Freelance Experience

Details of my commissions and experience can be found below; click here for cuttings and writing examples.

Consumer
Articles for consumer titles include:

  • Restaurant, spa, beauty, health, fitness, event and theatre reviews and features
  • Local celebrity interviews
  • Features about city farms, dieting, yoga, free range farming, sustainable fishing and British Food Fortnight.
  • Travel features on Hong Kong, Thailand, luxury British Travel, India
  • I have written for FHM; Music Week; Angel; Tesco Real Food, City Life magazine and thelondonword.com
  • I have an exciting and unqiue writing style, firey ideas and an eye for a good angle.
  • My commissions are professional, and well-read and I usually get repeat business from the magazines I write for.

Travel

  • I have worked with the director of a new travel company writing and editing their website, creating branding, marketing material and articles for the press.
  • Commissions included writing promotional material, case studies and features on travel destinations and the concept of mature career breaks and time out.
  • My knowledge in this area of travel is extensive, and I am well-placed to cover opinion or indepth features on a range of travel issues including volunteering and the new phenomenon of 'voluntourism'; career and gap breaks for adults; spiritual retreats and holistic breaks; how to take a career break and keep your job.

Office Culture

  • I wrote various monthly commissions for office this Ole - office lifestyle magazine
  • Topics included: surviving the office Christmas party; things to do in London in the summer; avoiding Valentines day pitfalls; discipline and dismissal issues at work and how to ‘feng shui’ your office.

Education

As editor of an b2b education magazine for three years I  have an extensive, and impressive knowledge of education funding, policy and legislation. My contacts in this area are also excellent.

  • Finance and business management
  • School policy and social commentary
  • School buildings
  • Health and safety
  • Special needs and social depravation
  • Bursars and business managers
  • Independent schools
  • Every Child Matters
  • Building Schools for the Future
  • Extended schools
  • The 14-19 Agenda

Student Life

  • As a student I wrote for MSN Student Website for a year, delivering a monthly column dedicated to issues of student life and finances. Topics included a balance of the humourous and more serious: student debt, cheap ways to enjoy Valentines day, top up fees, accomodation costs and how to manage the boozy student lifestyle. The column was well-recieved, the highest rated out of 12 columns from writers across the UK, and often featured as a lead article on MSN Money Home Page.

Health

  • QOF - management issues and trouble shooting
  • Primary care, including PCTs, GPs, polyclinics and community hopsitals,
  • PbC - practical implementation, success and social commentary
  • Practice management
  • GPs issues, out of hours, Choose and Book
  • Business and financial management
  • Connecting for Health
  • MRSA in primary care

Law and employment
  • I have written on: workplace bullying; racism at work; health and safety; stress and time management; appraisals; the benefits of away days. Previous experience at a legal publishing house insures sound knowledge of the legal industry and big law firms.

Added to this I have had a number of paid and unpaid commissions and experiences on the following:

  • Pub and restaurant reviews; book and film reviews; travel journals.
  • Art curator.
  • Weekly reviewer: of new books and London pubs on book group website www.notjustanotherbookgroup.co.uk.
  • Producer and director Vagina Monologues  - managed team of 60, raised £3,000 for charity. Dealt with publicity, sponsorship, rights, location and performance issues. Provided a strong artistic influence and an effective leadership role.
  • Catering: have worked in hotels and restaurants since a young age
  • Theatre Reviewing Course Ten-week course involving researching and writing theatre reviews, including one seminar with Lyn Gardener, from The Guardian. Produced five theatre reviews written for specific publications.