Lt Cdr Gareth Mawdsley RN (MTBS 1990-97)

I joined the Royal Navy 17 years ago, straight from school, and conducted basic training at Britannia Royal Naval College and in a variety of warships around the world.  After passing my Fleet Board, I went on to read Geography at Cambridge, whilst being paid as a University Cadet (which was nice!) and spending my summers at sea.

On returning to the RN I completed my professional training as a Logistics Officer both at sea and ashore.  In the years since, my career has seen me deployed all over the world for operations and exercises, serving in a helicopter carrier, 4 frigates, 2 destroyers (including one being built on the Clyde), as well as spending time in American and Italian aircraft carriers, in landing ships with the Royal Marines, and ashore in the Middle East, Afghanistan and the Philippines following Typhoon Haiyan in 2013.

As a Logistics Officer I have had a wide range of roles: at sea ensuring everyone is fed, clothed, paid, disciplined and healthy; that audits, appraisals and accounts are correct; that spare parts are available for everything from missiles to toasters; and of course making sure that cocktail parties have enough Pimms!  This is all whilst managing a large and diverse department, being a Boarding Officer ready to jump out of a helicopter onto an Iraqi dhow, or being ready to take charge if there is a fire or flood.

Ashore, I have served as Executive Assistant to Admirals, Generals and Air Marshals, getting a behind-the-scenes look at decision-making in Whitehall, operational headquarters and procurement and support agencies.  Along the way I have worked with NATO and the EU, and alongside the Army and RAF, for example managing the flow of people and stores in and out of Afghanistan, all of which are fascinating exposés to the way different organisations (and nationalities) do things.

A career in the Armed Forces will always be what you make it: I have loved the fun, the variety and the responsibility that it has brought me.

I joined the Royal Navy 17 years ago, straight from school, and conducted basic training at Britannia Royal Naval College and in a variety of warships around the world.  After passing my Fleet Board, I went on to read Geography at Cambridge, whilst being paid as a University Cadet (which was nice!) and spending my summers at sea.

On returning to the RN I completed my professional training as a Logistics Officer both at sea and ashore.  In the years since, my career has seen me deployed all over the world for operations and exercises, serving in a helicopter carrier, 4 frigates, 2 destroyers (including one being built on the Clyde), as well as spending time in American and Italian aircraft carriers, in landing ships with the Royal Marines, and ashore in the Middle East, Afghanistan and the Philippines following Typhoon Haiyan in 2013.

As a Logistics Officer I have had a wide range of roles: at sea ensuring everyone is fed, clothed, paid, disciplined and healthy; that audits, appraisals and accounts are correct; that spare parts are available for everything from missiles to toasters; and of course making sure that cocktail parties have enough Pimms!  This is all whilst managing a large and diverse department, being a Boarding Officer ready to jump out of a helicopter onto an Iraqi dhow, or being ready to take charge if there is a fire or flood.

Ashore, I have served as Executive Assistant to Admirals, Generals and Air Marshals, getting a behind-the-scenes look at decision-making in Whitehall, operational headquarters and procurement and support agencies.  Along the way I have worked with NATO and the EU, and alongside the Army and RAF, for example managing the flow of people and stores in and out of Afghanistan, all of which are fascinating exposés to the way different organisations (and nationalities) do things.

A career in the Armed Forces will always be what you make it: I have loved the fun, the variety and the responsibility that it has brought me.

My Business- Moon Times by Rachael Hertogs

I left Merchant Taylors in 1988 straight after my GCSE’s, I’d had enough of school and was eager to get out in to the real world! Well it turned out the ‘real world’ was tougher than I imagined; I had a go at a few jobs and left a couple of college courses and tried a ‘grown up’ relationship. Four years later I was a single mum of 2 children but I had the seed of a business idea that would take many years to blossom!

Since being a child I had loved nature and cared about animals and the planet. I became vegetarian at 12 and urged my parents to think about recycling and reusing before it became the norm! One of my favourite books I read at school was Anne Frank- and this quote always stayed with me “Whenever I have my period, I have the feeling that in spite of all the pain, discomfort and mess, I’m carrying around a sweet secret. So even though it’s a nuisance, in a certain way I’m always looking forward to the time when I’ll feel that secret inside me once again.” Anne Frank  The fascination I had with womens relationships to their periods started young!

