Research by the country’s foremost activity provider, The Activity People, reveals a combination of tougher economic times and Government spending cuts are steering employees and companies away from traditional office Christmas parties towards more action-based activities.

The Activity People monitored corporate bookings for Christmas parties over a five-year period. The figures reveal a dramatic increase in the last two years in the number of companies booking activities such as paintball, go karting or clay pigeon shooting.

Research by YouGov in 2009 revealed that only about 40 per cent of office workers were guaranteed a Christmas party, with one in six employees contributing to the budget themselves.  Rebecca Rudkin, Corporate Manager at The Activity People, believes this pressure on the Christmas party budget is forcing employees and companies to rethink their party plans.

‘More than ever before companies want value for money for their Christmas party and they want to be sure that employees enjoy it. Therefore, they are being more creative in what they are doing,’ says Rudkin.

Although the latest Government economic statistics revealed higher growth figures than expected, the planned Government spending cuts mean 2010 is likely to be another Christmas where budgets will be tight for parties.

Mark, who runs a small engineering firm in the West Midlands, is taking his team of 25 for a corporate shooting day. ‘We just wanted to do something different. We had a vote amongst our team and shooting come out top,’ says Mark

Angela, who runs a hairdressing salon in London, said: ‘We are all going karting, and having some food and drink afterwards. We are a young team and didn’t want to sit around with paper hats on. The guys are really looking forward to it.’

Rudkin says: ‘Our research shows many companies like to do something active because it relaxes people and it is simply more fun.’

The Activity People are giving every participant a £10 voucher to spend on an activity of your choice after Christmas, with Christmas and New Year bookings of 20 people or more. Just quote ref: adrenamagfreevoucher, when you book your group into any activity, and the vouchers are yours.

1. Motor sport star Alice Powell. In January Alice Powell was named the British Woman Racing Drivers Club Elite Gold Star Winner for her success and achievement in 2010. It is the second year in succession she has won the award.

Presenting the award to the former karting star was the BBC1 Formula One TV presenter Jake Humphrey. Jake said: ‘I really do think it’s about time that women who are making waves in motor racing are recognised at the very top. So good luck in 2011.’

This year Alice hopes to compete in the Formula Renault UK Championship, which receives LIVE ITV coverage and crowds at the track that match figures of attendance at an average Premier League Football game. If you are a woman who is interested in karting and would like to know where Alice started click here.

2. Italian women clay pigeon shooters. Italy is home to some of the world’s top women clay pigeon shooters. Katiuscia Spada won the Skeet Women ISSF World Cup Final in Izmir, Turkey, in 2010. It’s not the first time the Italian police officer has been seen on the medal winners’ podium in the last three years; she won the Olympic silver medal in Beijing behind fellow Italian Chiara Cainero. Skeet is a clay pigeon discipline where clays are thrown by two machines for the shooter to kill. If you want to try clay pigeon shooting, click here.

Kristin Boese: Water sports star

3. Water sports super star, Kristin Boese. German Kristin Boese is a legend in women’s water sports. Twice women’s world kitesurfing champion, she has been nominated for world sailor of the year. The author of several books, she has also recently launched a modelling career. If you want to try water sports, click here.

4. Archery hot shot. Twenty-six year-old Nicky Hunt is targeting more medals in 2011. Finishing 2010 in number one position in the FITA world rankings, she helped the English team win the women’s compound team event then added the individual gold medal a day later. If you want to try archery click here.

5. Women skydivers. It’s known as the world’s biggest pink cloud with 181 women skydivers filling the Californian sky in 2009. Led by Kate Cooper-Jensen, one of the foremost skydivers in the world, Jump for the Cause was co-founded with Mallory Lewis, after her mother, legendary puppeteer Shari Lewis, lost her battle with cancer in 1998. Events in 1999, 2002 and 2005 raised a combined total of over $1 million and broke the previous world records with 119 women in 1999, 131 women in 2002,151 in 2005 and 181 women in 2009. If you want to try a sky dive or another extreme sport, click here.

A beautifully presented, full-colour Adrenalin Activity Passport that you can personalise with your own message. This will probably be the most exciting gift you will give this year and it is only three clicks away from arriving by email, or you can have it delivered. It’s your choice. This store is open 24 hours, 7 days a week, so it doesn’t matter how last minute your purchase.

