“AHOY!”
Every time we called it, the room called it straight back. We were aboard HMS Belfast with 54 kind, clever and creative people, and everyone was getting into the spirit of things.
This was our second Stir Creativity event. A chance for busy communications professionals to step away from the everyday, make new connections and give their creativity some room to breathe. There were inspiring stories, thought-provoking conversations and plenty of opportunities to join in.
We heard Olympic lessons from Lizzy Yarnold OBE, straight-talking inspiration from artist Dave Buonaguidi (AKA Real Hackney Dave), and music-inspired stories and ideas from our very own Alan Oram. Zoe Hanson captured our thoughts and got the room fired up. We explored the ship, decorated ducks, recorded some videos and decided what we were ready to throw overboard.
It was certainly not an average Friday.
All aboard
Stir Creativity was created to give people working in communications the chance to pause, connect and find inspiration somewhere beyond the usual event or conference.
This year, that somewhere was HMS Belfast.
Moored on the Thames with Tower Bridge as its neighbour, the historic warship gave us a unique setting for a day about courage, curiosity and looking at familiar challenges differently.
A Yeoman introduced us to the history of HMS Belfast, bringing the ship’s remarkable story to life and giving us a deeper appreciation of our surroundings. During lunch, guests were also free to explore the decks, passageways and rooms of the ship for themselves.
The venue gave the whole day a different energy. Around every corner there was something unexpected to discover and plenty to get people thinking and talking.
A champion’s mindset
Our first speaker was Lizzy Yarnold OBE, a double Olympic skeleton champion and the first British athlete to retain a Winter Olympic title.
Lizzy shared the story of her journey in skeleton: a sport that involves hurtling headfirst down an ice track at extraordinary speeds. Her achievements required far more than physical ability. They demanded courage, resilience, preparation and the ability to keep going when things became uncomfortable.
Her experiences offered lessons that stretched far beyond elite sport. Lizzy spoke about challenging the limits we place on ourselves, responding to setbacks and finding out what might be possible when we take one more step – or do one more run.
Her question, “Will it kill me? No? OK, do another” clearly stayed with people.
One guest put Lizzy’s mentality into practice almost immediately:
“I channelled the Team Lizzy mentality – ‘Will it kill me? No? OK, do another lap’ – and it got me around four laps of the course. Not an Olympic gold, but it was a massive achievement for me.”
Creativity’s greatest hits
Next, Alan Oram (a co-founder of Alive) took us through his Creativity Bootcamp Mixtapes, using music-inspired stories to explore the conditions that help creative work happen.
He opened with a story about Fred Again and The Blessed Madonna before sharing three mixtapes: The Beatles and George Harrison, the Blitz club, and Britpop through Blur and Oasis. Each had a quick activity to get people thinking and talking.
One guest later told us:
“The mixtapes presentation in particular is one I’d love to show my team.”
What would you throw overboard?
Throughout the day we also invited guests to consider one deceptively simple question: What would you throw overboard?
Deadlines. Perfectionism. Imposter syndrome. Unnecessary meetings. The pressure to have every answer immediately.
Whatever was weighing them down, guests captured it on a postcard before sharing some of their answers with Zoe Hanson, The Podcast Lady.
It was playful, but it also revealed how much many of us carry into our working lives and how liberating it can feel to name something we are ready to let go.
Zoe also got the afternoon session fired up with a game of ‘Number One or Not’.
Ducks, doodles and permission to play
A creativite moment for everyone.
Waiting on the tables were blank ducks and Sharpies, inviting everyone to doodle, decorate and create their own unusual crew member throughout the day.
The ducks became conversation starters, desk mascots and wonderfully individual miniature works of art. More importantly, they gave people permission to play without worrying about producing a perfect result.
Sometimes creativity needs a brief, a strategy and a clear outcome. Sometimes it just needs a blank duck and a permanent marker.
Only so many summers
Our afternoon speaker, artist Dave Buonaguidi (better known as Real Hackney Dave on socials) brought the day to a bold finale.
Dave shared stories from his life and creative career, along with the philosophy that sits at the heart of his work: “F** this shit.”
It’s all about knowing when to stop overthinking, step away from what holds you back and do what feels true to yourself. Dave encouraged us to take risks and live the life we’ve always wanted. We only have so many summers, so make the most of them.
His honesty, openness and distinctive artistic style gave everyone plenty to think about and plenty to laugh about too.
Dave then selected three “throw overboard” postcards at random. Their authors each won one of his prints, creating a memorable end to the activity and a very happy trio of winners.
As one guest explained:
“I can’t tell you how delighted I was to win one of Hackney Dave’s prints. Halfway through his presentation, I realised I already had a tiny postcard image of one of his prints that I’d cut out of a magazine years ago.”
Creativity in good company
The talks and activities gave the day its structure, but the people in the room gave it its energy.
Our 54 guests brought experiences and perspectives from across communications. They shared ideas, met new people and made time for conversations that do not always fit into a busy working week.
There was laughter, honesty and a genuine willingness to connect. From the discussions around the tables to drinks at the end of the day, the atmosphere felt generous, relaxed and full of possibility.
The messages we received afterwards captured it better than we could:
What we brought back to shore
Stir Creativity gave us a day away from routine – but its ideas were designed to travel home with us.
We stepped ashore with fresh perspectives, new connections and plenty of ideas to put into action.
Some things came home with us. Others were happily thrown overboard.
Thank you to everyone who attended Stir Creativity 2026.
It was a pleasure to have you all aboard!
