Published
By Ashley Cox
Crescent Purchasing Consortium may be on a journey of Giving Back to the future, but Wednesday 18th June saw CPC staff take a step into England's past, as they gathered for a special Summer Event at Dudley's Black Country Living Museum. ⛓️
Just days after being crowned the country's best large visitor attraction in the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence, the BCLM welcomed CPC colleagues from around the wider UK for a day of team building, idea shares and fun in the Midlands sunshine.
With its faithful presentations of properties from the Victorian and Edwardian eras, as well as from the 1930s to the 1960s, the Black Country Living Museum provides a window into yesteryear; its lovingly restored facilities having provided past backdrops for a host of historical productions, from the hit BBC drama Peaky Blinders to the 2018 Laurel and Hardy biopic, Stan & Ollie.
Blessed by a largely cloudless sky, the day saw members of various CPC teams exploring the 29-acre site, taking in a lesson in traditional Black Country chain making and experiencing (or enduring) a 1912 school class, as well as enjoying a character-led tour of the sprawling, open-air village and sampling the delights of a 'spit and sawdust' public house.
Reflecting the commitment to collaboration outlined in CPC's Mission, Vision and Values, a group-wide workshop rounded off the proceedings, before colleagues returned to their roads and rails, newly enriched in the cultural history of the Black Country.
The 2025 Summer Event was another example of CPC's efforts to provide its workers with a valuable and rewarding employee experience, following on from the successful CPC Winter Event in November, at Manchester's Marriott Victoria & Albert Hotel.
As part of an extensive package of employee benefits, CPC's biannual company-wide events are accompanied by volunteering and training opportunities, as well as hybrid, flexible and agile working avenues and a healthy 38 days of paid leave per annum (inclusive of the eight Bank Holidays and three discretionary days during the Christmas period).
Moreover, while our workforce is based far and wide, CPC endeavours to ensure its staff are duly supported and connected, with dedicated Women's, Men's and Carers' support networks and a number of internal working groups tackling areas from sustainability to equality, diversity and inclusion to physical and mental wellbeing, each enhancing our overall group culture.
With a number of mental health first aiders on our books, all CPC employees can furthermore benefit from a complimentary Employee Assistance Programme, giving access to free and confidential advice and counselling, both online and via phone.
A Certified™ Great Place To Work®, with a number of adjacent accreditations to boot, CPC may have stepped into the past for its sun-kissed Summer Event, but the future looks likewise bright; for its talented team members and prospective recruits, alike.
Discover the latest career opportunities as part of Crescent Purchasing Consortium (or send your speculative CV to us) here
