Arctic Adventures by Jeanette Morgan, Operations Director

"Face Your Fears"

When David won an auction to go dog-sledding in the Arctic Circle in March 2013, quite simply, I thought he was mad!

He came back full of tales of his adventures - extreme temperatures, dog sledding, northern lights, reindeer pasta and poo trees! Little did I know that an idea was forming in his mind to throw me in at the cold end!

Over the next few months, he kept dropping hints that an Arctic adventure would be a great experience for Access  Point’s senior team. Each time he mentioned it, I poo-poo’d the idea as the very thought of living without electricity and water terrified me. And did I mention that I’m allergic to dogs?

After we launched Project Evolution in July 2013, David became more serious in his attempts to convince me that the Arctic would be fantastic for the senior team, a great reward for all our hard work. I knew then that it was a ‘done deal’. 

Camp Vakkarajaarvi

I soon got used to the thought of a wilderness lodge in the middle of nowhere in the freezing cold, wearing thermals and probably smelling a bit by the end of it, but, every time I thought about being near the dogs, I broke out in a cold sweat. 

I’d previously suffered welt marks and swollen eyes when I’d been in contact with friends’ dogs and really didn’t fancy that happening in an extreme environment.

David, as expected, had an answer! I was to be dosed up on knock-out antihistamines! Ok, sorted! I really threw myself into Arctic preparations. All layered up and supplying Shewees for the ladies! I didn’t really give the dogs another thought except for bartering with Amanda about harnessing them up for me!

We arrived at Kiruna Airport to the news that we were to be transported to Mushers Lodge by dog sled! We went into a hut to get all togged up with warm outer layers, hats and boots. When we all came out – strongly resembling Michelin men – we were greeting by a wall of sound – two dozen dogs howling in unison! I knew then that I wasn’t just allergic to dogs; I was also really scared of them. I avoided going near any on the way to the sled and ignored those that came running towards me.

Mushers Lodge

After a scrumptious dinner of moose mince chilli and rice at Mushers Lodge, Gaynor ran through the itinerary for the next few days. It was obvious that I wasn’t going to be able to avoid the dogs all week so I thought I’d best confess my fears! It was the best decision I could have made.

Louis, a volunteer from the UK, took me under his wing. I arranged to meet him to visit the kennels. Once we got outside, the noise was deafening. The dogs were all running up and down their pens, trying to catch the attention of the other team members. 

Two of our dogs in kennels at the Mushers Lodge

Louis said, “Just think of the dogs as children.They are all at nursery and they want to come out and play! They are just being friendly.” 

Now that sounds like simple advice but it really worked! 

Over the next 30 minutes or so, I visited each of the kennels, gradually working up the courage to pet the dogs through their feeding hatches. I went to bed that night feeling much more confident than I would otherwise have been.

The next day, Gaynor and Louis harnessed my dogs for me as it involved getting a bit too up close and personal for me! Standing with the dogs between your legs whilst you lift their legs into the harnesses. The dogs clamour for your attention whilst waiting to set off, jumping up and wanting to be stroked. A particular favourite was Grony, also known as Houdini. I couldn’t help but tickle his ears!

Out with my dogs!

For the next couple of hours, I got used to guiding the sled and chatting to the dogs. 

When we arrived at Camp Vakkarajaarvi, our wilderness lodge, I was really chuffed that I unharnessed all my own dogs and put them in their kennels. 

I was even fine when Grony slipped his collar and ended up in our lodge whilst we were settling in!

My fears were conquered!

 

My dogs, Grony, Sonnie, Slash & Nina

For our next trip out, I harnessed all the dogs and felt confident lifting their legs up and moving them into place. Even when I had to keep chasing Grony when he slipped his collar, I was fine. 

Final proof of my new found dog handling skills came on our last sled ride. Jacquie made the schoolgirl error of taking her hands off the handlebars to sort her hat out. The dogs surged forward and she slipped off the soft brake. I heard Jacquie shout and looked behind me only to see her team of dogs running towards my sled. As they came alongside, I reached down and grabbed their reins, stopping them in their tracks!

I don’t think I will ever be known as a 'Dog Whisperer' but the moral of my tale is to face your fears head on and don’t let them hold you back.

I'm abseiling down a 100m gorge in May...

....Did I tell you I was scared of heights!?

David & Jeanette

Arctic Adventures by Steven Rawlings, Till Roll Sales Manager

Kiruna slog blog!

When I was told I had the opportunity of experiencing things that people could only ever dream of doing I was like a little boy in a sweet shop, I even thought about having a Kiruna advent calendar to count down the sleeps!

When I arrived at Manchester Airport I remember strolling up and down the check-in area wondering if they would think my bag was too packed for the plane. Then Claire and Jac turned up with what looked like the whole contents of Mountain Warehouse. I took a sigh of relief. Pheeeew!

When we arrived we all had our own jobs I was thankful that I drew water duty over poop croquette! Then I realised that a walk up a hill with four, five gallon drums of water on a sled whilst wearing 25 layers of clothing was shifting more weight than my 7 minute workout!

Top Chopper!

I quite enjoyed wielding the axe for fire wood and the female camp members were very impressed with my chopper action!

The sledding was both challenging and calming at times. I found I had time to soak the beautiful landscape of trees and untouched snow. Great time to clear your mind and put things in perspective.

Ready to mush!

The time that I found rewarding was not just the activities or adrenaline of Claire Kamel screaming behind me as we hit 70mph on the snow mobiles but the down time of an evening with a few glasses of red and makeshift funnels for siphoning Amaretto!

I found getting to know the whole team and learning about them in and out of work has helped me feel apart of Access Point which otherwise would have taken more time due to my current location and position.  

Snow Buddies!