It was totally natural to me to use cloth nappies for my children and chemical free products for their skin, but it took a while for me to think about the products I used for myself- especially sanitary products! Remember the 80’s advertising? It was all about tampons, roller blading, taking pain killers and blue dye on pads! The message was clear-  shove in a tampon, take a pill and get on with life- but my body told me to rest, regenerate and reflect at that time of the month.

One day as I was flushing  a tampon down the toilet I wondered if there was such a thing as reusable menstrual products? Well this was before Google, so I did some research, found a few menstrual health books that had addresses of companies that made cloth pads- in the USA and Australia, nothing in the UK at all. I sent off for a set and received a pack of lovely soft cloth pads that were very bulky and fastened with a belt- I was a bit disappointed as they looked very old fashioned, but they worked well and I enjoyed the freedom of not spending money on products each month!

After a few months I decided to have a go at making my own, something sleeker, with wings, and with only my basic sewing skills learned at school and choosing pretty coloured and patterned cotton flannelette I made my own pads They felt more like attractive underwear than a huge wad of fabric! Then I began making pads just for friends and family and the first inkling of my business began. After experimenting with various designs over the years I have created (what I think is) the perfect pad that has wings for extra security, fastens easily and quickly with press studs and comes with a variety of ‘inserts’ for different flows! I named my business Moon Times, and hoped that through using cloth pads women would become more connected to their own ‘Moon Time’.

I left Crosby and moved to Bristol where I connected with the local Women’s Environmental Network group and Friends of the Earth, both great places to meet ‘green minded’ women who might be interested in my cloth pads. I also met a like minded mum at school and set up a ‘Healthy Cycles’ course, teaching women ways to connect to their cycle and enjoy it rather than see it as a ‘curse’ that needs to be suppressed with painkillers and pills. Women from these groups were my first customers and I began to have more confidence in attempting to sell to the public. I made little mail order flyers that went in to health food shops and advertised in a couple of small magazines and I was content with a few orders a year, sewn in my kitchen on my grandmothers old hand machine!

Looking back I am happy to say the resistance women had when I first started mentioning the idea of reusable sanitary wear has changed a lot over the years. My mother was horrified-it reminded her of the ‘rags’ of her youth, and many women would say “oh, how disgusting” , to which I would answer “whats more disgusting than a pile of landfill filled with thousands* of ‘disposable’ sanitary products that may take 500 years to decompose?”

Reusables have become more mainstream, most women having heard of the Mooncup and many more mums using cloth nappies, and most of us are happy to find products that save us money, and even better if they have the health benefits of no chemicals, irritants or bleaches.

When my daughter grew into a menstruating young woman- I gave her a gift of a set of Moon Times pads- at first she was unsure, having been given the free packs and the information (from a certain tampon company) at school and the slight brainwashing of ‘periods are dirty, blood should be hidden away’, but of course she had grown up with me as her mum and soon embraced her Moon pads- she even took them to a sleepover and soon her friends were asking me to make them!

I still sew some of the pads myself but also outsource and have some students and single parents working for me. I was a single mum when I began the business and so it feels really good to support lone mums in this way. Work is flexible and they are able to work from home making the pads in their own time.

While I was in Bristol I visited a few schools, giving talks to girls about my products and the different ways they could celebrate their first period. The feedback was fantastic- they loved the pads saying how pretty they were and so much more attractive than the ‘huge sticking plaster pads’ their mums had shown them! Last year I published a book to help young women and their mums celebrate their first period- Menarche, A Journey into Womanhood is available on my website and Amazon.

I now have a baby & a toddler so I only work part time, I keep my work to the day time in school hours where possible and try to keep weekends as ‘family time’. I have learned to say ‘no’ to work when I know life will become to busy and stressful- if I want to keep myself de-stressed, I need to keep a healthy balance of home and work life!

I am enthusiastic about all aspects of my business; I also teach workshops (menstrual health and mum and daughter days) and Reiki. I run a women’s moon lodge and red tent.  I love being able to encourage and empower people to make positive changes in their lives. Expanding my sales of Moon Times products to include panty liners, moon sponges and cups, books, moon charts and other products helps me to encourage women to make a small difference environmentally and raise awareness around taking steps to be more eco-friendly- which is a cause I have been passionate about all my life! And yes, I still use my own pads! I have happily used my cotton pads since 1989, for me washing them helps me ground and connect to my cyclic nature.

www.moontimes.co.uk

Moon Times Mission Statement:

At Moon Times: We empower women in body appreciation, environmental awareness and self-respect through the use of eco menstrual products. 

