Hello Hello,
It’s Katie here, back to update you on what we’ve all been up to over the Spring and the first half of Summer, there is so much to update you all on, from fundraising, to climbing, to port drinking, far away travel and Weddings galore, so without further a do….
I’ll let you into a secret – I absolutely love a bit of history, I treated myself to a lovely break in Malta in April. I had heard about its reputation as being a fascinating and beautiful place to visit. It did not disappoint!
First on the list was a a walking tour in the Capital – Valletta, the city itself can be easily explored on foot either on a walking tour (as I did) or on your own. There are plenty of cafes, wine bars and eateries to make a pit stop. The guide I had was fantastic, he filled the tour with lots of interesting facts about the island as a whole, the Capital Valletta and the Knights of St John (Yes – St Johns ambulance we see now are derived from the Order of St John). These Knights travelled from throughout Europe mainly helping the sick and poor. Although they were also staunch military leaders. They made this tiny island their own after being given it by the Holy Roman Emperor. They even defended Malta from a huge Ottoman invasion attempt in 1565 – fascinating – as they defended with only 600 troops against the invading 30-40,000 Ottoman!
Delving deeper into the past I visited the St Pauls Catacombs (an underground complex of Roman cemeteries) in the centre of the island before a stop to enjoy some Maltese wine in one of the best view points on the island. I visited the underground bunkers of WW2, a resoundingly eerie experience, but one I would highly recommend! (Not so fun) fact – Malta was the most heavily bombed place in the world during WW2! It wasn’t all history and learning, I managed more than 1 margarita pool side and enjoyed lots of down time too!
In June I spent a weekend in Yorkshire for a family Wedding, we had such a lovely weekend, the weather held and yes – of course – we had Yorkshire puddings with the Wedding breakfast! We also enjoyed time back home with friends and family celebrating a first birthday with a Teddy bear picnic in the sun! The Teddy’s had a great day – nearly as much fun as us.
My husband and I took our two children to Rookery farm in Blisworth.(https://www.rookeryopenfarm.com/). If you are pretty local and looking for a day out with the children / grandchildren, this is a great option! You can get very close to the animals and pet the sheep, goats and rabbits, there is an also a huge play area inside. For us the outside area really takes the biscuit, with not one but two large sandpits, mini trackers and a variety of climbing frames. I would highly recommend taking a picnic and spending the whole day – there really is enough to do.
At the end of March Tom set of on another climbing adventure to Spain, where after a day spent enjoying the sights, sun and sea of Alicante, he spent 4 days being intensively coached on how to better ascend countless precarious cliffs. He was a bit taken aback to find out on arrival that each evening, as well as relaxing and recovering in the pool, he was set homework to help fine tune his skills, ahead of the next day! Homework on holiday!
Not content with returning home to relax Tom, in preparation for his next marathon attempt in October, took part in the Regents Park 10km race at the start of June. A lovely morning and a beautifully flat course. This certainly helped him in achieving an all time personal best, completing the race in just over 40 minutes – wow! A celebratory (and well deserved) pizza and beer soon followed!
Nick and his wife Martina escaped for a long weekend of summer sun in Seville, and what a city to lose yourselves in! Fun fact – Seville is considered the warmest major city in Spain! They spent their days simply wandering the maze of narrow streets, soaking up the atmosphere before ticking off the big two: a tour of the magnificent Cathedral (the largest Gothic cathedral in the world, no less) and the breathtaking Real Alcázar, with its tiled courtyards and lush gardens that feel like stepping into another world. The Real Alcazar is a beautiful fortified palace, with some parts dating back to the 10th century! – A word to the wise though—both attractions are hugely popular, so book your tickets well in advance. Turn up on the day and you may well find yourselves out of luck!
Of course, no trip to Seville would be complete without the tapas, and Nick and Martina certainly did their research, hopping from bar to bar in the name of culinary duty. The standout? An oxtail stew so rich and tender it’s still being talked about – absolutely incredible. One final tip: Seville is seriously hot when they went (June) so pack light, stay hydrated, and embrace the local wisdom of a leisurely afternoon in the shade. A wonderful long weekend and one the pair won’t forget in a hurry!
At the start of June, Ryan S embarked on a family trip to Canada, experiencing all four seasons in 10 days! The first leg of the trip was travelling through the Rocky Mountains and seeing some of the breath-taking views Canada has to offer. As expected when exploring the mountains, conditions were very changeable which meant tackling hikes and driving through wind, rain and snow has its challenges, although the views were very much worth it.
Ryan spent 6 days travelling through Banff, Jasper and Whistler, before exiting the Rocky Mountains and arriving in Vancouver, where the World Cup spirit was in full flow. Posters and decoration were dotted all over the city. Ryan and his family managed to watch Canada’s opening fixture in the main FIFA fan zone – that’s one for the scrap book! After 6 days of a cooler than usual holiday climate, the sun in Vancouver was greeted with open arms! This memorable trip was rounded off by flying to Toronto, visiting Niagara Falls and experiencing other sights the city has to offer.
While an all-action, non-stop trip, Ryan would highly recommend it.
As a team we entered the ‘Franklins £50 Challenge again this year. This is an initiative set up by Franklins Solicitors LLP where Franklins provide £50 of seed investment and each team (company) has to raise as much as possible between March and May for charity.
We raised a total of…drumroll please…£1,582.31 for our chosen charity – Cynthia Spencer Hospice Charity. This is a charity very close to Laura’s heart as they provided phenomenal support for Laura and her family when her father was diagnosed with a brain tumour. The charity continued their support to the family after his passing in 2023.
The boosst team fundraised at tabletop sales, car boot sales, selling unwanted items on Vinted, a coffee morning and a World Cup Sweepstake. Gabby also hosted her ‘Money Matters 101’ webinar aimed at young people starting their career and understand payslips, workplace benefits, student loans and of course investing – all of which contributed to the challenge.
We are delighted to have won “Fearless Fundraiser” as part of the challenge, and we are so proud of the boosst team’s effort and teamwork on this challenge.
Dawn jetted off for a long weekend exploring the beautiful city of Porto with friends, taking in the sights by foot, boat and cable car.
The UNESCO listed Ribeira district is famed for its wonderful architecture and colourful tiled buildings. Narrow cobbled streets lead down the the Douro River, the opposite side of which is the home to centuries old Port Lodges. Dawn toured Cockburn’s lodge which she found fascinating and naturally ended the tour with Port tasting. (The 10 Year Old Tawny was her favourite!)
Gabby was bridesmaid for one of her best friends at a gorgeous spring wedding in Padstow. The sun showed up in full force, the day was full of happy tears, and a perfectly fitting sea shanty band had everyone joining in for a proper singalong by the sea.
After the wedding, Josh and Gabby headed to The Scarlet Hotel in Mawgan Porth for a few days of well-earned rest. It’s a wonderful place to switch off, with spa treatments, sea air, and fantastic fine dining – the perfect post-wedding reset.
The climax to our blog this time has to be that our lovely Riah got married! The team enjoyed a beautiful day up in the Lake District at Eden Barn. The setting couldn’t of been better, the venue was beautiful, the sun was shining and the team enjoyed lots of giggles and time together away from the office. I think you will all agreed Riah looked absolutely stunning!
Phew! What a few months we have had – as you can see us boossties have been very busy having fun, making memories and living life!
Bye for now…
Katie x