It was with regret that we had to come home I could have stayed a few extra days but it was what I would consider a game changer.   

The whole experience has also allowed me to form some great working relationships and in some cases people I would call friends. 

....When are we camping in the mountains David!?

That cost how much!!???

Silver Medal For Mike Ashley and Team GB

In the midst of the wettest January on record, Access Point's very own Mike Ashley headed to sunny Florida as part of the Great Britain Slow-Pitch Softball team.

This year’s International Softball Federation’s Co-ed Slow-Pitch Softball World Cup was held at the sports head quarters in Plant City, Florida.  Mike was honoured to be part of the Team GB coaching staff and proud to represent his country overseas for the second time in less than a year.

The team and coaching staff flew to Orlando from all corners of the UK on Saturday 18^th January, they would be staying together in Davenport for the next 10 days and had a packed itinerary starting with a local tournament the very next day!  Mike felt that there was a definite buzz in camp and they were more than ready to show players from across the world what Team GB were made of.  

Team GB

After winning two practise games against US teams, the tournament started proper with a game against Canada on the morning of January 23^rd, this was won convincingly 13-3 by Team GB and was followed by two further compelling wins against France (25-2) and Curacao (30-5).

"Randy" stadium in Fort William

Mike said “As the first day went on we realised there were two main rivals to our chances, including USA Fort Walton Beach who we were to play in the evening.  Both teams had produced high scores earlier in the day but this was a much closer battle and after two innings we were winning, but only just at 3-2.  Unfortunately we couldn’t hold on to that lead and lost the match 7-12 but it made us realise we had to tighten up in defence.”

All eight of the tournament teams went into a Double Page Playoff round in day two, with the top four moving on to what effectively are semi final matches.  Team GB defeated both USA teams, relegating them to the losers bracket to secure their place in Sundays final.  The US teams then had to play each other to establish who was to take on Team GB in the tournament final.

Sunday afternoon was sunny and Team GB were prepared for a tough game in the final.  Although they had beaten USA Ink Daddyz the day before, the Americans had learned from the defeat and adjusted their team and tactics which resulted in a convincing 18-3 loss for Team GB.

Silver Medal Winning Team GB

Mike says “Although we were disappointed not to win Gold it was a fantastic learning curve.  Our team consisted of quite a few newcomers and even more with limited international experience, so we have grown both in skills and confidence and look forward to retaining our Gold for the 10^th year running in the European Championships next year.”

Our very own Mike Ashley with his Silver medal

Access Point Operations Director Jeanette Morgan says... 

“We are very proud to have a World Cup Silver medalist in our midst and we are happy to have him transfer his GB coaching skills to our sales team.” 

Mike has now even been interviewed by Simon Mayo on his BBC Radio 2 Drivetime show.  Click on the link below to hear the interview in full...



http://youtu.be/-BgduN7Lqws

 
“The show has over 6.4 million UK listeners and I had calls & messages from people as far as New Zealand who had heard me talking about Slow-Pitch Softball and our plans to dominate the European Championships next year!”
 

Well done Mike!

Arctic Adventures by Julie Pitson, Till Roll Production Manager

Arctic Adventures by David Robertshaw MD

As fantastic as the Senior Team of Access Point is there are a couple of things that are unknown; things that are best to uncover, determine and resolve within an environment we can control rather than just waiting for something to happen!!

Also because the team is made up of strong characters there is always the issue of allowing and encouraging the next level of management to blossom and show their own strengths, flex their own muscles and make decisions without the usual support structure.

Over time an idea grew and I thought that to achieve personal growth both within the team and with the rest of the company it would be necessary to remove ourselves from the office, I also wanted the Senior Team to work together more closely and for each to understand what makes up our team – this would not be achieved in a day making rafts in the Lake District!

The next thought was “where would we go and what would we do?” I didn’t want a beach where you could stay in your comfort zone and be able to escape if things got on top of you. It also needed to be physically and mentally challenging so it could be observed how we coped with extreme conditions. 

Dog sledding in the Arctic ticked all of the right boxes and the more I thought about it and discussed it with Gaynor who runs the travel company, Voyage Active, it began to take shape. (http://voyageactive.co.uk)

One worry was that this was taking things a little too far, pulling people a long way out of their comfort zone, but better this than something that didn’t test us as a team. The plan was that by choosing this activity we could work as a team and see how each of the team members reacted with each other in extreme conditions. Despite some initial resistance I came to the conclusion that it was a done deal and I just needed to make sure I used my best selling skills and sold it to the team.

It was with trepidation that I spoke to the team, foremost in my mind was that everybody who boarded the plane to Kiruna was aware of what we were doing and what would be expected of them. It turned out I needn’t have worried! Everybody was enthusiastic and raring to go. 

Over the next couple of months I was bombarded with questions about what we would be doing and what kit they would need to take. I briefed on activities as much as I could but wanted to keep some things back as a surprise and in other blogs you will no doubt read of some of these activities.

Did I achieve my aims?

Most certainly. There were several reasons for arranging this five day trip of which the most obvious was getting the Senior Team working closely together over a sustained period of time.

Sure they come together every few weeks but never do they take on tasks together as a whole. 

Again the extreme conditions helped accelerate the bonding process. It was also a chance for everybody to get to know each other on a personal level, living and working in very close proximity, carrying out tasks that require trust in each other. It was also a reward for helping Access Point have a fantastic couple of years.

What about the team left behind? 

By removing ALL of the Senior Team it was a great test for everybody left behind to run the ship and deal with any issues that arose. I needn’t have worried as they all performed fantastically well and who knows whose turn it may be next time…. Watch this space!

I joked during the trip that all of the team turned right and headed south out of the UK and headed south when going on their travels – I think a few may now think about turning left in the future!

 #memoriestolastalifetime