Active August: A local idea inspiring firm-wide movement 

This August, we were delighted to bring colleagues together across the firm for Active August, a firm-wide wellbeing initiative designed to encourage movement, support mental wellbeing and strengthen team connections.  

The initiative began a few years ago in our Towcester office, previously KRW Accountants, when Director Alex Beattie came forward with one simple goal: to encourage colleagues to strike a good balance between work and life, move more during the working day and prioritise their physical and mental wellbeing. 

Recognising how easy it can be to put wellbeing on hold during busy periods, Alex created Active August to encourage healthier habits through simple, achievable actions. Since launching in Towcester in 2023, the initiative has gone from strength to strength, bringing colleagues together through friendly competition, shared activities and a collective focus on wellbeing. What began as a local challenge has now grown into a firm-wide initiative, giving all our colleagues the opportunity to get involved and experience the same positive impact. 

Four Weeks, Four Themes

To help guide activities throughout the month, Active August has been structured around four weekly themes: 

Week 1: Running & Cardio 
Week 2: Sport 
Week 3: Mindfulness & Wellness 
Week 4: Team Building 

Each office was challenged to come up with its own creative ways to get involved, tailoring activities to suit the themes where possible. Alongside this, colleagues also took part in a firm-wide step challenge, creating some friendly competition both within and between offices.  

Last year, the Towcester team achieved 3 million steps between them. This year, we decided to think bigger, setting ourselves a collective target of 50 million steps across the firm, the equivalent of walking around the world once! An incredible fourteen offices signed up before the campaign even began, all determined to help us achieve an ambitious goal. We event went international, with our South Africa office signing up!  

Across August, we are proud to have recorded over 93 million steps across 14 offices.

Here’s how everyone placed: 

At the beginning of August, we set a target of 50 million steps in one month. However, due to the high level of team spirit and engagement across the firm, we hit our target in two weeks.

With the challenge underway, colleagues across the firm embraced each week’s theme in their own way, organising activities that suited their teams, interests and locations. Active August quickly became a fantastic showcase of the creativity, enthusiasm and community spirit that exists across Affinia.  

Here’s a look back at what everyone got up to. 

Week 1: Running & Cardio 

Active August got off to a flying start, with colleagues across the firm embracing the Running & Cardio theme in a variety of ways. In Towcester, where Active August all began, teams took part in a 6.5km treasure hunt, went above and beyond to get their steps in, and 4 members of staff even walked four hours home! A big well done to Annette Smyth, Sandra Franklin, Adrienne White, and Claire Paul. 

Over in East Anglia, Chelmsford launched their own Strava group to keep everyone motivated and took on Parkrun challenges, while Harlow created a dedicated 2km running route, starting and ending at the office. In Ipswich, colleagues enjoyed a lunchtime group walk to grab a coffee and catch up away from their desks. 

Our Cambridge team kept up their weekly bootcamp sessions and added in plenty of extra walks, while in London, Josh Rufus took on the Jersey Farm Parkrun, and Khiet Cheung completed an impressive 15km run while on holiday in Budapest. ‍ In the Nottingham office, the team got busy with Parkruns and even taking on Mount Snowdon! Our Corporate Development team also got involved with a padel tennis session in Stratford, proving there are plenty of ways to stay active.  

Together, colleagues recorded an incredible 23,160,248 in the first week alone, putting us well on track towards our step goal. 

It was phenomenal to see such an enthusiastic uptake of the initiative, and everyone had a lot of fun doing it. 

Week 2: Sport 

The energy from Week 1 carried straight into Week 2, with colleagues across the firm embracing everything from competitive team games to family-friendly activities. 

At Sidcup Main Road, colleagues put their sporting skills to the test during a lively office sports day featuring tug of war, three-legged races, egg and spoon races and plenty of friendly competition. Meanwhile, Colchester enjoyed a trip to Putt in the Park, while the Towcester team staged their own Affinia Mini Masters crazy golf competition. 

Elsewhere, Cambridge hosted a summer fête for colleagues and their families, while colleagues in Stratford took on the Hackney Marshes Parkrun, including first-time participant Darren Flint. In Sidcup Station Road, Holly Norris even persuaded her mum to join her for a Parkrun in Bromley, showing how Active August has extended beyond the workplace! 

Across the business, Week 2 demonstrated that sport can take many forms, but at its heart, Active August remains focused on bringing people together, encouraging movement and making wellbeing a priority. 

Week 3: Wellness 

Week 3 shifted the focus from physical activity to wellness and mental wellbeing, encouraging colleagues to take time for themselves and reconnect with one another. 

Our colleagues in South Africa came together for a group hike and catch-up in nature. With team members spread across the country, the event provided a valuable opportunity to connect face-to-face while enjoying the wellbeing benefits of spending time outdoors. 

In Stratford, the team took inspiration from Towcester’s earlier treasure hunt and organised their own around the Olympic Park, combining movement, teamwork and a healthy dose of friendly competition. 

Over in Towcester, the team welcomed Sophie Black from Mental Wellness Retreats and Mental Wellness Yoga to deliver a professionally led yoga session. Alongside introducing a range of practical techniques to support wellbeing and manage stress, Sophie guided colleagues through a yoga routine they could continue practising beyond the session. The team also continued their commitment to staying active with their regular morning runs. 

Whether through movement, mindfulness or simply making time to connect with colleagues, Week 3 highlighted the importance of prioritising wellbeing and creating healthy habits that can last long after the challenge ends. 

Week 4: Team Building 

The final week for Active August consisted of Team Building, bringing our colleagues together to reflect on their achievements and celebrate an incredible month. 

Colleagues from our Colchester office marked the end of summer with a trip to Mega Bounce at Braintree Village, the world’s biggest bounce house packed with slides, sports zones, obstacle courses and more. It was an afternoon of fun and connecting in the sunshine, with colleagues outside the workplace. Meanwhile in our Towcester office, the team celebrated the end of Active August with a team BBQ and a reflection on an incredible month. 

From our London office, John Ellis, Technical & Training Manager, spent some time with his youngest grandson to help with the final stretch of the month. Lastly, whilst on holiday in California, Ruby Withers, Marketing Executive in Ipswich, hiked Griffith Park to see the infamous Hollywood sign, with colleagues from Brighton also taking part in a beach run and one last hike! 

Throughout week 4, our colleagues showed that they are stronger together. Active August has shown that prioritising wellbeing benefits individuals and colleagues surrounding them can lead you to great things. 

Thank you to everyone who took part! 

As Active August draws to a close, we’re incredibly proud of what has been achieved across the firm. What began as a local initiative in Towcester has grown into something that has brought colleagues together across offices, departments and even countries, all united by a shared commitment to movement, wellbeing and team spirit. 

Along the way, we not only smashed our original step target but also created opportunities to connect, support one another and make wellbeing a priority. 

A huge thank you once again to everyone who took part, organised activities, submitted step counts and shared their experiences throughout the month. We hope the positive habits, connections and momentum built throughout Active August continue long after the challenge has ended, and we look forward to finding new ways to support colleague wellbeing in the future.