On a winters day in a deep and dark December, the plotters began to plot!

A team building adventure awaited the staff of the Ferry Project and the plotters had lots of surprises afoot. There would be teams of green and blue, team captains and saboteurs, thrills and spills, heroics and great feats of athleticism, jeering and cheering, along with huge gasps followed by exclamations of joy.

Whilst others sipped tea and drank coffee as they stirred from their January slumber, teams of four set off from Octavia View into the great unknown. These brave hearts were prepared to endure challenges that no man has taken on before with shouts of ‘No person left behind! and ‘He who dares wins!’ and pleas of ‘don’t get us wet and muddy!’. They were given clues to find signs and wonders.

Off they went, on the sound of the plotters whistle! There was a dramatic dash to the first rendezvous point situated in close proximity to the bus station. A photo finish established the victors and points were awarded. The next rendezvous point was in the city of Peterborough. It has been known for a long time that Ferry Project staff are not just ordinary people, they are extraordinaries and into the valley of the shadow of death they rode. They rode on buses and one on an inflatable horse. Four by four they boarded the bus leaving their carbon footprints lightly embedded behind them for others to follow in their footsteps.

Strategically they positioned themselves onto the bus. Some chose to stand to ensure a swift exit from the bus, to reach the next rendezvous point first. There was much chatter and coaxing on the bus but where and who were the saboteurs they wondered. They were there to hoodwink and mislead the pure of heart with their scheming and skull duggery. They could slow their teams down, take them off course or ambush them with their trickery and treacherous deeds.

As the bus approached the great Cathedral city, one member of staff made an impromptu move.

Had their move gone unnoticed?

Would the rest of the team follow suit?

How dare they be seated in comfort for most of the journey and then rise to their feet to move closer to the exit, whilst others had sacrificed comfort for a swift exit. Onlookers were left wondering what would happen next. Was this a time to do or die?

Without mentioning any names, Sandra blocked Lyza and an enthralling encounter played out before our eyes. This developed into a kerfuffle with Sandra eliminating the immediate threat to enable her other team members to disembark first.

Every man and woman swiftly jumped off the bus to reach their next destination first where points would be awarded. In the shemozzle that prevailed, Tina lost her team members and they lost her despite their battle cry of ‘no person left behind!’. All arrived at the Queensgate clock in a disorderly fashion with Tina still lost. A search party was dispatched and she was located. Rumours then swirled and circulated about Tina being a saboteur. There were also reports of a man riding an inflatable horse and people wearing sombreros.

The plotters then kindly provided replenishments as all contemplated the next challenge.

Once refreshed, the next clue took them to the library. Some of the teams had been tasked with going into the library quietly and unnoticed. For some, this was a challenge too far. They had to locate the former England cricketer Andrew Flintoft and have their picture taken as evidence to score points. There were other books to find and photograph. On behalf of my colleagues, the plotters would like to apologise for the short spell of chaos that was unleashed upon Peterborough Central Library but in all fairness to the plotters, they had been instructed to go in quietly and unnoticed. More points awarded and some deducted!

The big event was literally around the corner know. All could be won or lost here as teams were locked away in rooms from which they had to escape. Each room was named with its own challenges hidden within: The Cabin, Taken, Witchcraft & Wizadry, Baker Street, and Escape the Seven Seas.

At this point, the general public of Peterborough enjoyed 60 minutes of peace and quiet.

Two teams managed to escape, one with only 14 seconds to spare, this was dramatic stuff!

Points collected over the days adventure were added up and the most victorious teams were declared! At the final event some had snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.

The protagonists and supporting actors from this epic adventure were then treated to lunch. Everyone celebrated each other’s achievements and returned to Wisbech as a joyfully bonded team.

There shall be poems recited, books written and sonnets performed about the adventures of these ‘new frontiers’ of the homelessness sector.

No horses were injured in the making of this great adventure.

The two most successful teams will soon go head to head. They will put aside their crowns to find out who is the greatest in the Ferry kingdom.

They shall duel and joust with athleticism, brain power and tom foolery.

But for now….’that’s all folks’