Charity Team Building in Edinburgh and Glasgow: Where It Runs and What It Costs

The first question we get from Scottish teams is not about the events. It is whether we charge extra to come north, and whether the thing runs indoors. The answers are no and mostly yes, and the rest of this guide follows from those two.

We have run charity builds across the UK since 2011, and Edinburgh and Glasgow are regulars. More than 60,000 people have taken part in our events, and the format works the same in the New Town as it does in the City of London: your room, our kit and crew, and a charity van at the end.

This guide covers where it runs in each city, why Scottish teams book it, the events they choose, the weather question, what it costs, and how to get started. The shortlists are on our Edinburgh page and Glasgow page.

Where in Edinburgh does charity team building run?

Any room you already have access to. We run events across Edinburgh, in the New Town, the West End and the conference venues. An office in the New Town, a hotel function room in the West End or a conference hall all work.

Access, floor protection and timings are things we sort with the venue ourselves. You do not sit in the middle of it. The venue hears from us.

Where in Glasgow does charity team building run?

The same approach. We run events across Glasgow, in the city centre, the SEC and the Merchant City. Your venue, our kit and crew.

The SEC suits the big formats. The Bike Build and the Great Philanthropic Challenge both run for up to 2,000 people, so a whole conference can build at once, in teams of about ten at their own stations, with our crew running the room from the front. Our guide to team building for large groups covers how that works.

Why do Scottish teams book a charity build?

Everyone has a job. Three keen people cannot finish a build while the rest watch, and with no fitness element and nothing that singles anyone out, every department and level takes part on equal terms.

It leaves something local. The bikes, scooters and skateboards go to a Scottish charity, usually that same afternoon, usually in front of your team. That handover is the moment people talk about, and the photograph that gets used.

What you write up afterwards has a number in it. Five bikes, a named Scottish charity, a date. The CSR team building guide covers what to write down on the day.

Which events do Scottish teams book most?

Charity Bike Build. Each team earns its parts by completing challenges, then builds a complete bike. After a mechanic's check, each bike leaves with a helmet, lock, lights and pump for someone leaving a hostel, a young carer or a family without a car. Since 2011, more than 3,000 bikes have left the room with a charity. Any group from 8 to 2,000, in around two and a half hours. See the Charity Bike Build.

Scooter Dash. Fifty minutes on the clock. The scooters, fully recyclable, are with a local children's charity by the end of the day. 10 to 500 people. See Scooter Dash.

OnBoard. Each team gets two decks, one blank for its own artwork and one with a template. More than 1,700 boards have reached children and young carers living in poverty. 6 to 500 people. See OnBoard.

Which other events are worth knowing about?

Get Ahead Challenge. Ten people, ten headboard panels, one design. Each person decorates a panel, then the team assembles a complete bed, frame and mattress included, for a child who has never had one of their own. Barnardo's put that number at 894,000 UK children in 2023. 10 to 300 people. See the Get Ahead Challenge.

The Great Philanthropic Challenge. Six Crystal Maze style challenges, and each win adds something to a care package. The receiving charity writes the list, so if your business already supports a Scottish charity, this is the one that can be built around them. 8 to 2,000 people.

Does charity team building run indoors?

Most of it does, which matters in Edinburgh in November. OnBoard, Scooter Dash, the Hand Project and the Get Ahead Challenge are all indoor events.

The big two run either way. The Bike Build and the Great Philanthropic Challenge run indoors or out, so a hotel function room is fine whatever the forecast is doing. Nothing about the day depends on the weather unless you want it to.

How much does charity team building cost in Scotland?

The same as London, Manchester or anywhere else in the UK. Location does not change the price, and there is no travel surcharge for coming north.

It is a single group price by size band, and the crew, the kit and the donated equipment are all in it. Some real numbers. OnBoard is £1,779 excluding VAT for up to 12 people. Scooter Dash is £2,212 for up to 12. The Charity Bike Build is £3,388 for up to 16, two bikes, or £4,703 for up to 40, five bikes.

For every event and every band, see what charity team building costs. A headcount and a rough location gets you a price in about a minute. Get a price.

Which Scottish charities receive what you build?

It depends on the event. A bike goes to someone leaving a hostel, a young carer or a family with no car. A local children's charity takes the scooters. Youth projects and young carers receive the skateboards. Beds go to children who do not have one.

We match you to a charity that fits what your business cares about, and wherever we can the charity collects in front of your team on the day.

How to book charity team building in Edinburgh or Glasgow

1. Count the room. Numbers and a rough date. Neither has to be final. 2. Name the room. New Town office, West End hotel, the SEC. A rough room size is enough for us to say yes, or to suggest a better fit. 3. Get the three that fit. Ask the price tool and it comes back with three events that fit and what each costs. 4. Let the venue know the date. The rest is between us and them, not you. 5. Turn up. Our crew is set up before your team arrives and runs the whole session, so hosting is not your job. There is a step by step on the how it works page.

The bottom line

Edinburgh and Glasgow both have plenty of places to take a team, and a charity build works in any of them, because it runs in the room you already have. What it adds is the row of bikes at the end, and a Scottish charity taking them away in front of your people.

Same price as anywhere in the UK, most of it indoors, from six people to a whole conference at the SEC. The only question is which city, and how many of you.