What is your background and what led you to Thrive?
I’ve loved writing since I was a very young child and have worked in ‘content’ type roles for more than 10 years. This includes several years at a business publishing company just outside of Amsterdam – working in a different country is a lot of fun and a great cultural learning curve!
Gardening has also always been part of my life too, via my grandparents and parents. I grew up in Dorset, where a lot of people have strong connections to the land.
Before joining Thrive, I worked at Hillier Nurseries for five years. I was aware of Thrive and the great work the charity does from my time there. So, after I’d left and a position at Thrive came up, I was instantly drawn to it.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
Lots of things. First, I really believe that what Thrive does makes a huge positive difference and that’s really the most important thing.
I’m working on the information service project and that’s exciting because there’s an opportunity to take all the brilliant knowledge that Thrive already has and allow even more people to benefit from it.
And I’m working in a great team, with kind, knowledgeable people who want the project to be a success.
I know how important my garden is to me. If other people around the country can get the confidence to do more outside and improve their wellbeing, that would be amazing.
Milly taking photos for our information service
What does a typical working day look like?
I’m working from home the majority of the time, coming into the office whenever helpful. So, it starts with a strong coffee and getting my two small children into school and nursery!
Then, it will depend which phase of the project we’re in. The last few weeks, I’ve been doing a lot of article researching/writing/editing, aiming to bring across as much info from Carry on Gardening and the current Thrive website. I do a lot of pair writing with Mark Emery, I’m sure he’s getting tired of seeing my face on video calls by now!
We have regular team video catch ups. It could also be a user testing day, listening to what people outside the organisation think of designs so far, or photo shoot day. Some of you may have seen us building a compost bin, weeding and digging up bits of turf in between rain showers at Trunkwell recently!
In what ways will your work benefit others?
I am really excited for the launch of the information service, I hope it can help spread the wisdom and word about Thrive even further. I know how important my garden is to me. If other people around the country can get the confidence to do more outside and improve their wellbeing, that would be amazing.
Meet the Thrive team - Alex
Alex Bailey has been Thrive Birmingham's Client and Garden Manager since spring 2017. Here she explains her role and how she entered the world of therapeutic horticulture.
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