When I was a child my parents would take my brother and I to the Lake District for Summer Holidays. Often we would take Great Aunty Joyce and Uncle Albert along with us. They were older than my parents but still full of zest and energy so we spent many happy weeks hiking over fells and around lakes. I’ll never forget Albert’s “Afternoon stroll around Ullswater” which took all day or the chicken which stole Albert’s sandwich in the pub car park in Buttermere!

One of our favourite walks was the ascent of a small series of hills, just outside Keswick to a summit called “Catbells”. It was challenging enough for small legs at 451m and about 2-3 hours,  but the view from the top was breathtaking. Derwentwater and Keswick to the east, Bassenthwaite Lake and the Newlands Valley to the north, with Skiddaw and Blencathra, visible in the distance. A 180 Degree turn gave us a view of the Borrowdale valley in the South. We could sit there with a flask of tea for an hour or more, just taking in nature and preparing for the journey back to Keswick with the lake constantly in view.

I miss those fells, so when the opportunity came to reinvent my Company, the Name of Catbells sprang immediately to mind. It reminds me of a simpler time of life but also reinforces a number of key principles that I hold dear in business.

Chris Steeples - Founder and CEO