All our outdoor activities are run with very experienced qualified instructors who are particular chosen for having a good sense of humour and an understanding of what managemet teams want from their outdoor activities. So if you fancy rock climbing, canoeing or raft building in the Forest of Dean, gorge walking in Wales and the Brecon Beacons or caving and survival training in the Wye Valley then give us a call.
Don't forget, we run our outdoor activities for your management team at any time of the year although we would advise only doing reasonably dry activities during the really cold months (Dec - March) such as our really popular Team Challenge and some gorge walks and canoe trips can be done as well as survival training and bushcraft. You can have a really rewarding and effective team building event learning survival skills and bushcraft techniques in the winter months..
So if you want to experience the most exciting and rewarding corporate events in England or Wales then contact me for a quote for your company team or department.
I offer discounts for large groups and can arrange transport to and from the outdoor activities and your accommodation if you have not already got it organised
We are often asked to provide an event that is either very different or pushes your teams to the limit. That is why we have launched the Corporate Challenge page.
Here you will find ready made challenges that have been designed specifically for corporate clients, they are tried and tested and very importantly they are scored. Now, if you have a single group that you want to send on a team building session but you want to have a competitive element running throughout the activity then you can use one of these challenges and try and beat the scores set by other companies.
The corporate challenge can still be tailored to include your chosen learning, be it communication, leadership, time management etc. and it can also be run with more than one team if required.
If however you cannot find a suitable corporate challenge then we can design one specifically for you.
Team Challenge can also be run as a purely competitive event with teams working against the clock and each other to achieve the highest number of problems solved in the given time. Neutral observers score each problem and ensure that there is no bending of the rules during the competition.
This is a Treasure Hunt like no other. It is competitive, fun and exciting and takes place in and around Symonds Yat Rock. This AONB has some of the most spectacular views in England and Wales and you will be visiting both countries as you criss cross the river Wye using various bridges and ferries. Your group will be split into at least two teams who will be racing to find clues and solve problems before finally locating the treasure. The teams need to be well organised and have good logistical skills in order to find all the clues and get to the treasure before the the time runs out. The Treasure Hunt needs a minimum of 8 people, there is no maximum. It can run for any length of time but we normally run it for about 3 hours and if you chose that time you can then compare your results with all the other companies who have completed the Treasure Hunt. The more time you allow the more amazing locations you will visit while finding the clues. To find out more just call or email us.
Our Company Survival Challenge is the most popular corporate team building activity that we run by far. We have run our Company Survival Challenge for numerous businesses including Unilever, Bristol Street Motors, Chase Zander, Spar, Commerzbank and Lagoon Tidal Power as well as GCHQ and other government agencies.
Our Company Survival Challenge is a competitive event that we usually run in the Forest of Dean but we can run it at any location that has some woodland and the necessary permissions. The basic premise is that your group is split into teams, each team has to learn bushcraft and survival skills within a specified time period and then build a working camp by the end of the session. The teams are given a brief containing detailed instructions and maps and they have to organise themselves into sub-teams who then navigate to locations where survival instructors will teach them the necessary skills.
Each team has a certain time slot when they can visit each instructor and when there they are taught one survival or bushcraft skill. When they have learned all the skills they then have to construct one camp per team with a shelter constructed, fire burning, food cooking, water sterilizing etc. etc. it is a really interesting and fun session.
Points are awarded for each activity during the training and also for the completed camp. Individuals are also tested towards the end of the session on all of the skills that have been taught so it gets really exciting toward the finish when each team tries to finish all the tasks and score the most points.
This is a very exciting activity but real learning comes when the teams realise that they cannot all attend all of the instructional sessions, so in order to score maximum points they must teach each other the skills they have learned during the survival/bushcraft instructional sessions. This can be extremely powerful as you can have different members of the team being seen in a completely new light as they pass on their skills and knowledge. This is a really powerful tool for not only team building but individual learning as the members of the team will quickly realise that without purpose and direction the team will not achieve the end result.
Chase Zander came to us with a request for a really challenging day. They wanted something that involved teamwork and communication but was physically demanding with loads of thrills.
We designed the Yat Challenge to meet all these requests and the result is a full day of outdoor activities all with a competitive element.
