Bruce’s People Day ’23

On a spectacularly sunny day in September, something very unusual happened. We held our very first event for just the two legged members of our team! Our ‘People Day’ saw over 120 of our furbulous team members descend upon our Cobham centre from across London, the South East and Midlands, ready for a day of fun and activities at the original home of Bruce’s in Surrey.

We took a break from giving our four legged friends the best day ever to celebrate the hard work and dedication of the team. Bruce’s blues were swapped for athleisure wear, ready to get stuck into an action packed day of fun and games, tasty food, awards and celebrations.

After a quick coffee and inspirational message from Bruce himself, our team’s tails were wagging. We were ready to take on the range of activities, which all took inspiration from our newly relaunched company values: ‘P.A.W.S.’

The first value we celebrated was “Paw-sitivity Rocks!” and how our always optimistic attitude to chasing out new challenges and sniffing out solutions keeps us positive. To embody this can-do spirit, we played a giant, inflatable game of Hungry Hippos! The laughter and (mostly!) friendly competition was infectious, and set the tone for the whole day.

Just like dogs instinctively care about others and love spending time in their company, we deeply care for our colleagues, the environment, and our customers. So for “All Fur One”, it had to be a team game. We donned inflatable zorbs and had a blast bumping into each other, rolling around on the field and, most importantly, helping each other up!

“Wag for it!” reminds us to give it our all, just like our furry friends who always give 100 paw-cent. In the spirit of this value, we organised a traditional sports day. Teams were formed, and we took on a variety of activities, from giant egg-and-spoon and three legged races, to an exhausting team effort of bouncing a giant inflatable sausage across one of our fields! Everyone definitely embraced their competitive spirit for this one, supporting and encouraging each other as we went.

Our last value, “Sniff Out New Stuff,” encourages us to stay curious and explore new ideas and oppawtunities, just like our dogs exploring new scents and environments. To channel this energy, we had yet more inflatables and Nerf guns at the ready, and took part in an epic Nerf battle! It was an adrenaline-packed activity that had everyone strategising, dodging foam darts, and, most importantly, having fun.

After all of these high intensity events, a delicious BBQ was well deserved – with Bruce and Ben taking the helm at the grill. The atmosphere was fantastic, with teams from across the centres mixing and recounting their Sports Day wins and comedy moments.

With stomachs full, it was time for the long awaited awards ceremony. Medals and prizes were handed out for a whole host of efforts, from Bruce’s Social Media Star to Event of the Year. A big shout out to our teams from Tunbridge Wells, Ditchling and Woodcote Green for shining brightly.

The furtastic day drew to a close, but there was just time to give out the goody bags, medals and treats to the whole team – who were all deserving of a prize after the day’s activities! Bruce’s branded water bottles, canvas bags and beanies were proudly carried home, but not before one last group photo. Our first – and soon to be annual – People Day was a resounding success, celebrating our company’s values and bringing us all closer together.

So let’s hear it for team Bruce’s!