Meet Holly
Tell us a bit about yourself
I moved to Bath as a student in 2009 and fell in love with the city, the area, and its people. I felt particularly passionate about the third sector and the range of charities and community projects that bring something different and special to the Bath and North East Somerset (BANES) area - so, I never really left.
I work for The Green House, a charity supporting children, young people, and families across the South West who have experienced child sexual abuse. I'm also part of the Core Team who set up Five Arches parkrun in Radstock a free weekly 5k run/walk to support community health, wellbeing and volunteering (with around 150-200 attendees every week!). And I'm Treasurer for Mendip & District Ladies Circle, a social group helping women connect and try new activities across the BANES and Mendip area. And I'm a bit of a budding activist too. Because why work in just one area when you can mix it up!
What inspired you to join Bath Women's Fund?
Initially it was my job. I'd just taken on my first management role and within a local charity, so I was looking at ways to build a network and learn from others in a way that also matched my values - Giving Circles was not something I'd encountered before finding Bath Women's Fund. From the first time I went, I could tell Bath Women's Fund was something special, here was a room full of women from a diverse range of life experiences, ages, interests, and sectors, yet who all fit together with a shared passion for making a difference and being present for their community and the people around them. Somewhere on my phone there's a text I sent a friend as I left that first evening, simply saying "I think I've found my Tribe". Not a term I'd usually use, but it fit my experience of Bath Women's Fund perfectly.
What are the issues that you are most passionate about?
The power of community and belonging. It's at the heart of everything we do and who every human really is. Whether you're in business, care, data, family, sports, construction, or any area... community is key.
What would you be most interested in learning about as a Bath Women's Fund member?
I love that shared learning and growth is a part of how Bath Women's Fund works. But to me, the thing I enjoy most is learning about other Bath Women's Fund members. Whether I've attended multiple events in a row or been missing in action for months, each time I attend a Bath Women's Fund event, I meet someone who I might not otherwise have crossed paths with in my day-to-day life and learn something interesting about their work or philosophy or life. To me, these conversations always spark something or a chain of thought (or a bit of googling on the way home!) on a subject or hobby I'd not really thought about before. Every Bath Women's Fund member is passionate about something and speak so passionately about it, it's hard not to want to just sit and listen...
What is your favourite place/thing to do in and around Bath?
Having moved just outside of Bath, I'm not as connected with the city as I once was, so in some ways I love seeing what's changed with each visit to a different area. But my favourite things would be attending events and readings at Topping & Co Booksellers - such a varied selection of speakers you don't even need to be bookish to spend an evening laughing with strangers or finding out something new. In fact, a Topping's event was one of the first things I went to when moving to Bath (I was doing a Literature Degree, so... it makes sense). Some of the most memorable have been Stephen Fry at The Forum back in 2010 (I was hooked from his first words, and even got a hug and a signed memoir after. Can't go wrong with that!), and more recently, funny, gritty and moving poet Joelle Taylor reading about LGBT history, sexual violence, and coming of age in London in the 80s.
And of course, we all love exploring all of Bath's incredible restaurants, village pubs, and cafes!