Heavenly Out Of Office Days

August 11th, 2021 was the first time I had seen my work colleagues “in real life” since we were all told to “stay home” on the 23rd March 2020. It was also the first time I had met new members of the Heavenly team where they weren’t just a head appearing on a laptop screen.

Before Covid forced the world to pause for a period, as a team we would often go to the pub on a Friday for lunch. Most of the time this is where we would see out the rest of our working day. I always enjoyed these afternoons as it gave everyone the chance to relax and get to know each other on a more personal level rather than the usual quick chat in the kitchen. With the Heavenly team now working remotely from all corners of the UK and Europe we needed new ways to come together as team.

August 2021 was our first official Out Of Office Day at Combe Abbey in Coventry. Our OOO days are when we come together once a month to try new experiences, explore parts of the UK, learn something new and volunteer for charities.

As a team we have so far learnt to cook Spanish tapas while learning about sustainability in the kitchen. This was followed by a tour of a carbon neutral farm in an underground air raid shelter used during the war.

We have been to Liverpool and taken in the famous skyline with a boat tour across the Mersey. We ended our day singing the tunes by The Fab Four at The Beatles museum while wearing John Lennon’s famous coloured round glasses.

Soon we will be volunteering our time at Grade I listed Brompton Cemetery to help The Royal Parks plant their spring bulbs which is important for the local wildlife and insects. Following our gardening, we will be taken on a tour to learn about the history of the cemetery which has been the resting place of over 200,000 people since the 1830’s, including some well-known names as Emmeline Pankhurst and John Snow.

Our OOO adventures are just the break we all need from working remotely. We spend most of our working life on our laptops or phones so sometimes it is important to down tools and have some fun.

With the world starting to open again and travel becoming easier, who knows, we could soon be exploring parts of Europe.