Sheringham Annual Raft Race

Sunday was an eventful day for Xplore's Training and Development Manager Paul seen here in white powering along on the Sheringham RNLI Raft at the annual Sheringham Raft Race which traditionally marks the end of the towns summer carnival.  Paul and his team came 2nd this year out of ten rafts.   

After the race it was fair to say the RNLI team needed a rest but at 21:12 this was cut short when their pagers went off for an emergency shout, all of the team seen here were in attendance although they did decide to use a more stable craft for the call out. After several hours the team were back locking up the station at 23:15. 

We're hoping the team keep us up to date with their training for next years raft race! 


Thanks to http://www.christaylorphoto.co.uk for the great picture of our Paul in action! 

Welcome to our new international students!

We have recently welcomed our new students to England where they will be living with local families and studying in high schools for up to a year.

These brave young people have taken on the challenge of living in a new country and we will be here to support them every step of the way. 

To ensure their first few days in England went smoothly all our students took part in a 'Soft Landing Camp'. This short residential programme was held at Walnutree Manor in Suffolk. The students took part in activities and really got to know each other as they embark on their time here. 

The students went to Cambridge for punting and sightseeing then they were given some free time for shopping!  In the evening everyone enjoyed a BBQ, campfire and tasty smores. 

The following day the MyChoice UK team went through the details of the programme including rules and useful contacts. This time gave the students the opportunity to ask any questions and discuss anything they were unsure about.  After some lunch it was time to pack ready for our Suffolk students to meet their host families and our students living and studying in other regions to depart by coach/taxi with MyChoice staff.  The students had come from many different countries and have been united through this experience. They will not only have the team here to support them but also each other and it was lovely to see the friendships that had been made in a short period of time. 

We are looking forward to sharing their experiences on the blog in the coming weeks…!

Hole in one for Xplore's corporate golf day!

Xplore recently hosted the first of our annual golf days! 

We were delighted to have players travel from near and far to join us for the day. Everyone met at the golf club and were introduced to each other over bacon rolls and coffee before the first team tee'd off at 1pm.  

Xplore's Sales and Marketing
Director leading his team

The teams were looked after throughout the game with cold refreshments and snacks along with score updates via Xplore's marketing team (with the aid of a well behaved golf buggy!)

George from the UK head office narrowly
misses the award for closest to the pin!

Over the course we had 2 competitions, nearest to the pin and longest drive. It was a tight competition on both holes! 

The teams remained competitive throughout the game but all enjoyed great camaraderie and really enjoyed the afternoon. 

After 18 holes the teams returned to the club house where prizes were awarded for the competition winners and the overall winning team. 

The winning team 

The winning team, led by George Yardley from Xplore's UK head office was presented with a cheque for £100 to donate to a charity of their choice.  Very kindly the team asked that the money be donated to Childreach International, the charity that Xplore supports as a company.  Childreach International 'unlocks the potential of some of the worlds most marginalised children' and we are delighted to be able to contribute to this amazing charity. www.childreach.org.uk 

The evening was spent in the beautiful Suffolk town of Bury St Edmunds enjoying food, drink and tales from the day. 

The day was a huge success and we are really looking forward to next year's event… watch this space!