
The first thing you notice as you pull up to Shrigley Hall is its impressive and imposing 19th century façade. The second thing you notice is the expansive view, stretching all the way across Manchester. The third thing, in our case, was our SELA mentors rushing out to greet us and usher us into this land of leisure that was to be our home for the night.
Our HQ was a spacious conference room with personalised folders that contained the plan for the weekend. The aim was to help build various skills integral to an effective SELA member. On the first day, tasks included a role-playing exercise in which a decision had to be made on whether to enter an F1 car into a race by weighing up engineering and financial risks. This task was a great introduction to the bootcamp and came with a shocking twist, which I shall not spoil here. After adjourning for lunch, we had to build a free standing tower from uncooked spaghetti and marshmallows, as well as gain an intriguing introspective into our own motivations and styles of work in a professional environment. A short break allowed us to explore the grounds and wander onto golf courses, much to the annoyance of the golfers, before reconvening for a delicious three-course meal and wine.
It was then time for Pitch Club; each of us had to think of a product that would be helpful to an elderly person and pitch our idea to the cohort. Products ranged from the useful and plausible (a shoehorn, but for socks) to the ridiculous (a Werther’s Original dispensing walking stick). Following the fun and engaging speeches, the mentors retired to their rooms. The remaining cohort had a leisurely evening, appreciating some lounge piano and, despite the insistence of some inebriated golfers, not going for a crazy night out in Macclesfield.


On the bus home, the air was abuzz with ideas and conversation about what lay ahead. It should prove to be an interesting year.
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