The views were stunning, and the lunch and snacks were hugely enjoyed by all.
