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Someone's leaving. Maybe they've been at the company for fifteen years. Maybe they lasted six months and decided recruitment wasn't for them after all. Either way, they deserve a proper send-off, not a card passed round the office at 4:47pm on a Friday with a Tesco cake and a speech that starts with "So, we're losing one of the good ones..."
A leaving do should actually be fun. For the person leaving, obviously, but also for the people staying behind who have to go back to work on Monday. Here's how to make it happen.
Start with the speech (and make it good)
The speech is the centrepiece of any leaving party, and it's where most go wrong. Someone rambles for twelve minutes about "the journey," reads out a list of in-jokes nobody outside the team understands, and the person leaving stands there smiling politely while their wine gets warm.
Better approach: keep it under five minutes. Structure it around moments, not milestones.
What works:
- Open with a specific, funny story, the time they accidentally replied-all, the client meeting where the TV died, the day they wore odd shoes and nobody told them until 3pm
- Mention what they actually contributed. Not "Sarah was a valued member of the team" but "Sarah rewrote the entire onboarding process and our new starter dropout rate halved"
- End with something genuine. What will you miss? What did they teach you? One honest sentence lands harder than five paragraphs of corporate warmth
What to avoid:
- Reading directly from notes the entire time (glance at bullet points, sure, but look at the person)
- Inside jokes that exclude half the room
- Anything about their age, appearance, or personal life they haven't explicitly said is fair game
If the leaver is someone who'd hate a big speech, skip the formal bit entirely. A quick toast works just as well.
The slideshow (done right, not done cringe)
Photo slideshows have become a leaving party staple, and when they're done well, they're brilliant. When they're done badly, you're watching forty-seven photos of someone at a desk with varying haircuts while "Time of Your Life" plays on someone's phone speaker.
How to make it work:
- Collect photos quietly in advance. Set up a shared folder and message people individually, a group email asking "send me your photos of Dave" gets two responses, both from Dave's manager
- Include a mix: work moments, team nights out, screenshots of funny Slack messages (with permission), that photo from the 2023 Christmas party where everyone's wearing paper crowns
- Keep it to 4-5 minutes. Twenty photos, maybe thirty. Not eighty-seven.
- If you have access to a venue with AV equipment, TVs and a sound system, the whole thing goes from "someone's laptop balanced on a filing cabinet" to something that actually feels special
The venue matters here. Trying to show a slideshow in a noisy bar where you can't dim the lights is a losing battle. A private space with proper AV equipment makes all the difference.
The funny awards ceremony
This one works brilliantly for teams that don't take themselves too seriously. Create a set of awards for the person leaving, printed certificates, cardboard trophies, whatever you like.
Award ideas that actually land:
- "Most Likely to Still Be on the Work Group Chat in Six Months"
- "Best Out-of-Office Message" (read out the actual message)
- "Longest Lunch Break Without Anyone Noticing"
- "Person Most Likely to Accidentally Unmute on a Teams Call"
- The "[Company Name] Lifetime Achievement Award for Services to the Kitchen Rota"
You can reverse this too, let the leaver give awards to people staying behind. "Most Annoying Email Sign-Off," "Loudest Keyboard Typer," "Person Who Microwaves Fish." It gets everyone involved and avoids the awkwardness of the leaver just standing there being talked about.
The pub quiz (leaving party edition)
A quiz is a reliable crowd-pleaser, and you can customise it around the person leaving. Mix general knowledge rounds with rounds about the leaver and the company.
Round ideas:
- General knowledge (keeps non-work friends engaged)
- "Name That Colleague", baby photos of team members on screen
- Company trivia: "How many all-staff emails did the CEO send in 2025?" "What was the original name of Project Phoenix before marketing got involved?"
- The leaver round: questions about their time at the company, their habits, their desk snack preferences
- Music round with songs connected to their era at the company
Teams of four to six work well. Keep it to four or five rounds so it doesn't drag. Prizes don't need to be expensive, a bottle of wine for the winners, a booby prize for last place.
The long lunch option
Not every leaving do needs to be an evening event. For some teams, especially if the leaver has young children, a long commute, or simply prefers afternoons, a long lunch works better than drinks after work.
Why it works:
- People who can't do evenings (parents, carers, early commuters) can actually come
- It's easier to get senior people to a lunch than a 7pm pub trip
- The mood is different, more relaxed, less performative, nobody watching the clock thinking about the last train
- You can do the speech and slideshow over pudding, then let people drift off naturally
A buffet keeps things simple. If you're at a venue that offers catering packages, you avoid the nightmare of trying to get forty-two people to order from a menu at the same time. Sandwich buffets are the standard starting point, with more substantial options like burger or premium buffets available too.
The "surprise" element
A good leaving party has at least one thing the person doesn't expect. This doesn't mean a surprise party (those are stressful for everyone involved). It means one planned moment that catches them off guard.
Ideas:
- A video message from a former colleague who left years ago
- A framed print of something meaningful, the view from the office window, a screenshot of the Slack channel on their first day
- A "memory jar" where everyone writes down a favourite moment with the person (simple, but people keep these for years)
- A custom playlist of songs that defined their time at the company, played through a proper sound system
- Getting their old manager or a client they were close to to make a brief appearance
The effort you put into one surprise moment says more than the entire event budget.
Evening drinks: the classic leaving do
Sometimes you just want a proper night out. Finish work, head to a venue, have drinks, give the speech, and let the evening unfold.
For this to work well, you need a few things sorted in advance:
Venue: Somewhere you can actually hear each other. A packed city centre bar on a Friday night is not a leaving do, it's an endurance test. A private or semi-private space means your group isn't competing with hen parties and after-work crowds.
