So what’s next.. ?
When I started my campaign ‘Hooray For Shepway’ last year, I originally wanted to highlight local places to visit, shop and eat with a family focus. Over time my campaign evolved and extends to information about conservation, nature and the great outdoors, carrying a deeper message.
Whilst researching content about getting the family more active outside, I came across a fantastic blogger called Splodz who advocates getting out in the fresh air for at least #OneHourOutside. I have taken a lot of inspiration from her and can really feel the benefits that a simple walk can bring, not only physically, but mentally too. After last weeks’ snow and being cooped up for days on end it has been liberating getting back outside and moving again!
I have also become passionate about making sure my local area is looked after, and have got involved with a beach clean organised by Shepway Council and Surfers Against Sewage. I started the hashtag #CareForOurCoast to highlight the war against plastic pollution and have found a real community spirit, with people developing an awareness and wanting to get involved and participate. I am also recycling more, or shall I say better; paying closer attention to my waste and making more of a conscious effort to do my bit – using my own coffee cup when buying coffee to go, taking reusable bags when shopping, not putting bananas in a single use plastic bag, only to throw away at home…that sort of thing. This weekend I’ll be getting involved with Keep Britain Tidy’s Great British Spring Clean to help tidy up my local community.
So why did I start my campaign? I am currently training to be a Social Media Manager, and once qualified I will be able to work freelance from home, managing social media accounts for different types of businesses. Part of the training involves setting up a live online campaign, and running it over 3 different platforms. Hooray for Shepway was born, and live on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook!
This time last year, my daughter had just turned 3 months old and in the back of my mind I was already thinking about the inevitably of returning to work as a district nurse for the NHS. The thought of it even back then made me feel quite anxious; how would I juggle a demanding role with a baby and no local family support to help with picking up and dropping off to childcare? What if I visited an end of life patient requiring extra care beyond my hours of work? What if there was an emergency and I was unable to leave? What if I didn’t get round to completing all of my documentation and admin roles? What if…??
The closer the time came, the more I wanted to find an alternative solution. I was thoroughly relishing my role as a mother, and I wanted to make the most of the time with my daughter whilst she was small.
I discovered the DigitalMumsHQ Social Media Management course through Instagram. The more I researched, the more it seemed like a viable possibility to enable me to gain new skills and work around my family from home.
I started the course in September, and although it has been testing at times trying to juggle family life, learning new skills, managing the campaign etc, I can look back and realise how much I have learnt in a relatively short space of time. I was put in a peer group with 5 other fantastic Mums, all looking for that flexible option too, and we have spoken practically every day for the last 5months. This is a long distance learning course, and so to have the support of the others in the group is an essential part of developing of your skills and learning to critique your own work, as well as that of others.
So as my campaign draws to a close, I have decided to keep it going on a smaller scale as I feel I have really developed as a person since starting Hooray for Shepway. I find the content interesting and have a new found passion for conservation, nature and the great outdoors. I have also made lots of local connections who may benefit from my newly developed skill set.
What else have I learnt? From a practical point of view I have learnt that to successfully develop a business and work from home you need to be super organised and manage your time efficiently. You need to be able to make decisions for yourself, and sometimes things are trial and error until you find the perfect balance that works for you. I am very much looking forward to my next chapter and have started to put things in motion for when I finish the course, and Sarah Mead Social Media Management is born!
