One of things that traditionally happens over the summer months is the flurry of festivals across Great Britain, in fact these days there seems to be more appetite for these musical and cultural celebrations than ever. Last year this captured our imagination here at Octopus towers and we decided to follow suit by creating our very own festival - 'Roctostock'.

So last Thursday it was that time of year again and our merry band of Octopedes and fellow Rocketeers made for a field along the coast of Northern Essex armed with our camping gear and wellies . After the massive success of the first one, the pressure was on to ensure those that were there would not be disappointed and that the occasion would live up to the hype for all our newbies who waited for the festivities with eager anticipation.

Thankfully Roctostock just seems to get better and better. The weather was kind to us despite the forecast of regular showers and heavy wind, we had glorious sunshine throughout. The day consisted of pitching tents (which took those of us that are less practical by nature a little longer than others). This was followed by a host of activities which included a fairly competitive game of Rounders, hula hooping, face painting and the building of a giant Jenga tower. But the highlight was without a doubt the performance of our very talented Roctohouse band reformed from last year with a couple of new members.

As the day came to a climax the band belted out an eclectic mix of classics and new hits such as 'Smells like teen spirit' - a firm dance floor favourite and Lady Gaga's 'Paparazzi'. The band proved a hard act to follow, but James - our resident DJ did not fail to deliver some real floor fillers, whilst we were treated to Tommy's epic annual robot dance. The evening was topped off with the ceremonial lighting of Chinese lanterns which marked the end of Roctostock for another year.

At the end of the day it was two things that struck me the most, the first was all the new faces in one place together which just goes to show how much we have grown over the last 12 months. The second was how the spirit of Roctostock perfectly captures what I think is the pretty unique culture of Octopus Group. We like to think of ourselves as a down to earth practical kind of bunch, who can create something from nothing and know how to have a great time whilst we're at it.

From my experience it is a company that both values and celebrates people's individual talents and I can't think of a better way to capture this whilst having an awesome time. So bring on Roctostock 2011!

Louise