Established in 1995, The Activity People is now the biggest and most diverse activity network in UK with over 883 venues. So, when you give an Adreenalin Activity Passport from The Activity People, you are giving the recipient the choice of taking part in any of those activities, anywhere in the UK – an unrivalled adrenalin activities gift.

The Activity People are the preferred activity network for Visit Britain, who put their trust in them to provide activities to UK travellers together with visitors from overseas. The Activity People’s numerous locations and activity diversity means they can also provide activity-based incentive and reward schemes to leading UK companies together with activity options for event managers, gift experience companies and stag and hen organisers.

Click here to buy a full colour, Adrenalin Activity Passport that will either be delivered instantly to your email address on completion of your purchase, or delivered to you or the person receiving the gift – your choice!

Avram Grant, West Ham’s beleaguered manager, no doubt hoped to sharpen the striker’s shooting skills with a day hitting clays. No one at the club was available to comment on whether the karting laps got the team motoring or whether the team’s star player Scott Parker used the go-karting day to practise his corners, but the signs are looking good. After the team-building event, West Ham achieved their best result of the season with a win over Liverpool, to lift them off the bottom of the table for the first time. If you want to try karting click here, or clay pigeon take a shot here

1. Monster Truck Driving, Sussex.Tired of the traffic and ready to put your foot down in a big way? Monster trucks are a ‘bad ass’ weekend driving experience. From £226 for a two-and-half hour session, it isn’t cheap, but the memory is as big and bold as the US ‘Grizzly’ truck you could be steering. And it’s just about the only time you will be able to bully your way over two police saloon cars without an expensive trip to Her Majesty’s courts.

2. Water Spills, Scotland. No year is complete without an excursion into the wilds of Scotland. Spring snow melts make for a rush of water and adrenalin in rivers across the central belt and the Highlands, which make it great for white water rafting. Prices start from around the £50 mark. And, while you’re up there, adding some canyoning and bungee jumping can make for an exhilarating weekend. The only difficulty is making sure it’s thawing and not still snowing.

3. Walking on water. Yes, really. You too can achieve the miracle of walking on water, courtesy of a plastic zorb. From about £20, the experience is a great buy and as the flotilla of You Tube videos testify, it’s the highlight of many a weekend.

4. Canyoning, Lleyn Peninsula, Wales. Canyoning or coasteering as some people call it, is a cross between mountain climbing, walking, pot-holing and swimming. Half-a-day’s canyoning is around £32.00. For that you get to make your way down a gorge in a wet suit, tackling obstacles as you go. But be warned, depending on the level of water, it can be a challenging activity requiring a high level of fitness. Maybe one to leave until later in the year, when you’re a bit fitter.

5. Riding, Oxfordshire. For those lucky enough to be born in the country, horses are akin to bicycles – transport that keeps you fit – but for the majority of UK urbanites, they are just creatures we lose money on at the bookies. A weekend visit to a riding school such as the one near Banbury can change all that. For around £30, you get a chance to ride indoor or outdoor, with qualified instructors at a centre approved by the Association of British Riding Schools.

6. Quad biking, Yorkshire. This Doncaster site is one of the UK’s most prestigious quad centres. Visitors get the chance bump and slide on Apache RLX 150cc, RLX 100cc and 50cc quad bikes over a disused quarry site. Prices start at around £25.

7. High Ropes, Devon. Close to Dartmoor National Park, the Tavistock high ropes course is another excuse to head to the west country for a weekend. The canopy-based activities offer challenges for different ages and levels of fitness, and start at £26.

8. Scuba-diving, Buckinghamshire. Scuba diving is a sport that is becoming more accessible and popular, particularly with the over 40s. And dipping a toe into the sport isn’t expensive. Less than £30 will be needed for an introductory session.

9. Ballooning, Lake District. William Wordsworth – one of the Lake District’s most famous sons – could have said: ‘I wandered lonely as a balloon.’ Surely, there can’t be a better way to view some of the UK’s finest scenery than perched in a balloon a few thousand feet in the air. Just imagine the poetry he may have come up with as he floated on high o’er vales and hills. Prices are around the £200 mark.

10. Off-road karting, Surrey. Just a short drive from the M25 is an off-road karting circuit without any traffic cones in sight. For between £80 and £90, you can rip up the mud and blow away all the memories of weekdays stuck on the M25. Proper driving that you can only dream about in the south east of England.

