A Day to Pause, Connect and Reflect
- Zero Carbon Guildford
- 6 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Sometimes the best way to move forward is to step away from the day-to-day.
On Tuesday, ZERO staff and trustees spent the day together at Sayers Croft Outdoor Learning Centre in Cranleigh. It was a chance to get out of the office, spend time together, learn new skills, and reflect on the values that shape how we work as a charity.
Surrounded by woodland, open space and the centre's fascinating history, it was the perfect setting to slow down and reconnect with each other.
Getting Creative
The morning was all about trying something new.
Split into groups, we had the chance to have a go at traditional countryside crafts. Some of us got wonderfully messy with clay modelling, while others tried our hand at making hazel frames or delicate corn dollies.
It wasn't about producing perfect creations. It was about learning, experimenting, chatting and enjoying the process together. There were plenty of laughs, lots of encouragement and more than a few surprisingly impressive artistic talents on display!
Discovering Things We Never Knew
One of the highlights of the day was an activity designed to help us get to know one another a little better.
Everyone had to discover one thing they had in common with every other person in the room, while also uncovering each person's most unusual fact.
The room quickly filled with conversation as people moved from group to group asking questions and sharing stories. It reminded us that even when we work closely together, there's always something new to learn about each other.
Congratulations went to:
Eris, who uncovered the most shared connections.
Carol, whose unusual fact about herself won the group's vote.
Kate and Debs, who discovered they both had a Brownies Agility Badge, earning a joint prize for their unexpected childhood connection!
It was a simple activity that sparked plenty of smiles and conversations long after it had finished.
Taking Time to Notice
After lunch, we headed into the woods with our guide, Stephanie, for a forest bathing session.
If you've never heard of forest bathing, it's less about walking and more about slowing down.
We were encouraged to be silent, notice our surroundings, listen to birdsong, feel the textures of the woodland and simply be present in nature.
In our busy lives, taking time to stop and notice the world around us doesn't happen often enough. It was a calming experience that many of us left feeling we should make part of our everyday lives.
Forest bathing, or Shinrin-yoku, originated in Japan and has even been used as a therapeutic practice, with research suggesting it can help reduce stress and improve wellbeing.
Why not give it a try yourself? Next time you're outside, leave your phone in your pocket for a few minutes and simply listen, look, breathe and notice what's around you.
Reflecting on What Matters
The afternoon was led by Bronwen, who guided us through a thoughtful session exploring both our personal values and the values we believe define ZERO.
Before the day, everyone had been asked to choose the five values that mattered most to them personally. When we compared our choices, some clear themes emerged.
The values most commonly shared across the group were:
Protecting the environment
Creativity
Health
Honesty
Equality
Social justice
Sense of belonging
True friendship
Curiosity
We then explored what values we believe should guide ZERO as an organisation.
Working individually before gradually combining ideas into larger groups, we found ourselves coming back to four key themes:
Protecting our environment and our liveable planet
Community, collaboration and empowering others
Creating meaningful impact with credibility, ambition and continual learning
Being inclusive, open-minded and accepting, while remembering to have fun along the way
It was encouraging to discover just how much agreement there was across staff and trustees. Although we all bring different experiences and perspectives, the principles that motivate us are remarkably similar.
The session finished by exploring how we can turn those values into everyday behaviours, ensuring they're reflected not just in what we say, but in how we work together and support our community.
A Day Well Spent
Away days aren't just about taking a break from work. They're about investing time in the people who make an organisation what it is.
Whether we were making corn dollies, wandering quietly through the woods, discovering surprising facts about each other or thinking deeply about our shared purpose, every activity helped strengthen the relationships and values that underpin ZERO.
A huge thank you to everyone at Sayers Croft Outdoor Learning Centre for making us so welcome. The team were fantastic, the setting was beautiful and we'd thoroughly recommend it to anyone looking for an inspiring place to learn, reflect or simply spend time outdoors.
We came away feeling refreshed, connected and even more excited about continuing to work together to help our local community thrive through greener living, stronger communities and practical action.
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