Military manoeuvres in the Dale

Posted on Monday, 07 July 2008 11:41AM by NECC Magazine

A NEW outdoor activity company is offering an alternative way for companies to motivate their team and entertain their clients - through military training. Weardale Outdoor is based on a family estate in County Durham and offers a whole range of actvities from action games like lasertag, climbing and offorad driving to more cerebral activities testing lateral thinking ability and teamwork. Their most gruelling package however offers a unique 24-hour infantry experience, the like of which cannot be found elsewhere in the country. The experience involves a morning of infantry basic training and then a mock battle in the afternoon. PArticipants must live off army ration packs and have to build their own overnight shelter. Not all activities are quite so strenuous though. Weardale Outdoor caters for both corporate and private parties and can tailor packages to the cutsomer's requirements and budget. Corporate days out can take a number of forms and can be designed as motivatinoal, team building exercises or simply rewards and fun days out for clients and staff. Will Parker, the entrepreneur behind Weardale Outdoor, strongly believes in the value of these activities to a ccompany, whatever its size: "I believe that if a company values a well motivated workforce it should be interested in the activities that we offer. A happy workforce will lower staff turnover and therefore increase longterm productivity," "Another use of our activities is to identify future managers. We can use our skills to identify those that are natural leaders, and will therefore become better managers," said Mr Parker. Weardale Outdoor also offers its services to companies wanting to reward their clients for their business. Mr Parker said: "It is a good way of promoting your business and having fun at the same time." Every company is offered a bespoke package with prices varying depending on the activities and numbers involved. The price ranges from £30 per person to £100 per person and NECC members are given a 10% discount. No previous experience is required though a good dollop of enthusiasm is a definite advantage.