Today’s advent challenge was in the form of a coffee morning & a blind mince pie tasting.
Christmas2020
2020 Favourites: Durdham Down Tower
“Known to generations of Bristolians as simply ‘The Water Tower’ this iconic landmark is located at the highest point in Bristol on Durdham Downs. gcp has been delighted to continue it’s long standing association with Bristol Water as assist in restoring this massive concrete structure to its former glory and taking in some breath-taking views in the process.”
We asked everyone in the office to name their favourite project of 2020. Jeremy has chosen the refurbishment of the 1950s water tower for Bristol Water.
2020 Favourites: Ambition House, Lawrence Weston
“I am proud to have been involved in this project as this is a community driven building, desperately needed in this active but underfunded area of Bristol. This has been in the making for several years and has had many challenges along the way. I am hopeful that the latest scheme being developed with the client, Ambition Lawrence Weston, will be the final design and we can get this building out the ground to provide a well-deserved functional community hub for future generations to enjoy. Public consultation is now well under way with responses due back by 8 December”
We asked everyone in the office to name their favourite project of 2020. Tom’s favourite is the new community centre at Lawrence Weston Ambition Lawrence Weston.
30 November 2020: Gingerbread Me!
One day earlier than normal, and still in November at that, team gcp got together on our weekly huddle-zoom to discuss planning for the week. But something was a little bit different this week. Over the weekend beautifully (or creatively!) wrapped boxes had appeared on desks or on doorsteps with this message: bring to huddle.
What followed, in a flurry of tinsel, santa hats, wrapping paper and giggling was the unveiling of the gcp Advent Box: a wrapped gift of goodies, quarantined and ready for a month of fun and challenges.
Box contents as follows: small biscuit tin (not to be opened 10.30 tomorrow), a strangely coloured candy cane, a Baileys miniature, a hot chocolate spoon, a paper plate, a small cardboard house (which rattles when shook, but is not to be open quite yet), a gcp recipe book and the items needed for today’s challenge…
Gingerbread Me
You will need: one gingerbread person & two stars (made by Sarah) and a set of icing tubes
Time: 5 minutes
Challenge: to decorate your gingerbread to look just like you!
Screaming, cursing, giggling, banter, complaining about the limited colour scheme and five minutes was all it took to create this beautiful lot:
Christmas Advent
In case you haven’t noticed: here at gcp we have a team with a love of competitive games.
In past years we’ve organised a “Christmas Avent” at the office. Throughout the month of December there is a daily task or challenge where we get to pit our mental, physical or practical skills against each other, to much cheer and merriment in the runup to Christmas.
2020 has been a tough year for everyone. Our close-knit team has really missed the normal pub quizzes, escape rooms and go-karting that give us the opportunity to have fun and connect with each other outside of work life. We think that having a team who genuinely like each other on a personal level is an incredible asset to the way we perform during business hours.
We couldn’t let the festive season pass us by without bringing a bit of cheer to the team. Though there was more detailed planning required this year with us working from home and in office bubbles, with help from a few of the team we were able to bring everyone the “gcp Advent Box”: a wrapped gift of goodies, quarantined and to be opened together on our weekly huddle.
If you want to know more about the challenges or to see the advent countdown, head over to our dedicated page, which will be regularly updated as we complete each festive task.