We believe a healthy appreciation of our bodies and ourselves as women can be learnt through menstruation. 

We believe when women are aware of the benefits of a sustainable, healthy, economically viable and comfortable alternative, they appreciate the contribution they can make by choosing alternative menstrual products. 

We also believe women deeply appreciate learning about alternative and positive ways to think about their bodies.

* The Women’s Environmental Network estimate each women uses between 12-15,000 sanitary products in their life time, this figure is rising due to daily use of incontinence products and panty liners. Plastic backed pads take up to 500 years to decompose, a tampon takes 6 months.

Rachael now lives in the Wilds of West Wales with her husband and two youngest children, bees, chickens and ducks!

The Digital Frontier – Hard Work Pays Off.

After leaving Merchants shortly after my GCSEs (in 2003) I finished off my studies at Lancaster Grammar before attending Lancaster University, where I graduated in 2008 in Geography.

After working for a couple of recruitment businesses I founded Blu Digital Recruitment (www.blu-digital.co.uk) in 2013. There are over 17,000 recruitment businesses in the UK and last year we were shortlisted for the Best Newcomer within recruitment.

I saw a niche in digital marketing recruitment, which was quickly becoming one of the fastest growing emerging markets.

The business was started on my kitchen table in March 2013 with no investment, then moved to a five person office shortly afterwards. At the end of last year, we moved into a 17-person office in the heart of London. We’re now recruiting and hope to have a full team by the end of this year.

Running my own business seemed like a natural step to take. Many of my family are entrepreneurs and own businesses, so it’s in the blood. We’re more pro-active than our competitors. Many recruitment firms can be very sales driven, which can compromise on the quality of candidates. On top of the usual advertising, we adopt a consultative approach to finding candidates. This means we head hunt for every role to ensure we source top-quality candidates.

When I started out I didn’t have any savings, so had to start making money straightaway. So I’ve worked seven days a week from 8am until 9pm. The only day I’ve had off in the last 12 months is Christmas day!

We’ve also been looking at having more of a global presence. Perhaps expanding to other areas which are ‘on fire’ in digital such as Australia, Berlin or Silicon Valley, but that’s the longer term plan. Our ultimate plan is to be the industry leader!

Jack Johnson

Old Boy (2003 Leaver)

I joined the Armed Forces in 1999 after my time at Merchant Taylors’ School Crosby. I enrolled in the Royal Air Force as a pilot following my degree course in Aerospace Systems Engineering at the University of Southampton.

During my career, I have flown 3500 hours so far and completed numerous tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan along with other operations worldwide. I am still serving with the RAF as a Flight Lieutenant pilot where my primary duty is as an instructor of Low Level Flying on the Hercules C-130J at RAF Brize Norton, although I will be qualifying on the brand new Airbus A400M Atlas aircraft in September 14.

I also fly for the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight from RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire displaying the Dakota DC-3 and (one of only 2 remaining airworthy worldwide) Lancaster Bomber at airshows in the UK and Europe

Understanding and Meaning: A Journey to Clinical Psychology

I’ve always been driven to understand people and situations better. While at Merchants I volunteered with the school’s Listening Service and the Stroke Association – these gave me the opportunity to use my curiosity about others to support people. I loved Biology with Mrs Fairburn, and Politics with Mr Cox. These subjects allowed me to appreciate the complexity of our world, and the chance to start developing an interest in the scientific method, and think about how larger, social / systemic factors impact on our lives. Following from this, it was Psychology that I settled upon for university. Psychology has a basis in scientific understanding, with strong theoretical underpinnings; it also offered me the potential to develop into a career in which I might be able to help others too.

It’s been a long process to finally qualify as a Clinical Psychologist – the academic demands (undergraduate, a master’s and then a doctorate) can seem to take forever! Each step has been varied and fulfilling – I’ve worked with many different people, been part of lots of interesting teams and made amazing friends along the way. Most recently, since I qualified, I took up a post in a Drugs and Alcohol Service in Middlesex.

The role of a Clinical Psychologist varies hugely. In my current job an average week involves: conducting an evaluation of the service, supervising the work of colleagues, working with clients in individual and group settings, and delivering training. I have the opportunity to help people to address their drug and alcohol use directly, but also to support their development of ‘recovery capital’ – the resources that will help someone to recover from drug use. With this in mind, I work directly to support people’s mental health, relationships and parenting skills. I work as part of a team of Occupational Therapists, Social Workers, Nurses and Psychiatrists, and together we are able to support most aspects of a person’s recovery – we also link up with voluntary organizations wherever possible.

