09.06.2008 Making a Positive Difference: Staff Conference 2008
This year over 100 colleagues came, saw, worked and played at the Castleoak Staff Conference 2008 which was themed with our stated company purpose of ‘making a positive difference’.
Colleagues from our various sites and head office gathered at Alexandra House, the Hayley Conference Centre near Swindon to update on projects underway and in the pipeline. A video tour showing life on our sites and in some completed homes we have built, featuring interviews with customers and residents, showed everyone how we work to make a positive difference.
One of the highlights of the day followed a presentation on our charitable arm, Foundations, and how we contribute, as an organisation and as individuals, to a wide range of worthy causes. The presentation of the Variety Club Sunshine Coach, donated through Foundations to youth charity Fairbridge, was all the more meaningful and a genuinely special moment following a great contribution by Jayson, a plucky 17-year-old who calmly told the large audience how Fairbridge had made such a difference to him after his early exclusion from school.
Colleagues also heard direct from Dafydd John, our recently appointed Group Finance Director, and put their questions to our Executive Chairman, mel Knight, in a session where subjects included coping with the credit crunch and the future growth of Castleoak.
In the evening everyone let their hair down with dinner followed by an appearance by comedian, Owen Money. Feedback on the whole event has been positive and achieved the dual aim of keeping colleagues up-to-date on progress and plans and providing an opportunity to socialise.
“The staff conference is one of the key, set-piece internal events of the year because the formal proceedings allow us to get the vast majority of staff together to find out more about what’s been happening across the business and to get some more, first-hand knowledge of future plans,” said Jonathan Smith, our Business Development Director.
“Equally important is the chance the light-hearted evening session gives for colleagues from around the country to get together and have some real fun!”