To celebrate International Women’s Day 2022, we’ve spoken to some of the fabulous women that work at Airedale NHS Foundation Trust that are inspiring future generations.
Jodie Hearnshaw is the Charity Manager at Airedale Charity. Keep reading to find out about Jodie’s role, her career at Airedale, and some great advice.
What is your role and how did you get into the field?
I am the Charity Manager at Airedale Hospital & Community Charity. A lot of people in the Charity field say they fell into it and I used to think I did too but now I’m not sure I did. My Airedale journey started when I was 16 and I was offered a place on the vocational training programme. When I was at school all I ever wanted to do was work at Airedale, the thought of it excited me so when I got the apprenticeship my dreams had come true! After my apprenticeship I became a PA in the education & training department as it was then known. Fast forward through the years in between and I have worked my way through roles in training and then HR when someone took a chance on me and offered me the opportunity to relaunch our Trust Charity. I think my whole time working at Airedale, learning, developing my passion and understanding our hospital and community has led me to this role and helped me prepare to do it to the best of my ability.
How would you describe your role?
Fun, exciting, hard work. Sometimes the hardest job is making people happy, especially when they are tired, having a hard time or they have maybe just lost a loved one.
I think a lot of people would imagine a Charity role is just about raising money. It’s about so much more than that. My role is of course to raise money, to help people donate and say thank you but also to help Airedale stand out as a pillar in the community. Our Charity team make people smile, teach others about kindness, work with schools and clubs. We purchase the items our hospital needs, we spend time with our patients, we talk to people who are interested in supporting Airedale and we have been known to give out a freebie or two! I could go on forever, but I think it’s safe to say we do lots that you will see and even more that you won’t see. Just know we are always busy in the background working to help the Airedale community.
Have you faced any barriers in your career due to being a woman?
I think my main barrier is myself. I’m a bit of a worrier and an over thinker. I’m so concerned about making others happy that I often forget about myself! I juggle lots and I love it but it’s taken me a long time to figure out that it’s important to take care of myself too.
Who are the women that have inspired you?
I’ve been so fortunate to have some amazingly strong ladies in my life. I will never be able to answer a question like this without saying that my Nan was one of the most incredible, strong and inspirational ladies you could ever wish to meet. She met challenges head on every single day, she never made it past 5 feet in height but you would never mess with her! She was the kindest and you never left her side without feeling better. If I can be half the woman she was then I’ve done a good job!
How important is it for women to lift each other up and what does that mean to you?
I would most definitely not be where I am today without some of the amazing women I am fortunate to have around me. Through their support and confidence in me, I have been able to help our Charity flourish over the last few years. There have been times where I’ve felt completely out of my depth, but their help, guidance and friendship has picked me up, dusted me off and got me going again. I truly believe that men will never completely understand how a woman feels and that’s not a bad thing (sometimes you need a man’s perspective) but another woman will get it, they will have been there and got the t-shirt so why not ask to borrow it?!
What is the most powerful advice that you’ve been given?
I’m not sure it’s advice but it’s something very important to me. My Gramps has always told me throughout my life that ‘there is nothing more certain than change’. It’s important to remember especially when you are a busy woman juggling everything. Sometimes we doubt ourselves and worry, especially during a difficult time like we have seen over the last couple of years, but nothing ever stays the same, change will come eventually so we just need to roll with it.
If you could give one piece of advice to your younger self, what would that be?
Keep going and don’t worry as much!
What is the most important message that you would send to young women thinking about their careers?
It’s ok to not know what your dream job is straight away, not many people do. As much as I adore my nursing colleagues and they do an AMAZING job it’s also important to remember that you can go into a career in the NHS and it can be something other than nursing. There are so many roles out there, you just need to find the one for you.
What’s the best thing about being a woman?
The women’s clothes section is bigger than the men’s!
Ciara is the Communications and Charity Assistant at Airedale Charity. Keep reading to find out more about Ciara’s role and her advice for those beginning their careers.
What is your role and how did you get into the field?
I’m the Communications Assistant at Airedale Charity. I began in the role on a temporary basis last year working half on the charity and half in HR working on the comms around the Trust’s staff wellbeing offer. I then started working full time in the charity from October.
I graduated in French and Italian so I wanted to use my language and writing skills in some shape or form. I always wanted to do something with a purpose while being able to be creative, so when I heard about this role I thought it would be a good starting point. Luckily I absolutely love it!
How would you describe your role?
My role is very varied but on a day-to-day basis, I promote the charity online, in newspapers, and internally at Airedale through various mediums. It involves lots of writing and creativity; I’m often writing press releases, designing posters and graphics for social media as well as thinking of new ways that we can fundraise, raise awareness, and promote the Trust and Charity’s values. In reality I do much more than communications as we’re such a small team, but it means that I’ve learned a lot and gained skills and confidence.
Who are the women that have inspired you?
I’m very lucky to have a big family full of inspiring women. I would say that my biggest inspirations are my mum and my grandma. They both taught me the value of hard work, and the importance of love and kindness.
How important is it for women to lift each other up and what does that mean to you?
I think it’s extremely important. It’s thanks to the women in my team/that I work alongside that has encouraged me to flourish in my role and gain in skills and confidence.
What is the most important message that you would send to young women thinking about their careers?
Don’t worry about having it all figured out – firstly I would say to do what you enjoy, pick subjects or courses that you enjoy because if you like doing something, you’ll usually be better at it. Secondly, I would say that you have to start somewhere, so don’t worry about finding the ‘perfect’ job as soon as you leave school or university; you’ll pick things up along the way and eventually you’ll find the field that you want to work in (or don’t want to work in!).
What’s the best thing about being a woman?
The choice and variety in clothes/hair/makeup!