While at Merchants I had the opportunity to understand some of what I wanted from life, the values I held, and what careers might be able to achieve this. Psychology has given me one way to achieve these values, and as such is both challenging and rewarding.

Dr Fiona Glenn (2002 Leaver)

I left Merchant Taylors’ in 2000 achieving 10 GCSE’s and 4 A levels in Economics, Geography, Design, and General Studies. I also gained a good grounding in many extracurricular sporting and cultural activities, CCF and playing rugby being the highlights. The school provided me with an excellent all around confidence for the world ahead of me.

I decided to study Town & County Planning at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. I had always had a keen interest in how the places we live are shaped. I considered that on a small Island with limited land and an ever growing emphasis on sustainability there will always be a need for planners. I graduated in 2005 with a BA Honours Degree and a Post Graduate Diploma in Town & County Planning.

I was fortunate to graduate into a buoyant economic climate, the construction industry was booming and it wasn’t hard to find a job. Having had quite enough of the North East winters I migrated South and set up my own planning consultancy in Dorset. I spent the next 2½ years moving around different local authorities gaining valuable experience in the local government sector. The jobs involved determining planning applications, visiting development sites, liaising with developers, politicians, and interested members of the public.

The benefit of a planning career is that there are many different sectors. For example you can specialise in, Urban Regeneration, Environmental, Law, Historic, Retail, Public, and Private. Upon my return to the UK from a year off travelling I decided to get some experience in Environmental planning and secured a job with the Environment Agency (EA) in 2008. The EA is the government’s advisor on Flood Risk, Contamination, and Sustainability. My job entailed liaising with landowners, developers and local authorities to influence development plans and development proposals to incorporate environmental policies and enhancements. I spent another 2 ½ years in this job before the recession started to bite on public sector budgets.

After 5 years in Local Government organisations I had gained enough experience about how the planning system works and in 2011 decided to move into the private sector to gain experience in the House building Industry. I knew that the recession was going to come to an end soon and with growing populations and the serious lack of building for the previous few years, this industry was going to revive.

I secured a job for Churchill Retirement Living, the largest privately owned retirement housing provider in the UK and a Times Top 100 company. I currently work as a Senior Associate in the Planning Department and have responsibility for the South West Region. My job involves liaising with the land department to buy development sites to suit the companies’ requirements. I then lead a team of consultants to prepare planning applications to secure permission for retirement housing.

My latest project to achieve planning permission in Dorchester – 40 flats for people over 65.

The number of people aged 65 and over in the UK is set to grow from 10 million now to 17 million by 2033, with households aged 65+ accounting for over half of new households in the future. This is going to be a growing industry.

Planning gives you the chance to protect the environment, improve the economy, to work in local government, to travel overseas, to work for yourself, and be a vital part of a large private firm; to be part of those decisions which work towards a more sustainable world.

For more information;

http://www.rtpi.org.uk/education-and-careers/planning-as-a-career/

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/environment-agency/about

http://www.churchillretirement.co.uk/planning.html

Simon McFarlane BA (Hons) DipTP MRTPI

I began my career by analysing football statistics for The Times newspaper’s Fink Tank column. After I graduated from Cambridge in 2005, I was keen to use my passion for Experimental Psychology (the subject in which I specialised) in my career. Psychological football research was a good short-term option.

After 6 months, I was craving a clear career path. I moved to Innocent Drinks, falling into Supply Chain management. I was responsible for planning production for the entire 1-litre range of smoothies to optimise their supply. Within Innocent’s fantastic fast-paced entrepreneurial environment, I spent two years soaking up a wide range of business insight. I also spent four months in Hamburg, helping to establish Innocent’s presence in Germany.

My Supply Chain career subsequently developed through roles at L’Oreal and Danone, this time partnering with customers such as Tesco to manage demand for products, rather than their supply.

I realised that I would never be completely fulfilled unless I returned to psychology. In 2010, I decided to take a risk for my long term career; I speculatively investigated Business Psychology careers – moving away from what had made me successful to date.

In 2011, I began a year’s internship at YSC, a global Business Psychology Management Consultancy based in Covent Garden. I also began an evening MSc course in Occupational Psychology. Looking back, this was the best career decision I made.

