Invented by Will Murray, the Packtypes journey dates back to 2005 and the publication of Will’s, Think Dog, Rules for Life and Think Dog, How to Be the Best books. Designed to change lives, these two books provide a ‘dog’s eye view’ on getting the very best out of yourself, life and other people.
Why ‘a dog’s eye view’ you ask?
“I realised that to explain the power of relationships and teamwork in a way that would have a real impact was going to require telling a story that anyone from children to world leaders would be able to relate to.”
“Who better to get the relationship message across than a lovable dog (called Ludwig), who was after all mans best friend, owned nothing himself and relied totally on the strength of his relationships to survive.”
“It was then only a small leap from Ludwig and his pack of doggy friends to a pack of cards and hey presto; Packtypes was born.”
Launched at the World of Learning Show in November 2008 Will and his wife Annalese knew straight away that they had something rather special on their hands, from the amazing reaction that Packtypes received at the show.
Almost immediately after the launch, Will rushed off to Namibia to use Packtypes on expedition with Ken Hames, the inspiration behind the BBC’s powerful Beyond Boundaries and Mission Africa programmes. The expedition proved to be a defining moment for Will.
“I had a real opportunity to reflect while I was in Namibia. I was struck by the simplicity of life in that type of harsh environment. Whether people live or die out there, is dependant on the strength of the community and the power of enduring personal relationships. Children learn directly from their extended family and elders and traditional experience is paramount. Despite owning very little, people seem extraordinarily content.”
On his return to the UK, Will determined to try and use Packtypes to achieve something truly worthwhile for the children in this country.
“Annalese and I decided that we needed to use Packtypes to help today’s children rediscover the relationship skills and values that have underpinned our community for generations but are now being lost and dissipated by the pressures of modern living.”
As a result Will and Annalese have created a new vision for Packtypes which is:
To empower future generations of children to recognise and believe in their own strengths and talents, to relate well to other people and to build strong, sustainable, safe, communities.
To help us achieve this vision we have launched Outstanding Schools and have added a key, new member to the Packtypes team. Chris Raymond has not only been a teacher, a deputy head and a head, he has also been a professional rugby player with both Gloucester and Worcester RFC’s.
“As a teacher and a professional rugby player I have repeatedly witnessed the vital importance of self awareness, personal confidence and teamwork to achieving anything worthwhile. I’m joining the Packtypes team because I’ve seen Packtypes used in the classroom and the results are awesome. I genuinely believe that using Packtypes properly in schools will change children’s lives.”
A bit about Will
Married to Annalese, Will has three great children. He started his career as a retail buyer for companies like House of Fraser, the Burton Group and Dixons before moving on to become Head of Corporate Marketing at BT and later Director of Marketing at Ernst and Young.
For the last 10 years Will has been working as a relationship trouble-shooter for both Government agencies like Skills for Logistic and Becta and commercial organisations like Orange, Fujitsu and RWE encouraging outstanding performance and teamwork.
Will is the author of several best selling books including ‘Think Dog, Rules for Life and Think Dog, How to Be the Best’ which provided the inspiration for creating Packtypes.