Published on: 07/03/23

1. Firstly, congratulations on your appointment as Commercial Site Manager at Black Park. How has the first couple of months in your new role been?

“Thanks I’m very happy to be here. We’ve knuckled in to our first holiday of the season and I couldn’t be more impressed with my team and how hard they’ve worked to get the season rolling. Black Park is an immense site with so much potential and to be honest it’s been a lot of tearing out the old to be ready for the new. There’s a bit of a running joke already about me carrying a impact driver around site… 😬”

2. Tell us about your Go Ape journey - where did it all begin and how has it all progressed?

“I started due to my outdoor education course wanting me to get some experience in an outdoor role during college. So, I began my journey at Go Ape Alice Holt in 2014. 7 years later with a very supportive team helping me through my undergraduate and master’s degree, I was ready for more and took on the role as Activity Manager at Bracknell. 16 months after that I fought through a second interview to get the role at Black Park!”

3. What's it like running one of the top five busiest Go Ape sites in the UK? Any top tips?

“Energy and coffee is mandatory. If you are prepared to go the extra mile for site 9 times out of 10 your team will follow. My top tip for anyone is love what you do, ask as many questions as you want and drink more coffee!!”

4. Was the goal to always to become a CSM? How has Go Ape helped you get to this level?

“Not originally, I am halfway to becoming an exercise and health psychologist but Go Ape draws me in wherever it can. I love my job too much to not want more from the company. To be honest my first site manager saw potential and trained me up whenever possible in the early years. My second is someone that I could never thank enough for the confidence, inspiration, and empowerment that she made me feel. I would not have been ready to step up into the CSM role as quickly without her. If you want to write about an inspirational woman she’s your gal!”

5. How do you like to switch off? Outside of work what do you get up to relax?

“I’m not a very exciting person I’m afraid I love to hang out with my partner, go for walks, read a book… that kind of thing. In the warmer months napping in the sun is the dream, but nothing crazy.”

6. What is the most important piece of advice you have been given? 

“Be okay with imposter syndrome. It can be something that hits you every now and then, but you need to know that it’s okay and you’ll get there. Site can be so dynamic and throw so many different scenarios at you, but you’ll be great and you only feel this way because you care so much.” 

7. Have you faced any barriers in your career due to being a woman? If so, how did you overcome them?

“Nothing too dramatic but as a manager every now and then you can be overlooked in situations where a manager has been asked for. To be honest I think those interactions are more interesting than anything else. Nothing too intense, when I used to be a head coach at a football club it happened more often than it does now.”

8. Personal opinion - is equality in the adventure world evolving? 

“I can only speak for this company, and I’d say hugely. When I started at Alice Holt, I only really knew of male site managers. Now a good 8 years later site managers and even site senior teams are more female led which I think is incredible!” 

9. If you could have dinner with three inspirational women, dead or alive, who would they be and why?

“I must say four otherwise my mother will come for me. I would have my great grandma who passed in 2017. My grandma on my dad’s side, my grandma on my mums and my mum. All these women helped me become the woman I am today. Each of them holds such beautiful traits that sitting together for dinner would be a delight. My GG would be especially special for me as she passed before I could really ingrain who I was going to be and to talk about all the things I’ve done and am yet to do would be wonderful.”