A while ago we did a charity Netwalk to raise money for Shout, an incredible mental health charity that we’ve been a major supporter of for years now. You might remember we released a blog about the experience back in December, to raise more awareness and talk about how much fun we had.  

Well, we just did another one! A fantastic walk around the grounds of Kenilworth castle and the surrounding area alongside representatives from TEAM and our fellow recruitment experts.  

So once again, we couldn’t resist the opportunity to sing Shout’s praises and share how it went.  

 

Doing our Part to Support Shout 

Shout is an amazing charity, who have innovated the way we can talk about our mental health. Instead of setting you up with a therapist, something that can involve endless waiting lists and high costs, they created a 24/7 text messaging service for anyone that needs to chat. And the best part? It’s absolutely free!  

We’ve all been guilty of neglecting our mental health at some point. As busy businesspeople, it can be pushed to one side while we try to get things done. But this only makes the problems we’re facing much tougher, and our work is affected as we try to ignore them.  

Having instant access to over 14,000 trained Shout volunteers, all just a quick text away, has made it easier than ever to start our mental health journey.  

It’s not just for adults either, Shout have provided a safe, effective way to help young people who are struggling with a variety of issues. Speaking to a professional face to face can be daunting when you’re young, and for various reasons you might not be able to see one. Shout are aiming to fix that.  

It’s not therapy, it’s just a chat, but sometimes that can be all you need.   

 

Working with TEAM  

When we go netwalking, we always go on behalf of TEAM, a network of recruiters and recruitment-focused companies providing a range of services that help temporary recruitment agencies to thrive.  

We always love an opportunity to chat with our peers and doing it with such an amazing backdrop makes it one of the best networking events of the year. This was the ‘net’ part of the netwalk; we were able to see how other companies are doing at the moment and find out if there are any opportunities to work together in the future.  

The recruitment industry has been tumultuous in the last few years, so these chats go a long way, and since we’re all part of TEAM, we know that everyone there cared as much about supporting recruiters as we do.  

We value the human touch above everything else (apart from maybe providing an exceptional service for our clients), so getting to talk to the people behind the company name is a great way to network. Building a trusting relationship is key, and that’s impossible if you don’t get much further than a polite email every week.  

 

The Netwalk Itself 

So what about the actual event? Well, it was a 4-mile journey around the incredible grounds of Kenilworth Castle and other areas around Warwickshire. This is the same location as the event we joined in June 2024, and although it was a little chillier this time the backdrop was even better than we remembered.  

There were around 26 of us all together, a mix of recruiters and service providers, as well as the TEAM representatives. Similar to what happened last year, we formed our own smaller groups as the event went on, as everyone walked at their own pace, but we were able to chat to everyone at some point.  

We’ve been doing these events for a while now, so it was nice to see a blend of new faces and more familiar ones. As important as a professional introduction is, we find that it’s just as important to catch up with people we’ve known for years, to see how they’re faring and if they’re trying something new. TEAM is all about collaboration and we’re more than happy to share what we’ve been doing recently. And as one of the more established companies, our insight has been invaluable for those just starting out.  

But enough about the networking. We raised £900 in total for Shout, £400 in entry and our sponsorship of £500. Not bad for a fun walk!  

We’re already looking forward to the next event, they’re a great opportunity to network for a cause we really care about. We’ll always share it on our social media pages, and we might create another blog too to talk about it in more detail. 

If you’re part of TEAM, a recruitment service provider that’s considering joining, or just want to support Shout, we’d love to see you at the next one!