Six-week sabbatical

Lesley's an Operations Manager in one of our Contact Centres. She recently reached 25-years' loyal service with Nationwide, and was rewarded with a six-week paid sabbatical.

Here's her 'postcard' to her colleagues sharing her amazing experiences.

My Sabbatical

"I decided to use this fantastic opportunity to do something I’ve always wanted to do; visit Sydney, New Zealand (north and south islands) and Singapore.

"Sydney had a very chilled vibe and a fantastic café culture. So, during my stay there, I was wining and dining around the harbour overlooking the Opera House and Sydney Bridge, watching the world go by as the sun beamed down. I honestly had to pinch myself!

"We flew to Auckland, New Zealand, before picking up a car and driving throughout the north island visiting all the main attractions, such as Pananui, Rotorua, Napier and Wellington. A quick four-hour ferry crossing took us to Picton, Blenheim, Nelson, Franz Josef, Wanaka, Queenstown, Te-Anau and many more amazing destinations. We saw and experienced a living/working Maori village, where families cook their food in the earth’s boiling thermal geysers, visited amazing beaches and botanical gardens, rode cable cars and boat rides on Wanaka and Wakatipu lakes, visited Fjords and glaciers and witnessed 300 blue penguins return from their day’s fishing far out to sea in order to feed their chicks: it was an absolutely amazing experience.

"After five weeks of touring, we took a flight to Singapore. You cannot visit Singapore without visiting Raffles, a five-star colonial hotel named after Sir Stamford Raffles and established in 1887, and famous for its Singapore Sling – the world-famous cocktail, which we simply had to sample (more than once). The city was spotlessly clean and absolutely beautiful.

"We’re so fortunate to work for a company that rewards loyalty, and I was chuffed to be given this opportunity. All those years of hard work and dedication definitely paid off!"