I trained in food product development and worked for 14 years at Asda. Being able to get involved in a huge amount of fundraising there made me realise that people and doing good work were my real passions. I become Asda’s head of community and charity partnerships and my proudest moment was working with the British Heart Foundation to get defibrillators into every store. 

Increasingly I wanted the opportunity to do more of that sort of thing, a job where I could make a real difference to others. So in 2014 I joined Yorkshire Cancer Research and that led me to St Leonards Hospice in York.

After 8 years at St Leonards, I was ready for my next move. And then this role at Forget Me Not came up – it was everything I wanted. 

I’m very emotionally invested in the hospice sector and to be able to work for a local charity where every penny raised in Yorkshire stays in Yorkshire is a huge privilege. And I’m drawn to how pioneering Forget Me Not is – some of our services, like our support for families whose child dies suddenly and unexpectedly, are so innovative. We face into tough subjects like this and we do it well and with pride. That’s inspirational. 

My role at Forget Me Not involves taking the lead on the delivery of our fundraising strategy to increase our annual fundraising income as well as supporting the delivery of our marcomms strategy to drive brand awareness, develop effective marketing campaigns and engage with all our audiences.  

I’m also here to help the teams be the best they can be - I always feel at my most energised when I’m able to help someone grow in their role.