The past two summers have played host to the annual Goonvean Games – an event of (not too) extreme sport, friendly competition, and delicious food in the sunshine.
For the first time, the games were officially opened by our chairperson, Lord Falmouth. In his opening speech, he expressed his joy at seeing all of our colleagues in one place to enjoy the day together – and rallied on the teams to bring their A-game for the competition.
Lord Falmouth also reflected on how wonderful it was to have our charity partner, Children’s Hospice South West, at the games, and that it was nice to support them given the connection to his late wife, Lady Falmouth, who helped in the campaign for the Little Harbour Children’s Hospice in Cornwall.
A huge thank you goes to Lord Falmouth and Kate and Henrietta from Children’s Hospice South West for undertaking the very difficult task of judging our Games Day Bake off! They chose a lemon cake baked by Amy Nash as the first prize winner, with honourable mentions for Helena Shotton’s chocolate fudge cake and Greg Weiss’s cheese straws.
With so many teams playing, this year we expanded the activities to keep everyone busy in between the softball matches. This included additional challenges such as rugby throw accuracy and a table tennis challenge led by Group COO Sean Spelman, a previous Irish Table Tennis National Champion!
Katie Ovenden, Head of Group Sustainability, said: “For me, this year was another testament to what we can do when we get together as a group. It was wonderful to see everyone out of their usual settings and getting stuck in to the competition.”
It was another scorcher of a day this year for the Goonvean Games III. Despite the heat, we managed to have a very successful tournament, with Goonvean Group crowned the winners (all non-biased umpiring, we promise).
Goonvean Group winners from left to right: Simon Perry, Kam Kandola (back) , Christian Withers, Ross Cottrell (back), Krista Mae Farmer, James Rowe (front), Luke Turner (back), and Matthew Gazzard. Missing from the team picture was Kate Ross-Smith.
The tournament was followed by a Hog Roast, once again supplied by the brilliant North Devon Hog Roast, fellow supporters of Children’s Hospice South West and purveyors of the most delicious grub.
This year, our charity raffle was supported by our fantastic contractors and suppliers, with the donation of fifteen luxury hampers and goody bags to win. A huge thanks to our contributors: Cognique, K&G Coldrooms, K&G Roofing, Starpoint, ICD Energy Managers, Devon Contractors, WTW Insurance Brokers, JN Electrical, AP Building and Construction, Devon Air Conditioning and Fab Con.
The raffle itself raised a fantastic £1,525 – and Goonvean Group have pledged an additional £1,500 in match funding to our chosen charities of Children’s Hospice South West and The Rotherham Hospice.
Thank you to Cullompton Lawn Bowles Club for helping to keep our teams busy between matches. A huge thanks also to Cullompton Cricket Club for once again for being the most fantastic hosts. Your hospitality and enthusiasm is always appreciated, and we can’t wait to bring the Goonvean Games to the club’s brand new facility next year!
The Goonvean Games has established itself as a key annual event which perfectly encapsulates the values and culture of the Group. Bringing teams together to enjoy a day of fun in the sun is always a highlight of the year, and a chance for everyone to meet new colleagues and learn a little more about what makes Goonvean a great place to work – all whilst raising much needed funds for the Group’s chosen charities.
