On Friday 20th March 2020, as Edgars closed its office doors due to the Covid-19 situation, little did we know that as of Monday 23rd March the UK would be in a full lockdown and homeworking would become a compulsory measure…or that a year later we would still be working from our various homes! A year later we thought we would have a look at the different things the team got up to during this time.
The team adapted to the situation quickly and the transition to online went smoothly, with daily team catch ups on teams and zoom to keep us connected. Team catch ups often consist of plant growing, sunflower and best mug competitions, sharing interesting local walks, and discussions about the best homeworking jumper and latest homestyle haircut, among many varied and relatively less or more relevant conversations about planning!
Despite the various restrictions we have endeavored to keep going on all fronts, including taking part in many fundraising challenges for Sobell House. This year we have raised £2,922 overall, made possible through sponsored walks/runs/cycles, plant sales, quizzes, HIIT sessions and much more.
In April 2020, Edgars were delighted to be commended in the RTPI Awards for Planning Consultancy of the Year. We then went on to win ‘Planning Consultancy of the Year’ at the Oxfordshire Property Festival! Some members of the team gained extra qualifications, two senior planners gained MRTPI status and Lois Waknell, our first apprentice, graduated from Oxford Brookes and gained Chartered Management status. When the restrictions eased in the summer Edgars conducted some socially distanced CPD sessions outside which included a walk around Charlbury, along with other sessions on footpaths and ecology kindly presented by our local partners. During the summer months the team were able to gather in small groups and we went back to the office on a rota basis for a while.
In October, we decided to implement a brand new system that would enable business growth and facilitate efficiencies within the business. The lead up to Christmas was a hard time with the cold, dark nights and working from home once again. However, team spirits remained high and the build up to the Edgars virtual gin tasting Christmas party was eagerly anticipated. The team had a great night and Christmas spirit began to set in. In more recent times we had two new members of staff joining our senior management team; Miriam and Martin (who is all the way over in France).
In between all these big events we have also celebrated approvals, birthdays, good news, holidays, achievements and much more. We have survived this year as a business, learnt more about one another and grown in kindness and patience; but our return to the office to collaborate fully is something we very much look forward to – taking the things we have learnt with us. We would like to thank all our clients, consultants, staff members and many others who have helped us this last year.
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