TF Solutions held a corporate day at the end of June for its customers, but this was a customer day with a difference – it involved the entire family.

Supported by Fujitsu and National Refrigerants, TF Solutions took customers along with their spouses and children, to the National Football Centre at St George’s Park, the training ground for the England football team.

Neither parents nor offspring were deterred by England’s performance in Brazil, with both adults and children throwing themselves enthusiastically into the top-flight coaching they received.

After training, matches were played, and then there was a prize-giving ceremony followed by a site tour and lunch. 
One of the main highlights was the England shirts with the children’s names and favourite player’s position number waiting for them in the England players’ changing rooms. 

“When they got the shirts,” said TF Solutions director Andy Cherrill, “they all went quiet, I think they were a bit awestruck.” 

But for the adults it was about more than just the football. “It’s been brilliant meeting other people in the same industry,” said Gregg Wilson of ABW air conditioning. “And of course it’s been magical for the kids.”

John Thompson of Thompson Cooling Solutions agreed: “The best bit has been meeting all these different people and their families – this is one of the best events I’ve ever been to. It’s been very exciting, well organised and the staff have been fantastic.”

“We have a branch nearby and I thought it be a great idea to involve the kids,” said Mr Cherrill. “I made some enquiries and it turned out that St George’s Park didn’t really do that much on the corporate day side of things, so we’ve set a bit of a benchmark. We started with the training sessions they do offer, and built on those to create what we’ve had today. We’ve had a great response from customers all over the country with 87 people here today from around 20 clients. It’s been a real success and we’ll no doubt do this again in future.”

The children of course get the last word here. “The best bit were the matches at the end,” Tom Wilson enthused, “and I scored two goals.” Although he did confess that the very best bit may have been a chance encounter with Ryan Giggs. Finally, Tom’s younger brother, Charlie would like it noted that he scored a goal too.