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And they're off!....

It's a big year for sport. The London 2012 Olympics, Euro 2012 are all sporting highlights to look forward. But there's one event that should be on every property company's calender and that's the annual Buccleuch Property Challenge writes Lisa Pilkington.

This year, Estates Gazette is delighted to be teaming up with Buccleuch Property as the event's media sponsor and we want to see you there.

The no-nonsense team building event will take place on 7th September at the Duke of Buccleuch's historic Drumlanrig Castle and Queensberry Estate in Edinburgh.

The perennially popular event will feature up to a hundred teams made up of property professionals from across the UK and this year it will be in aid of Maggie's Cancer Caring Centres, as part of a year-long fundraising campaign by the Edinburgh-based company.

Teams will endure a six hour test of mental and physical endurance, split into three stages. These include a 50km cycle, kayaking and an orienteering course on foot (I'm worn out just thinking about it) and finishes with prize giving and a BBQ for all participants (that's better).

A variety of other fundraising activity will be held before and after The Buccleuch Property Challenge in September to try and raise more than £10,000 for Maggie's.

Buccleuch MD David Peck says the firm chose to support Maggie's this year as it plays a crucial role supporting cancer patients across the country. "Having now visited the centre in Edinburgh I have been able to see at first-hand the excellent job that the people at Maggie's do and the unique environment that the centre has created."

So if you, your colleagues and clients are up for a challenge it's time to step up. I'll be covering the event - see you there!

Pic cap from left to right: James Macleod, Buccleuch Property Finance Director, Nick Waugh, Buccleuch Commercial Property Director , David Peck, Buccleuch Property Managing Director

The Bristol Property Agents Association dinner was as lively as ever last night. Out-going president Jayne Rixon (the first woman president in the association's history) got a raucous welcome of cheers and wolf-whistles as she took to the stage at the Thistle Grand. 

Ever wanted to take the leader of Manchester council to task? Find out what ITV really wants from its property? or hear Allied London, Santander and Savills slog it out over the state of the market? Well, now is your chance and it's free. 

Former Rugby international Martin Bayfied was outgoing BPAA president, Andrew Batchelor's, choice of after dinner speaker at the association's annual dinner in Bristol last night and what a talented man he is.

Not only a world cup rugby player and broadcaster Bayfield is also a dab hand at accents (we were treated to Irish, Welsh, Kiwi and Yorkshire) and a body double for Robbie Coltrane in the Harry Potter films. If you've ever seen Martin in the flesh (or even a picture of him standing in a group) you'll understand why he has the perfect frame to double up as Hagrid the giant.

After tales of camaraderie and punch-ups on the rugby pitch it was time for out-going president Batchelor to give his final speech and hand over the chain of office to Jayne Rixon. Rixon will be the first woman president in the association's 65 years. As Batchelor pointed out, women got the vote in 1918, Magaret Thatcher became the first woman prime minister in 1979 and the final frontier, BPAA president, has now been reached.

It will be interesting to see who she chooses to speak at next year's dinner.

What an active bunch the Bristol agents are at the moment. Yesterday it was reports of a tennis tournament, today we hear of a gruelling 30-mile hike across Dartmoor.

CBRE's Tom Morris, Guy Mansfield, Ian Banks and Matt Leach were the energetic ones in this instance, participating as one of 32 teams in the Shelterbox Dartmoor challenge which raises money for Shelterbox, an international charity that provides emergency shelters for families displaced by national disasters.

Carrying all supplies in a Shelterbox, the teams had to negotiate the tough terrain navigating their way from marker to marker by an allotted time. And not only did they manage to complete the course with 10 minutes to spare, they also finished a blister-inducing 6th place, proving their fitness and navigation skills were in tip top condition.

Their fund raising skills netted more than £1,300 for the charity. Click on the slide show below to see their foot-aching efforts.

There probably isn't an industry more competitive than property when it comes to sporting events outside work, something that was born out as Bristol agents competed for the coveted BPAA tennis shield.

After what was described in the press release as a "series of tense knock-out rounds" the final was fought between a doubles pairing of Matt Moody from Churchill Property Group and Doug Wood from Wood Estate Agents against David Harrison of Alder King and James Marsh of DTZ.

Harrison and Marsh, to use technical tennis speak, were soundly thrashed 6-2 by Moody and Wood who lifted the title and a nice bottle of bubbles. Focus is predicting a grudge match next year.

The action was captured and can be viewed by clicking on the slide show below.

Alarming pictures have just arrived on the Focus desk of some property professionals in Scotland wearing suits made of newspaper. 'Things can't be that bad, surely?' thought I.

Fortunately it was all part of the second annual Maclay Murray & Spens Scottish Property Treasure hunt in Edinburgh. Some 140 people competed in teams against the clock to find treasure and complete a number of challenges including making a suit out of newspaper and wearing it in public.

Whoever fashioned this number for Geoff Scott in the Jones Lang LaSalle team might think about an alternative career. Or maybe not.

Finishing with a pub quiz to test the teams grey matter it was the Smolka Strachan team that was declared the eventual winners pipping PWC to the post by just two points.

For more suits and other antics click on the slide show.

But fortunately it was all for a good cause. In its second year the Bruntwood Ellipse cycle challenge is a gruelling 55-mile ride through the hills of the peak district to raise money for the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital Charity.

There is the option of an easier, family-friendly, mini Ellipse route but this year Chris Oglesby CEO of Bruntwood broke out the cycling shorts and together with his wife Jane cycled in tandem the full 55 miles, helping to raise £6,000.

You can see Chris and Jane in action below along with some of the other 240 cyclists who took part.