The biennial CSSC Games is the biggest competition in the civil service, and it has been a prominent feature of the organisation's calendar since 2003, before taking a two-year hiatus during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The CSSC Games are now back, and attendees will enjoy more than 24 sports and wellbeing activities, spanning everything from archery and football to photography and ten-pin bowling across two massive days of sport.
CSSC Games Event Director Matt Taylor (pictured below) is looking forward to making this 10th edition of the event one to remember. "The Games has played a key role in establishing over 100 years’ of sporting heritage at CSSC," he said.
"The CSSC Games is our flagship sporting event and is a well-established and integral part of what we do. It’s always been hugely popular, with up to 1,000 civil service colleagues coming together to enjoy two incredible days of sport and wellbeing."
Originally held at Millfield School in 2003, the CSSC Games have been held biannually at the sporting facilities of Loughborough University. Food is provided for all attendees, and on-site accommodation can help competitors feel at home.
Top quality wellbeing
"Sport plays a central role in CSSC’s overall focus to provide our civil service colleagues with top quality wellbeing, leisure and sporting activities, helping them live healthier lives day to day," explained Taylor. "The Games is open to all, welcoming everyone from single entrants and small office groups all the way to national assembled teams."
“It fosters great life-long connections both in and out of work, helping to improve that vital work-life balance,” Jodey from HMRC
The last few years have been very tough, so for Taylor getting back to running the CSSC Games feels like another step closer to normality. "We’ve put a fantastic package together for this year, so whether you’re coming for a single day or two days, you’re guaranteed to have a great time," he said.
"The Games is always popular with CSSC members," Taylor continued. "Members and volunteers who have attended the Games know it’s an experience unlike any other. The feedback we receive, especially from returning competitors year after year, has always been extremely positive, with many attendees commenting they have challenged themselves and tried their hand at a sport they’d never before considered."
Taylor explained that there’s also a big social aspect to the Games. "Colleagues often comment how great it is to have the opportunity to meet new people and make valuable connections from all across the civil service. We’d expect that to be a particularly strong theme this year and extremely valuable to all. Personally, I am looking forward to a number of things. Being back out delivering these types of events, the return of our wonderful volunteers who help to make the event possible, witnessing the highest level of competition and ultimately seeing members back interacting and having fun again."
Sport and physical activity has never been more important to help maintain a healthy lifestyle
The importance of staying active has never been clearer. There‘s loads of data to support the evidence that suggests those who undertake regular exercise are happier, less stressed, more effective in the workplace and less likely to take time off than those who don’t.
The World Health Organisation recommends that healthy adults aged 18-64 should aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity every week. In fact, research suggests that only 21% of adults meet the 150 minutes of weekly activity guidelines.
Research has also shown that employees who get at least 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity per week miss an average of 4.1 fewer days of work per year. Employees tend to be more engaged, more focused, more collaborative and happier in their work.
It’s never been easier to get involved with the CSSC Games
"CSSC is on hand to support our members and make attending the Games as easy as possible," said Taylor. "We welcome single entries, so if you are struggling to find a team but you want to be involved, we’ll be able to fit you in. We also provide support for travel and accommodation costs, so if alternative funding is not available to you through your place of work or local association, we can assist you in attending. You can claim for a portion of your travel, public transport, vehicle hire to get to the CSSC Games and accommodation costs if staying on-site at Loughborough," he concluded.
To book tickets for the CSSC Games, visit: https://www.cssc.co.uk/cssc-games-2022
About CSSC
Supported by the Cabinet Office, CSSC is a membership organisation for all civil service and public sector employees helped by 1,200 volunteers. It provides opportunities for over 140,000 members to enjoy fitness and leisure activities as well as over 4,000 ways for them to save money daily.