The 2nd Young Professionals Weekender, Eskdale Youth Hostel, Cumbria

After the fantastic success of the inaugural Young Professionals Weekender held back in March, it was unanimously agreed that a similar event should be held before Christmas. This event therefore took place at Eskdale Youth Hostel in Cumbria on the 2nd – 4th November 2007.

The previous weekender had attracted a healthy fifteen Young Professionals from the Transport and Logistics industry so it was therefore very pleasing to see twenty-six attendees at this second event coming from right across the UK and as far away as Nigeria.

The basic format behind the weekend is the provision of a relaxed, social environment in which Young Professionals can meet and get to know each other. In years to come, the bonds formed at these weekenders may prove useful in industry.

The event kicked off on the Friday night; the first hurdle to overcome was finding the hostel which was located in a very secluded part of the Lake District and could only be reached via a series of narrow, windy roads including the notorious Hardknott Pass. After previous experience on the Hardknott Pass, the event organisers chose to arrive via a slightly less treacherous route, however this did not stop one of the vehicles from the convoy taking a wrong turning and ending up arriving 45 minutes after everyone else. This group of people will remain nameless; suffice to say that the future for public transport in Scotland does not look bright based on the navigation skills of some of its employees!!!

After and excellently prepared meal of chilli, the remainder of the evening was spent chatting and getting to know one another in the comfortable surroundings of the hostel.

Saturday morning consisted of breakfast followed by the early departure of the keen walkers amongst the group who embarked on a walk through the stunning Cumbrian countryside. The scenery in this part of the world is truly breathtaking (in more ways than one). They returned to the hostel later in the day via the Ravenglass and Eskdale Narrow Gauge Steam Railway.

Another group of budding Young Professionals chose a slightly more relaxing day visiting Ambleside, before taking the bus to Windermere and then on to Bowness for a light refreshment before returning to Ambleside onboard Miss Lakeland II via Lake Windermere. Although cold, the view from the open deck of the boat was simply stunning, aided by the rapidly setting sun.

Due to the weekend falling close to Guy Fawkes Night, the group enjoyed a fireworks display in front of the hostel. The sheep in the neighbouring field, however were less enamoured with the fireworks and chose to retreat into the darkness pretty hastily. The fireworks display was followed by another fine evening meal consisting of some excellent home-made soup and baked potatoes. Yes, Young Professionals are truly spoiled at these weekenders.

One of the predominant highlights of the Young Professionals Weekenders has to be the now legendary Saturday night quiz, set and hosted by our resident Noel Edmonds – David Lee-Kong. The quiz was made up of a series of questions based on music and television – past and present. The lucky winners were presented with a cash prize although this was very generously donated to the Youth Hostel to help pay for a Bio-fuel burner heating system which they wish to install.

After breakfast on Sunday it was time to pack up and give the hostel a quick clean before the group photograph was taken. The attendees then went their own separate ways some via Kendal for lunch before returning back home, ready to face another Monday morning!

Again, the weekender proved that it is a very enjoyable method for those attending to meet fellow Young Professionals working within the industry in relaxed surroundings. It is the intention of the Young Professionals Forum to hold these events on a frequent basis.