Some exciting news...

 

No I'm not engaged, this isn't that sort of announcement! Mr Poachie and I are both divorcees so not in a rush for any of that thank you very much!!

My exciting news is that I am now managing the social media accounts for Chiddingstone Castle! I am so pleased to be working with them, I have always loved visiting (I wrote about our last visit here) which is so crazy to think that a few months ago I was dreaming about it and now it is a reality!

Lets start at the beginning; I work full time for a large insurance company which is great. It is sensible, safe with excellent perks but I have never felt like a good 'fit'. I am not a corporate type, I don't speak the language and despite my role having some events and organisational elements to it, it still includes a lot of words, spreadsheets and a set criteria of branding. 

My personality is a little impractical, a constant day dreamer who understands visuals and creativity. I thrive off new ideas, having the ability to explore at my own pace and being able to talk without corporate jargon. I'm always happiest behind a camera instead of in front of a computer and I prefer to have a flexibility to my day rather than having to work in an office 9-5.

Now whilst I am not going to hand in my notice just yet, I want to start carving out a new skill set. I want to get into photography one way or another which is one of the reasons I started this blog. But I want more. So a few months ago, Mr Poachie suggested to me to 'reach out' to some local accounts and the one we decided to approach first was Chiddingstone Castle.

NB - we have a rule about using the term ' reach out' I wont do it again as we are not members of the Four Tops.

My friends have always told me that I should go and work for the National Trust and whilst Chiddingstone Castle doesn't fall under their property portfolio, it has all of the same ingredients. It is a beautiful wedding venue that also hosts other exciting events such as outdoor theatre, classic car shows and Christmas fairs. These are all events I would be going to in my own time! 

The grounds are stunning, they have a fishing lake, an orangery, sprawling lawns and the historic house is very photogenic.

Anyways, so I messaged them to see if they would be interested in letting me manage their social media which would involve letting me photograph the castle and grounds and creating fresh content and creating more engagement. 

Some weeks passed and I was starting to lose faith but I persisted and followed up, and eventually I had a call with one of the trustees. She was absolutely lovely and completely on board with my ideas. She liked my social media aesthetic and also liked the way I wrote my blog so we agreed on a trial month to see how we both get on.

So far so good! I have managed to increase their followers to over 2K and I now have a million ideas for some events that they could host. They have faced some challenges with covid and they are also a charity so there isn't much funding but I truly believe that it could be successful. 

There is so much potential. I have visited most of the venues like this in Kent and it offers the same ingredients as National Trust venue I just think it needs a few tweaks and I am so excited to be onboard. 

Don't get me wrong, being a photographer/social media manager still includes A LOT of time at a computer but for me it is far more interesting to work with images as opposed to spreadsheets and power point. I struggle with tech but thankfully Mr Poachie helps me a lot but I sometimes feel like 'a fish trying to climb a tree' when I know I am not in my correct environment.

I know Chiddingstone is looking for a fresh approach and with a new set of eyes hopefully that's what I am going to deliver.

It hasn't been too tricky to manage the extra workload and as photography is my hobby I am more than happy to do this in my own time.

I'm also excited to see where this could lead. This time a year ago my personal Insta had very few followers, I didn't have a camera and my blog didn't exist.

This time next year, we will be millionaires Rodney!

I won't share too many of the images, you will have to follow @chidd_castle on Instagram for that ...

But if you are local to Kent/Sussex area do drop in. The grounds are open every day and the castle, collections and tea rooms are open Sunday's and Monday's 11am - 5pm.

Thanks for reading!