Black & White Bridging, which is approaching its first anniversary as a national lender, says it is spending as much time on the working environment for its team members as it does on its product and service proposition.

In October, Black & White was among the first businesses to join the Mortgage Industry Mental Health Charter (MIMHC). Since then, it has enrolled each team member in a wellness initiative by putting together a team wellness chart aimed at helping everyone achieve their personal and professional goals over the year.

Damien Druce (pictured), Black & White Bridging’s commercial director, said that building a positive, vibrant team ethos is “at the heart of what Black & White is all about”.

He said: “We are surrounded by beautiful countryside and have introduced daily walking pairs to encourage a team member to get out of the office with a random member of the team. It helps keep us fit and healthy and also fosters a closer team spirit. We have also encouraged team members to become active and contribute to charities. Our next event will see us taking part in the Weston Half Marathon in March.

“We want people to pursue a long term future with us and while it is early days, we believe we have the right formula to recruit and retain people to work for us. They genuinely want to come to work because they enjoy the camaraderie and the challenge, not just because they have to pay the bills.”