
In October 2024, all Heneb staff and Trustees met in Aberystywth for our first ever company away day. The day began with cups of coffee and biscuits in hand, and everyone from the four regions of Heneb mingled, sharing tales of archaeology from across the country.
We were welcomed by Heneb’s Chair – Carol Bell, and CEO Richard Nicholls.
The morning featured a series of workshops designed to challenge thoughts and inspire collaboration. We split into several groups and discussed various topics that concern Heneb currently and in the future. These included a Welsh Group – discussing how to engage staff with the Welsh language, an Archives Group – a practical handling session which was used to explore good and bad examples of archiving, a Technology Group – looking at how technology can streamline and enhance archaeological projects, and perhaps one of the most popular groups was the Wellbeing Group – created to workshop staff wellbeing resources and incentives whilst attempting to beat the clock in a game of ‘escape-the-suitcase’.
Over lunchtime, staff got the opportunity to chat and get to know each other a bit more. Although several of us have previously met on a few occasions, we very rarely get the chance to talk as we did that day. It was a refreshing experience to meet our counterparts and colleagues that we so often only see on a screen these days.
The afternoon session involved discussion of Heneb’s strategy for our future. It was an invaluable opportunity for all staff to give their say on the outlook of Heneb. We discussed proposals for mission and values statements and contributed ideas to Heneb’s five year plan.
One of the real highlights of the day came in the form of a keynote speech by The Royal Commission’s Toby Driver who delivered an invigorating speech about Later Prehistoric and Roman Wales. It was great to learn about sites and new archaeological discoveries and remind us of the passion for our work that we all share.