Skateboard legend Tony Hawk, David – The Hoff - Hasselhoff and R ‘N’ B star Eve will be among a traffic jam of stars taking part in the 13th annual Gumball 3000 Rally from London to Istanbul which revs off on May 26, 2011.

The high jinx annual car event, which has attracted stars such as Snoop Dogg, Jodie Kidd, Caprice, Daryl Hannah and Jamiroquai on past rallies, was started in 1999 by Maximillion Cooper. Over one million people were reported to have watched last year’s rally with the above video getting nearly a million hits on You Tube.

Cars to look out for this year include: Charles Morgan in his Morgan three-wheeler, Zondas, Veyron Pur Sangs, American muscle cars and Teslas. The 3,000-mile route from London goes via Paris, where the second Gumball Eco Vehicle exhibition takes place, then on to Barcelona, followed by a weekend at the Monaco Grand Prix. The route then winds through the Italian mountains towards Venice, before heading to Zagreb and stopping over in Belgrade to experience Serbian style celebrations before heading to Istanbul via Sofia. The rally will climax on Wednesday 1 June with a party on the banks of the river Bosphorus. You can find more details on the race here. (http://www.gumball3000.com/TOUR) And if you’re interested in a super car driving experience closer to home,click here.

Send your correct answer – either A, B or C to: info@adrenamag.com Closing date for entries is April 30th, 2011, midnight GMT.  (If you want to donate to the appeal visit www.redcross.org.uk/nzearthquake or call 0845 054 7200.)

England cricketer Andrew Flintoff recently combined two extreme sports into one, in his new television series. Which two sports was it? Was it : A) Zorbing and parachuting B) Quad biking and airsoft C) Paragliding and paintball. Send your correct answer – either A, B or C to: info@adrenamag.com Closing date for entries is March 31st, 2011, midnight GMT.

‘Where can I do clay pigeon shooting?’ was a question asked by Steve, a 49-year-old fireman from the West Midlands, who has been reading Adrenamag’s articles on clay pigeon shooting. Steve, who has always wanted to shoot clays, and would like to organise a day’s shooting to celebrate his 50^th birthday, also asked: ‘What simple tips can you give me about clay pigeon shooting. And should I have lessons before we go?’

Adrenamag took these queries to Tom, a 25-year veteran in teaching novices to shoot on stag-parties and corporate days out. Tom said: ‘I always say to people have a go at clay pigeon shooting – after all that’s the best lesson there is. Get the feel of the sport and see if you like it.’

‘Do you need a shot gun licence to shoot clays?’ Steve asked. ‘No,’ said Tom. ‘If you buy a gun and shoot regularly, then you will need one, but you will not need a licence for a day’s shoot.’

Tom’s tip for better clay pigeon shooting

1.     Listen to advice. Very basic, but we get a lot of guys – and it is guys – in stag parties who just want to blast off. Take the time out to listen and you will be a better shot.

2.     Keep an eye open. Find out which is your dominant eye – your instructor will help with this.

3.     Put your whole body into it. The skill of shooting is moving smoothly – not snatching. This means moving your whole body.

4.     Line up the clay. Watch the line of the clay – or bird as we say here – see how high it is above the trees, etc. That way you can track the line of flight.

5.     Calm down. Shooting is about lowering the pulse and being clinical.

If you want to do clay pigeon shooting, click here.

Expect mountain biking to get ever more extreme and adventurous in the year ahead. Bikers are continually on the look out for new and more extreme challenges: both natural and urban. The above video shows the 35K mountain bike race down the volcano on Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean. Described as a Mega-Avalanche event, the competitors flow down the volcano like lava. Although it started over 15 years ago, the event has blasted off recently as top competitors and amateurs from around the world head for the French-speaking island.

In South America, the locals have developed their own extreme mountain biking events. The bikers descend through the narrow alleys of the Brazilian favelas, which are the shanty towns around Rio Janeiro. It’s a breathtaking ride, with the screaming atmosphere adding to the theatre. The Mount 7 Psychosis down hill race in British Columbia is another major mountain bike challenge.

Closer to home, the Cwmcarn downhill course in South Wales is becoming increasingly popular as it offers the rocks and root obstacles enthusiasts demand. For mountain biking, click here.