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PALS professional services staff enjoy panoramic views at London’s Sky Garden

21 July 2022

Sixteen professional services staff from PALS enjoyed a sunny afternoon at London’s Sky Garden last Thursday.

A group of PALS Professional Services Staff are gathered around a table in front of a large section of the garden at London's Sky Garden

A wonderful venue for a team outing

Staff gathered outside 20 Fenchurch Street, in the City of London, at 1.45 pm, with pre-booked tickets, ready to gain access to “London’s highest public garden".

Following an airport-style security check, the team were whisked up to the 35th floor of the so-called “Walkie-Talkie” building. The smooth lifts take under 30 seconds to reach the top of London’s 27th-tallest sky scraper.

Upon entering the garden, staff were met with panoramic views across London’s iconic skyline. With further exploration of the space, staff experienced the beautifully sculptured gardens, designed to flourish all year round, bringing a tropical-like oasis to the heart of London’s city centre.

Those with a keen eye were enjoying spotting landmarks in all directions, from The Tower of London to St Paul’s Cathedral. Some staff even set themselves the difficult challenge of pinpointing UCL’s main campus. Overall, the views are striking and the venue made a great location for a team outing.

The view from the terrace at London's Sky Garden. Image taken by PALS Staff.

In-person team socialising is back, and very welcome

Following the 1-hour slot at Sky Garden, the team gathered at a nearby pub to continue socialising. As ever, the team from PALS honoured their commitment to sustainability by purchasing vegetarian-only sharing bites to have with their drinks.

John Draper, PALS Head of Administration, hailed the event a huge success:

“I thought it was a lovely day and it was great chance for all of us to relax in each other’s company and enjoy a wonderful venue. Huge thanks to Tess for arranging the trip and to David, who’s suggestion it was.”

The importance of wellbeing in our community

Life post-pandemic is different. With UCL currently still adopting a hybrid model of working, and encouraging staff to be in the office 40 % of their working hours. Therefore, it is easier to feel isolated and disconnected from colleagues and the work-place.

PALS are “constantly striving to improve the wellbeing of our community” as evidenced by this event and the plethora of information, suggested activities and videos showcased on the wellbeing section of the PALS website [see link below for more information].

We welcome new suggestions for future events from all our staff, students and colleagues.

Find more wellbeing activities on the Psychology and Language Sciences Wellbeing Pages.