We are thrilled to announce that we have taken all that 2020 has thrown at us and embraced the challenges to make a positive change at Randall Thorp. As our studio lease approached its end and Covid-19 took over the world, we took an opportunity to re-evaluate our working environment and working structures. Following a lot of planning and hard work, we are pleased to announce that we have now re-located our studio to a luxury dedicated space at Beehive Lofts, Ancoats. In keeping with Randall Thorp tradition, our new studio is, of course, a characterful building and stunning space, located close to Manchester Piccadilly and all the city centre benefits we have always enjoyed. For almost 20 years we based ourselves in a characterful, bright and plant-filled studio in Manchester City Centre. This gave the team flexibility over where to live, along with access to culture, food, shopping and entertainment; and we enjoyed being able to meet with clients and co-consultants for meetings or an after-work drink! Early in the pandemic we prepared for potential lockdown. Work-life balance has always been at the core of the team values. We already provided flexible working, a TOIL system and informal homeworking, but with the onset of Covid we took a pro-active approach to formalising our working from home policies across the full team and equipping everyone with all they needed to do so. We quickly learned that while lockdown life posed some challenges, the team appreciated some aspects of this new way of working. A reduced commute allowed extra time for family and exercise, while more flexible working hours allowed the team to work around client needs and those of their personal life. We decided that beyond Covid we don’t want to return to the ‘old’ ways and our oversized, half empty office! We want to embrace the benefits of this new way of working and the positive impacts it can have on us all. Our new city centre base provides a homely and welcoming working environment for the team; but in a refreshing change to our old life we are now working alongside a broad spectrum of other ‘creatives’. Although office life is a little different due to social distancing, we have already observed that this collaborative environment provides a fantastic opportunity to talk and share ideas with others, especially when there are fewer of us in the office at any one time. We have been welcomed into this friendly community and look forward to opportunities to provide mutual business-to-business support, which seems so important as the world faces the economic and psychological challenges associated with the Covid-19 pandemic. The Beehive will be our new base for creativity and collaboration, allowing us to stay connected to each other, our colleagues, and our clients. We believe this is the best way for us to continue to be adaptable and resilient as a business and a team. We are thoroughly excited to embrace this new chapter, and hope to welcome clients, co-consultants and other work partners for a visit as soon as the opportunity allows. See you soon, Randall Thorp team @ Beehive Lofts