A little while ago, I made a decision to change some things in my life that were impacting badly on my home and work life balance. That decision went on to have further impacts on a few close people around me, not least my wonderful partner, Liam and because of this, I must say thank you to him for his constant love and loyal support. 

I decided to leave my role of Executive Director of Operations and Development for England and Wales, with Walsingham Support, (a national Disability Charity), so that I could become the full-time Carer of my Mum, Sheila.  At the time, this decision was a hard one to make, firstly because I held Walsingham Supports values, its purpose and the people within it, close to my heart, but also, to be honest, it was a hard decision to make because I was worried about living a life far less materialistically different to the one that my monthly salary had allowed me to become accustomed to!  I have learnt this really shouldn't have been a difficult decision at all.

When I first experienced my Mum’s support needs, they were the experiences that put my home and work life balance into a different perspective and what also enabled me to properly re-evaluate my life priorities.  Mum hadn’t been herself for a while and had lost her “sparkle”.  I am fortunate to have had some time to step away for a while, to take a breath and remind myself of the things that are important to me and to remind myself of who I am, who I want to be and where I want to go (and help Mum shine once again)!   Retrospectively, this decision I'm not wealthy but I have no regrets with the decisions I made.  I am very rich - just rich in different ways that wealth or an abundance of money and possessions could never out-compete.     

When I started my career as a Support Worker 35 years ago, I never set out to be an Executive Director of a national Charity like Walsingham Support. I set out to make a difference at the "coal face". It was about the “goal” for people I supported, not the “role” that I held. My actions as a Support Worker then, helped inspire disabled and disadvantaged individuals to dream more, do more and be more and that is why I am supporting Christian Aid.

Christian Aid was founded in 1945 by British and Irish Churches and works in some of the most vulnerable communities in the world to fight injustice, respond to humanitarian emergencies and campaign for change. Standing together in solidarity with their most marginalised global neighbours of all faiths or no faith, Christian Aid are the official relief and development agency of 41 Christian (Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox) churches in the UK and Ireland, and works world-wide to support sustainable development, eradicate poverty, support civil society and provide disaster relief.  Christian Aid helps communities and individuals to dream more, do more and be more and they do it right at the coal face!  This is what I set out to achieve as a Support Worker, many years ago and that is why I have chosen Christian Aid as the Charity I am raising money for.  

All over the world, people work for, volunteer for and support Christian Aid and I am privileged to know an amazingly committed and dedicated team of people in Irthlingborough, Northamptonshire, who work for, volunteer for and tirelessly support Christian Aid