03 Oct No Pain, No Gain! Academia grits its teeth for charity
Never one to shy away from a challenge, the brave team members of Academia recently threw away the ‘no work related interaction on a weekend’ policy and took part in two events that brought tears, cheers and plenty of overcoming of fears for a good cause.
On one heady weekend in June 2017, Academia opted to compete in two separate events that would test the minds, spirit and ultimate endurance capabilities of its staff to the upper limits. Let us welcome you to the world of the Wacky Races and the Gauntlet Games…
Let’s begin with the crazy – Wacky Races, a now annual event that was a weekend of fun, farce and fancy dress as teams embarked on an exciting treasure hunt throughout Northern France and Belgium, whilst dressed in colourful characters of all shapes and sizes.
This was for real – a 2 day event meandering through the countryside of the Pas de Calais in Northern France and Flanders in Belgium. Contestants needed to master various skills and talents such as map reading, navigation and observation, question solving and even improving their language skills as they had to seek help from the French and Belgian locals. The route rambled through the forgotten France and Belgium of yesteryear, taking in coastal backroads, B roads through the valleys and hills and plenty of stop offs in tiny hamlets and scenic villages. During the day, contestants answered cryptic questions, chased down dodgy clues and collected items while the clock ticked away and the mileage mounted.
Representing Academia were Daniel, Alev, Lauren and Carl – safe to say they stood up the challenges before them and proved that not everyone can find Wally…
On the same weekend, an even braver group of reluctant heroes from Academia took on the Gauntlet Games…
A quite frankly hilarious obstacle course race set in Trent Park in north London, The Gauntlet Games featured over 20 obstacles, including giant slides, bouncing inflatables, slippery slides, balancing obstacles over water and an epic rope swing onto an air bag – all with Gladiators to keep the contestants on their toes. The final obstacle was the grand gauntlet, where the embattled contestants had to dodge past three gladiators before racing through the finish line…
Putting their lives on the line from Academia were Mike, Neil, Mark, Troy, Dan, Glodi, Wayne and Paul – whose performance in general was nothing short of miraculous, seeing as everyone knows that those working in technology simply sit down behind the computer every day!
Of course, the hard work was well rewarded in supporting a fabulous charity in the Princess Alexandra Hospital Trust.
The Princess Alexandra Hospital’s Charity is dedicated to raising funds to enhance patient care, purchase special equipment, improve facilities and invest in vital research. For more information please see https://www.pah.nhs.uk/article/375/Our-Trust
Academia are delighted to support charities when and where we can – either via throwing ourselves into muddy waters, or supplying world class technology and support. Let’s chat today and find out how else we can make fools of ourselves for a good cause!
