For over 80 years Chester Zoo has been a leading conservation and education charity, with an amazing, award-winning visitor attraction. The team at Chester Zoo are passionate, talented and enthusiastic, which is why schemes are in place for managers to recognise their teams continued dedication. The Going the Extra Mile (GEM) recognition scheme really shows employees that they are valued for what they do, with managers nominating team members to receive special tokens of thanks. Seeking to enhance the wellbeing of employees, Chester Zoo hire a full time on-site occupational health advisor and employees are free to self-refer if they wish. The occupational health advisor also conducts a monthly blog, which aims to communicate ways in which to ease workplace stress. With the powerful mission statement of ‘Preventing Extinction', it is vital that employees are all working as one team. With hundreds of job roles at the Zoo, employees are encouraged to access training whether it is job relevant or not to ensure personal development and the opportunity for progression. Many community initiatives are in place at the zoo. One of these initiatives ‘Free school places', allows for free educational visits from any background or location to the Zoo each year.