We were eager to take part in Aha Agency’s annual Curiousmas event on 27 November, which was designed to help attendees pause, reframe and tap into the power of curiosity. Hosted by the wonderful Claire Daniels and Kit Lewis, the event brought together a brilliant mix of minds from across “Charity Land” (as ESco’s Rob Green affectionately coined it) for a day of hands-on activities, fresh thinking and a lot of laughs.
Aha Agency is a purpose-driven consultancy that partners with charities and social-purpose organisations to solve tricky challenges with insight, creativity and strategy. They work hand-in-hand with clients on everything from audience research and fundraising campaigns to brand development, supporter experience and creative campaigns. Their whole philosophy is about starting with people – understanding what moves them and designing solutions that truly connect.
Representing ESco were Louise McHale (Managing Director), Alistair Wood (Strategic Account Director) and Rob Green (Director of Product & Transformation), who were all fuelled up and ready to get curious.
Curiousmas champions the belief that curiosity fuels creativity, and creativity drives smart, strategic thinking. That ethos came to life in a jam-packed programme full of energising sessions and unexpected moments – including a performance by a world champion beatboxer that had the whole room buzzing.
Highlights for our team included The Mind Games with Claire Daniels (which was a fascinating dive into the science of decision-making) and Thinking People Outside the Box, a powerful and deeply moving talk on stereotyping by Chine McDonald.
It was one of those days that sticks with you for a long time after it’s over. Full of energy, warmth, thoughtful people and big ideas which were all shaped into something truly unique by the Aha team.
We left feeling inspired, recharged and very grateful to have been part of it. Huge thanks to Aha, Funraisin, and of course, to Claire and Kit for hosting with such heart. Roll on Curiousmas 2026 – you can bet that we’ll be there, with our curiosity dialled up to eleven.
