My NCT Story – Katharine Shaw
Tell us about yourself
I am 32 years old, married with 2
children; Isabelle and Alexander,
who are 3 years old and 9 months
respectively. I am currently on
maternity leave from my role as
General Manager for an
international contract caterer based
at a client site in Bracknell.
Isabelle attends a local preschool
mid-week but w hen we’re together
as a family we love to take
advantage of the many local parks,
areas of open countryside and walks
along the canal. We have a season
ticket to a local farm park and are
usually there at least once a week,
whatever the weather!
How did you get involved with the
charity?
When I started maternity leave with
Isabelle (we lived in Hampshire at
the time) I realised quite how few
people I knew in the local area.
Despite having lived there for 7 years
I had literally commuted in and out
to work and maintained social
circles elsewhere. Keen to make
local friends, I went along to the
local Bumps & Babies group and fell
into volunteering for the branch
when I started taking the lead and
welcoming new members. Keen to
get involved further, I took on the
roles of branch co-chair and
advertising co-ordinator and
enjoyed meeting new people and
being involved in the local
community.
NCT Newbury & District
I returned to work when Isabelle was
14 months old and, with a new job
came another house move, this time
to Bracknell. I knew I was going to
miss my old mummy friends and
playdates so it seemed natural to
me to seek out the local NCT branch
and see how I could get involved. I
went along to the Bracknell Bumps &
Babies session when I was pregnant
with Alexander and took on the role
of Social Media Co-ordinator. We
moved to Newbury earlier this year
and again I sought out the local
branch. Fast forward a few months
and I’ve just agreed to take on the
role of Nearly New Sale co-ordinator!
What have you gained from being a
volunteer?
Friends!
Volunteering has helped to keep the
brain cells ticking over, helped me
meet new people, develop skills,
boost my CV and given me
something for myself. I make time for
myself, to do something that I really
enjoy but that definitely has a feel
good factor.
What have you enjoyed the most?
I have always loved volunteering at
the Nearly New Sales. Before my
current role I used to plan and run
events and so these really appeal to
this side of me. You get to meet lots
of different volunteers, typically up
to 30 or so in one day, and it’s such
a busy environment I get a real buzz
from it. It also helps that you get to
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