The day involved map reading, navigation, negotiating tunnels without lights, canoeing, caving, climbing and abseiling all set in the stunning setting of Symonds Yat an area of outstanding natural beauty.
The activities were scored for teamwork and the time taken on each element. There was however always plenty of opportunity to work out strategies and learn new skills.
Many of the activities had the added difficulty of being attempted blindfold and all needed commitment and determination.
The Chase Zander Yat Challenge needs a minimum of 4 and maximum of 10 in a team. If you think that this would suit your team call Michael Downey to get a personal quote.
Latest News. Unilever beats Chase Zanders score by 8 minutes.
Email: nathan@lifechangingactivities.com
Tel: 07376 942151
Great team building staff day out!
We had a fantastic day with Michael! He provided clear instructions, reassurance when some people were a little scared and had a very good rapport with the group. The location was beautiful, the equipment of good quality and the activities were great fun and challenging! We did abseiling and then a gorge walk, Michael knows his stuff and pitched the day perfectly to suit the varied needs/experience levels of the group. I would thoroughly recommend this as a day out with family, friends or colleagues.
Would highly recommend!
Sarah
Excellent fun with a great coach/guide
We went abseiling and gorge walking with Michael and it was a top day out. He was very laid back - this was our day and he was happy to let us make the plan, so we did the abseiling at 10.30, then had a break for a pub lunch, then gorge walking in the afternoon.
The abseiling was a pretty scary 58-foot drop from an impressive bridge. A few in the group were less than sure they wanted to do it, but Michael talked them through it and everyone managed it. Great views of the valleys on the way down.
Then the gorge walking was a series of obstacles upstream like sliding under logs and scaling waterfalls. Really cool stuff - pretty tiring and very satisfying. Enjoyed by all.
Michael was a great guide and coach and made it an excellent day in the valley
Mark C - Cheltenham
A brilliant day's gorge walking and abseiling with Michael. He helped everyone master the 58-foot abseil, suggested we break the day up with a tasty pub lunch nearby, then led us over rocks, under logs, and up waterfalls on an exciting gorge walk.
Highly recommended.
Matt B - Swindon
I would absolutely recommend Michael and his team. We had a fantastic day of team building and survival activities (pics are on this page - Hub & Haven team building). Great experience for management team we brought along. Highly recommended and definitely will be booking again. Thanks
Best wishes Paul W - Birmingham
Michael and his team were absolutely fantastic. This was booked as a team bonding exercise and it definitely worked as one. The guys were so supportive all the way through, helping less confident members of the team with challenges, constantly inspiring us to push ourselves further and even at one point jumping in with one of our team as a morale booster.
The entire day was so much fun and everyone had a great time. I would recommend the guys to anyone and would definitely come back and do this again.
Laura C - Cardiff
Dear Michael, I have had great feedback about the day. It has been interesting to hear about how everyone learned a little more about themselves by taking on the challenges you set. On the whole the day was an outstanding success and all were very impressed by the quality of your staff and instruction/guidance. I leave it to the 'adrenalin heads' in the company to decide to form a team and try the tougher challenge, I'm sure the company will pay for them to have another go in the near future. I hope some of them do go for it. I will let the right people know there can be tougher challenges set.
Thank you once again for a worthwhile day out, great challenges and value for money.
Jamie @ Rupert King - Monmouthshire
Hi Michael, we had a fantastic time yesterday, thank you so much. From the feedback from the guys, I think we would very much like to do something along these lines again next year - assuming when we are a full team again the new members are up for this kind of activity. So we'll surely be in touch again in the not so distant future. I will also do some positive PR for you around the company and who knows, another department may decide to go gorge walking as well.
Thanks again and have a lovely weekend.
Tracey Hyem, Commercial Marketing Manager tracey.hyem@conti.de - Gloucestershire
Thank you very much for these photos, they are a great reminder of a fantastic time had by every one. The feedback this morning back in the office is brilliant, as much for the ones that went but I can also see that the ones who didnt qualify will really make sure they do next time. Thank you for all your help along the way in getting it organised and our guides for the day itself helped to make sure it was enjoyed by all, going out of their way to encourage even the most timid of person to do much more than they ever dreamed of.
Hope to be in touch again for more gorge scrambling in the future.
Michael - East Sussex