Born and bred in Essex, I studied History at the University of Cambridge. After working in university administration, I started my Masters in Cultural Heritage Studies at UCL in 2011. In 2012 I combined this with an internship at Braintree District Museum. The museum became the focus of my Masters’ dissertation, looking at community engagement and place-making.
Museum and Heritage Work
After my Masters I worked at Braintree District Museum from 2013 – 2016. Acting first as maternity cover for Collections and Exhibitions, I later moved over to head up the Education section, still maintaining responsibility for Exhibitions. Being a small team, I also did a whole range of other jobs, including events, marketing and managing volunteers.
In 2016/17 I was the Exhibitions Officer for the Pulham project at Lowewood Museum, delivering an HLF funded exhibition and events programme. This was followed by an Arts Council England funded Public Engagement post across 3 local museums, Epping Forest District Museum, Lowewood Museum and Chelmsford Museum. In 2017 I began a family career break, whilst still maintaining active links with the sector, including volunteering at Chelmsford Museum and becoming a member of the Hatfield Peverel Parish Council History Working Group.
Book Festivals and Scots in London
In 2023 I became the freelance coordinator for Scots in London, an umbrella organisation bringing together 10 London Scottish organisations. From there I became heavily involved in developing all aspects of a brand new London book festival – the London St Andrew’s Book Festival.
John Ray Trust
I was a Trustee of the John Ray Trust for 10 years (2015-2025), chairing for three years. An historical and nature charity, the Trust commemorates the work of Essex’s father of natural history John Ray (1627-1705) and supports the study of the natural world today. I managed their website and social media and am still a regular speaker on the Essex circuit, giving talks about John Ray and the work of the Trust.
Music and Dancing
Having started ballroom dancing whilst at Cambridge, my love of dancing has continued to grow, especially as I met my husband at local Ceroc jive classes! I am now a somewhat rusty player of the piano and saxophone, and played in Caprice, the Essex Wind Orchestra, for a number of years.
