Adventure, purpose and a shared journey, Andy Dickson updates us on Impact's Force4Good
A 160km adventure journey
In 2022 Impact staff, friends and family took part in the first ever Impact Force4Good - a journey to symbolically move our global headquarters from offices at Cragwood on the outskirts of Windermere, to Kelsick in the heart of Ambleside. By road this is a distance of 5km - however we didn't take the simple route, Force4Good is an adventure journey of 160km taking in 10 lake crossings and 150km of mountain passes in the English Lake District.
Celebrating and awareness raising
Delays to the build meant that our new office space wasn't completed in 2022, so in June 2023 we chose to recreate the route in reverse! Once again we used the Tasuki (sash) sent over by our Japanese team as a baton for the 22 leg journey. We were also joined virtually by Impact offices from around the world, who took part in their own micro adventures.
Force4Good 2023 was designed to celebrate:
- The beauty of the English Lake District
- Adventure
- The opening of Impact's new headquarters and adjoining FORCE cafe
We also hope it raises awareness of:
- United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
- Planting trees as part of the climate challenge with Ecologi
- Mind Over Mountains, a mental health charity
36 hours, 22 legs, 50 participants
The first leg started out from FORCE cafe at 6am on day one. From there 50 members of staff took the Tasuki across 10 lakes, choosing to swim, paddleboard or kayak. In between the lakes the teams walked, ran or cycled all finishing at 5pm on day two.
[The photo above shows some of the participants with their friends and family at the end of the journey. Andy Dickson (organiser) is at the front.]
Taking on the adventure spirit
As organiser, I chose to support each leg. It was incredible to watch people trying out new things or really stretching themselves. The stand-out moment was watching five colleagues meet up at 3am on the lake shore of Buttermere. It was pitch black and seeing the lights of three swimmers meet up with two runners was thrilling, especially knowing that the swimmers had never swum in the dark before and were really taking on the adventure spirit as intended. It's worth noting that safety was the main concern, all legs had been risk assessed and necessary precautions were taken.
Fundraising success
Impact believes that organisations should be a force for good and look to have a positive impact on the quality of life on earth. We work with client organisations from all over the world to tackle the complex social, environmental, and economic challenges facing humanity, liberating human potential and encouraging regenerative business practices.
Force4Good 2023 is supporting two causes:
- Mind Over Mountains is a mental health charity that harnesses the healing power of nature. We have (to date) raised £2700 through the journey and founder, Alex Staniforth was at the café to great the team on their return. Alex shares his story in this podcast, exploring vulnerability in leadership.
- Ecologi are tackling the climate challenge by sponsoring carbon projects and planting trees. So far, Impact have planted 4,000 trees in the UK and abroad.
You can find out more or make a donation here:
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Leadership podcast: Alex Staniforth from Mind Over Mountains
