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A Creative Team Day with Live Cheshire
When organisations grow organically, something powerful often happens.
People care deeply. Services evolve in response to real need. Commitment runs high.
But over time, structure, governance and strategy need to catch up with that growth.
This was the point Live Cheshire found themselves at when they brought their Board of Trustees and Senior Leadership Team together for a creative team day at our chapel workshop space.
They weren’t looking for a traditional away day.
They wanted something purposeful, practical and meaningful.
And they wanted the day to do more than one job.
The Context: Growth, Change and a Need for Cohesion
Live Cheshire is a long-established UK charity supporting people with learning disabilities across Cheshire. What began as a small, local youth provision has grown into a respected organisation with expanding services, increasing complexity and a growing leadership structure.
As the charity reached a natural turning point, there was a clear need to:
- strengthen governance structures
- bring trustees and senior leaders closer together
- build shared understanding across roles
- move from organic growth to a more strategic, sustainable future
Historically, trustees and senior leaders had operated largely in parallel.
Different responsibilities. Different pressures. Limited shared space.
The aim of the day was not to blur roles, but to build trust, relationships and shared perspective before embarking on further organisational change.
Why a Creative, Hands-On Workshop?
The decision to choose a hands-on creative workshop was intentional.
Live Cheshire wanted:
- an experience removed from day-to-day meetings and agendas
- a neutral space, away from the organisation’s usual environment
- an activity where everyone would start on a level playing field
- something tangible that could be taken back and used within the activity centre
The group worked together to design and make bespoke storage boxes, which are now used daily by people supported by the charity.
As Mary Watt, CEO of Live Cheshire, reflected, time away from delivery in the charity sector needs to justify itself on multiple levels. If people were stepping away from core responsibilities, the experience needed to offer practical value, personal development and stronger working relationships.
A Level Playing Field for Trustees and Senior Leaders
One of the most powerful aspects of the day was how quickly hierarchy softened.
No one in the room had made furniture before.
Titles stopped mattering.
Everyone became a beginner.
Trustees and senior leaders worked side by side, learning new skills together. Confidence grew naturally. Vulnerability became visible. Collaboration felt safe.
Mary Watt noted that trustees can sometimes feel imposing simply by virtue of their role. This workshop removed that barrier, helping everyone see themselves as one leadership system, working towards shared goals with different responsibilities.
The Human Moments That Matter Most
Some of the most meaningful moments weren’t planned.
Two participants, each managing health challenges, instinctively adapted the task together so they could both take part comfortably. Support emerged naturally, without anyone being singled out.
At the end of the day, groups shared what they had made. People were surprised by the quality of their work. Proud of what they’d achieved. Still talking about it months later.
Those storage boxes are now used daily in the activity centre. Staff and trustees still point out “their” box when they visit.
The objects remain, but it’s the shared memory and connection that continue to matter most.
The Impact: What Changed as a Result of the Day
Alongside the lived experience, Live Cheshire gathered impact data before and after the workshop.
The results were striking:
- Creative confidence increased by 63%, rising from 9 to 8.1
- Overall wellbeing improved by 35%, increasing from 7 to 9.1
- 90% felt significantly more relaxed than in their usual daily routines
- 100% wanted to continue exploring creative activity after the workshop
Participants described a clear emotional shift.
Before the day, people felt curious and excited, alongside some nervousness.
Afterwards, they reported feeling happy, proud, relaxed and inspired.
Ten of the thirteen attendees completed the survey in full.
What Changed After the Day
Several months on, Live Cheshire report lasting impact.
The workshop acted as a soft but significant reset, supporting deeper collaboration before more formal structural changes were introduced.
Since the session:
- trustees and senior leaders now work together on mixed sub-committees
- communication between governance and delivery feels more natural
- staff feel more confident approaching trustees
- strategic conversations feel more collaborative and grounded
Rather than operating as two parallel groups, the organisation increasingly sees itself as one leadership system.
Why This Approach Works
This workshop wasn’t about teaching people how to collaborate.
It was about creating the conditions for collaboration to happen naturally.
By slowing the pace, working with hands as well as heads, and designing the day with intention, Live Cheshire created space for trust, openness and connection to grow.
Sometimes the most effective leadership development doesn’t look like leadership development at all.
Creating Space for Teams to Think Together
If this case study resonates, it’s likely because you’re seeing similar patterns in your own organisation.
Through our Creative Team Workshops and consultancy support, we help leadership teams create intentional pauses to slow down, reconnect expertise and rethink how work actually flows.
Creating Space for Teams to Think Together
If this article resonates, you’re not alone.
This is a pattern I see regularly in growing organisations, particularly where pace is high and teams are full of capable specialists.
Through our Creative Team Workshops and consultancy support, we help leadership teams and people leaders create intentional pauses in the working week. Space to slow down, reconnect expertise, and redesign how teams think and work together.
Sometimes that happens through a focused, hands-on workshop.
Sometimes it’s through longer-term consultancy support.
What matters most is creating the right conditions for shared thinking to happen again.
If you’d like to explore this further, you can:
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