What is The Reach Project and what is your role in it?
The Reach Project is a social initiative, which aims to connect UK-based advertising and marketing professionals with small social enterprises and charities in order to help them improve their reach and—as a result—secure vital orders, donations and volunteers.
My partner and I will be piloting the project this summer by donating 30 days of our time to two brilliant social enterprises in Malawi and one brilliant charity in Sri Lanka. We’ll be answering their current marketing challenges as well as setting up each organisation with a bank of marketing content that better reflects what they do.
To make the projects sustainable, where possible, we’re training a member of staff or a member of the community and we’re also crowdfunding for content creation kits (cameras, laptops, microphones, battery packs, etc.) which we can leave with each organisation so they’ve got the necessary gear.
Supreme is one of the organisations being helped. They produce sanitary products at affordable prices.
How can people help with The Reach Project?
The biggest help at this stage would be to donate to the crowdfunding page where we are raising funds for content creation kits, which will enable each organisation to continue essential marketing outreach.
We're also looking for contacts in the technology retail world who may be able to help by donating equipment or providing cost-price equipment.
In what ways did your time at King’s influence you?
I loved the flexibility of my BA English Language & Literature course. I got to choose modules I loved and write about the work I found most interesting. My tutors honed my voice and encouraged my opinions rather than trying to shape me to fit a mould.
I also received support from KCLSU and the KCL Alumni Network to found the King's Shakespeare Company, the college's first Shakespeare Society. We ran workshops, held readings and staged performances of texts by Shakespeare and his contemporaries, all with the aim of making Shakespeare as accessible as possible. The money helped us start something which, five years later, is still going strong. Thank you King’s!
Is there anywhere that holds any special memories of your college days?
I've got a lot of love for King's College Chapel. It’s such an oasis of calm and yet the Chaplain allowed us to stage a production of Much Ado About Nothing in there. It was an all-singing, all-dancing reimagining of it and it was an absolute hoot. We had a band, a full lighting rig and even used the organ to play the wedding march!
What are you looking forward to about returning to King's?
Soaking up more knowledge and being inspired by fellow students. I'm also hoping to get involved with the Entrepreneurship Institute which didn't exist when I was last a student.
What advice would you give to students or alumni for success in life after King’s?
Whatever path you choose, remember your values and then make your decisions with integrity. Also know that you don't have to stick to the same path, there are lots of great paths to explore and lots of ways to be happy.