The BPS is the leading professional body for psychology in the UK, with more than 65,000 members. My job involves media and member communications, and writing for the BPS website. I am part of a team which helps to ensure journalists receive a fast, effective response to enquiries. I also help the media, the public and stakeholders to fully understand the society’s key messages/policy positions and psychologists’ work with patients across many different areas. In addition, I am a link for more than a dozen member network groups, advising and supporting them in their communications, including editing and designing their e-newsletters.

I helped to further develop the way the school communicated with parents and other stakeholders through use of Twitter, now X, to update them about activities/achievements. I was tasked with encouraging children to have a ‘voice’ in the school, including through the school Council, and with mentoring new learning support assistants. I was part of a team which consistently helped children achieve above average scores in mathematics, reading and grammar/punctuation/spelling in national primary school tests, working closely with class teachers to support/progress children’s learning in and outside the classroom.

The CSP is the leading UK trade union/professional organisation for 60,00O plus members. I edited its fortnightly magazine, Physiotherapy Frontline, (and later online news) for nearly 10 years, helping members and others stay up to date with the latest developments regarding all aspects of the physiotherapy profession. I developed Frontline’s content to a high standard and the magazine was twice commended in the TUC press and PR awards during my editorship, with judges praising the publication as an ‘authoritative classy act’ and for its ‘brilliantly professional approach’, commenting that it was ‘probably required reading for members’.

I had a successful career as a freelance journalist helping publications to meet their writing and editing needs, providing a high-quality, tailored, fast, reliable service, which many commissioning editors came to depend on