Budget: Be upfront about whether the company is covering drinks. If there's a bar tab, tell people. If there isn't, tell people. The worst leaving dos are the ones where nobody knows who's paying and everyone stands at the bar doing the "no, I'll get this one" dance for two hours.
Timing: Start too early and half the office hasn't arrived. Start too late and people who can't stay out drift off before the speech. 6pm arrival, speech at 7:30pm, then let the evening breathe.
Food: Even if it's just bar snacks, have something. Drinks without food on a work night means three people are absolutely gone by 8pm and the rest are trying to discreetly order a taxi.
What to look for in a leaving do venue
Whether you're planning a long lunch or an evening event, the venue can make or break a leaving party. Here's what actually matters:
Private or semi-private space. You want your group to feel like a group, not a scattering of people trying to find each other in a busy bar. A private dining room or function space means you can do speeches, slideshows, and awards without shouting over someone else's music.
AV equipment. If you're doing a slideshow, a quiz, or showing video messages, you need TVs and a sound system. Not "we can probably plug your laptop into the TV", actual equipment that works.
Flexible catering. Some people want a sit-down meal. Some teams just want buffet food and drinks. The venue should offer options, not force you into a set menu. A per-head buffet keeps costs predictable. A bar tab option means you set a limit and nobody has to worry about individual rounds.
Parking. If your team is driving, free parking matters. Paying £15 per car to attend someone's leaving drinks takes the shine off quickly. Free on-site parking for all guests removes that friction entirely.
Location that works for everyone. If your team is spread across different offices or commuting from different directions, somewhere accessible by road, and ideally close to public transport, makes the logistics easier for everyone.
Planning a leaving party at The Anchor
We host leaving dos, and we'll be straightforward about what we offer.
The space: Our private dining room seats 26, or 50 standing. French doors open onto the beer garden, so you're not boxed in. Private hire runs from 10+ to 150 guests.
TVs and sound: Our TVs can be used for photo slideshows or presentations, and we provide the connection cables. Test yours with us in advance. We don't have a projector. There's a sound system too.
Food options: Buffets run from a burger buffet for 20 upwards, through sandwich, finger and premium buffets for 30 or more. Price any of them against your headcount with the private hire calculator.
Drinks: A bar tab means you set a budget and we track it, from 10 guests up. Welcome drinks are available too if you want something waiting on arrival. Or just let people buy their own, no pressure either way. We accept cash, card, Amex, and contactless.
What it costs: Room hire is charged by the hour for the space you book, and the rates are on our private hire page. A £250 booking and damage deposit secures your date. It's held separately from your bill and refunded after the event, less any documented deductions.
Parking: We've 20 free spaces right outside. There's no time limit while you're with us, and nothing to register.
Events coordinator: A dedicated events coordinator handles your booking. Tell us what you have in mind.
Location: We're in Stanwell Moor, 2 minutes from Junction 14 of the M25. Bus route 442 stops on Horton Road by the pub and runs from Heathrow Terminal 5.
Leaving party ideas for different budgets
Company's paying (generous budget)
- Book a private space with AV equipment
- Premium buffet or sit-down meal
- Bar tab for the evening
- Welcome drinks on arrival, prosecco or orange juice
- Custom slideshow on the TV
- Funny awards with printed certificates
Company's paying (modest budget)
- Sandwich or finger buffet
- Set bar tab with a cap
- Speech and slideshow in a venue with AV equipment
- Memory jar or card signed by the team
Team's chipping in
- Everyone orders their own food and drinks
- Organise a collection for a gift
- Someone volunteers for the speech
- Free parking saves everyone a few quid
Remote or hybrid team
- If some people are joining remotely, pick a venue with good WiFi and AV equipment so you can stream the speech and slideshow
- Set up a shared document where remote colleagues can add messages
- Post the memory jar or card to the leaver afterwards
A quick note on timing
The best leaving parties happen during the person's last week, but not on their actual last day. Friday of their penultimate week is ideal, it gives them a proper send-off while they still have a few days to do the rounds, hand over projects, and say individual goodbyes without it all being crammed into one overwhelming afternoon.
If the person is leaving under difficult circumstances (redundancy, restructure, not entirely by choice), be sensitive about the tone. A low-key lunch with close colleagues might be more appropriate than a sixty-person bash with speeches about "exciting new chapters."
Frequently asked questions
How much should you spend on a leaving party?
That depends on who's paying and how many are coming. At The Anchor, room hire is charged by the hour for the space you book, and the rates are on our private hire page. Put your numbers into the calculator there to see an estimate for the room, the food and the drinks.
Should you invite the whole company or just the team?
Depends on the person. Some people want a big crowd. Others would rather have a quiet drink with the people they actually worked with. Ask the leaver (discreetly, through someone they trust) what they'd prefer. Getting this wrong, too big or too small, is the most common leaving party mistake.
What do you do if the leaver doesn't want a fuss?
Respect it, but offer a low-key alternative. "We won't do a big thing, but can we take you for lunch?" gives them an out while still marking the occasion. Very few people genuinely want to leave with zero acknowledgment, they just don't want to stand in front of fifty people while someone reads a PowerPoint about them.
How far in advance should you book a venue?
Two to four weeks is usually enough for smaller groups. For larger events (30+ people) or Friday/Saturday evenings, book at least a month ahead. If you're planning around a specific date (their last Friday), lock it in as soon as you know.
Can you host a leaving party at lunchtime?
Absolutely, and it's becoming more common. A long lunch avoids the evening childcare juggle, includes people who can't stay out late, and feels less forced than after-work drinks. A private room with buffet catering makes lunchtime events simple to organise.
Planning one? Get an instant estimate on our private hire page, then ask us about your date on 01753 682707.