This week has been one of those that reminds you of the many layers to what we do – the people, the pride, the hard work, and yes, even the occasional punch to the gut. It’s been full on, but in the best way.

We started the week with our Culture Committee meeting on Monday. For anyone not familiar with it, the Culture Committee is a group made up entirely of frontline team members from across the business – not management, not heads of department, just real voices from the ground who care about the direction of the company. They’ve played a massive part in shaping everything from our new induction programme to our reward and recognition schemes.

This time, we reviewed some of the big wins so far, including the Annual Awards, which took place just the week before. The energy and feedback from the night was brilliant – and within five minutes of the meeting starting, the team were already planning next year’s event. Safe to say, I’m not convinced they fully understand the word budget… but you’ve got to love the ambition!

Tuesday brought a moment of reflection, as we officially stepped away from the Deansgate Square Security contract. Losing a contract is rare for us, and always tough – not just commercially, but emotionally too. This one particularly stung, not because of the loss itself, but because of the circumstances.

But what really struck a chord was the reaction of our team on-site. They didn’t want to leave. They were gutted. And to be honest, that says everything. It confirmed what we already knew – that we’d done a great job, built strong relationships, and created a culture people wanted to be part of. That’s something no tender document can capture.

As the week went on, we kept the pace up. Operationally, things have been ticking over really well. I had site visits booked back-to-back across the region and, as always, came away feeling proud of the work being done day in, day out. There’s something grounding about seeing the teams in action – no drama, just high standards and a quiet pride in doing the job right.

We also continued working behind the scenes on future proposals and upcoming opportunities. The work the team are doing to evidence impact – social value, engagement, performance – is streets ahead of where we were 12 months ago. We know we’re delivering, but proving it with data and stories makes a huge difference. It’s proper graft, but we’re getting sharper every week.

Then came Friday, which was a real highlight. We hosted a coffee morning, bake sale and foosball competition for World Down’s Syndrome Awareness Day – and raised over £1,000 in the process. It was brilliant seeing people across the business get involved, from baking cakes to battling it out on the foosball table. There was a real buzz in the office, and it’s events like this that bring the team together and show what we’re really about.

So, from standout team efforts to lessons learned, and even the occasional unexpected challenge, this blog gives you a peek behind the curtain of our day-to-day operations. Week 9 had a bit of everything – and that’s just how we like it.

Let’s see what next week brings.