I am currently a Senior Consultant and Head of the Research Team. My work specialises in the assessment and development of individual and organisational leadership potential and capability. I work with senior executives from FTSE100 organisations through one-to-one interviews and coaching. I am fascinated by my work and would encourage others to follow their passions.

Matthew Atkinson (2002 Leaver)

A Career in Sports Management

During my years at MTGS, I loved sport, especially tennis and skiing. I never imagined, however, that after a decade in hospitality, I would end up working in International Sport. I joined the Headquarters of Athletics – the IAAF (www.iaaf.org) based in Monte Carlo in 1994.

For those considering Sport Management as a career, yes, it is quite glamorous travelling worldwide and living in luxury hotels, though most weekends are spent working or flying. In 2009, I spent 116 days travelling. The key qualities required, in addition to a passion for sport are: versatility and flexibility, a capacity to work long hours to tight deadlines, an ability to remain calm and target-focused to manage the high pressure of the job and of course language skills are a plus.

I spent 16 years as IAAF Event Manager, overseeing the organisation of Athletics at all the Olympic Games and World Championships in Athletics and have had the privilege to meet many great athletes such as Sebastian Coe and Usain Bolt.

In July 2010, I was appointed Director of International Relations for the 1st Winter Youth Olympic Games, Innsbruck 2012. The first edition of this new event aimed to inspire youth to compete internationally in elite sport and to learn the significance of participating while sharing cultural experiences with new friends.

Rosie Pili 1979 Leaver

Old Girl Cara Henderson has beaten off fierce competition to win Best Student in the National Women in Property Awards.

Cara has completed 2 years of a Quantity Surveying and Commercial Management degree at the University of Central Lancashire which will lead to her charter with RICS and is currently on an industrial placement year with Redrow in North Wales

She won the regional title for Best Student from the Women in Property in March this year and has now been successful at the national level where she was selected from the best of the best.

There were nine regional contestants for the national award which culminated in a formal interview panel followed by a black tie dinner for over 250 people at Claridge’s in London where the excited Cara was announced as victorious.

Women in Property was launched in 1987 to enhance the profile of women in a sector in which women only represent 15% of the workforce

As well as the prestige of the award itself the ex-Crosby student has won a cash prize to assist her in furthering her studies and developing her career.

The contacts that have been made through this esteemed win will give her a springboard for her career as several companies are keen to offer her posts after she completes her degree.
Cara said, “I can’t tell you how thrilled I am! It has been a really interesting and inspirational process for me. Winning the regional award has simply been a fantastic experience and now the National one too!”

Cara Henderson

“Brothers in Law”

Kevin Durkin started at MTS in 1992 and was swiftly followed by his younger brother Jonathan in 1998.

They left in 1999 and 2002 respectively and went on to graduate from John Moores University with an LLB in Law, before progressing to post-graduate diplomas in Legal Practice from the College of Law, which they also attended at Chester. With both gaining their LLB and PGDLP qualifications, they went on secure training contract positions with law firms located in the city centre of Liverpool.

Kevin has now progressed to becoming a Solicitor-Advocate and Director of Michael Lewin Solicitors Limited over in Leeds, specialising in claimant litigation, whereas Jonathan is a second year Trainee Solicitor at Husband Forward and Morgan Solicitors in Liverpool, specialising in private client.

Whether Jonathan continues to follow the same path as Kevin across the Pennines, upon qualification as a Solicitor, remains to be seen…

Kevin Durkin (1992-1999)

Jonathan says of his time at Merchant Taylors’:

I am one of the few that has a comparison to Merchants: I was a pupil at De La Salle Croxteth for my first year of secondary school. Ever wanting to follow in my brothers footsteps, as does any 11 year old boy who has an older brother in their teen,. I spent most of that first year at De La Salle studying throughout the evenings so as to ensure I passed that entrance exam. It was one of those satisfying moments when hard work and determination pays off! I must also thank my parents for their encouragement during that time.

I think it was the fact that I had to work so hard to get to here made it a little extra special. I knew, even at that young age, that this school was a wonderful opportunity to build the foundations for my future on. Merchants’ has given me so much: sports, friends for life, academics and now at this age business contacts. But I think most importantly the attitude that if I worked hard then I could achieve anything I wanted. It is definitely the reason I’m a Trainee Solicitor. That and possibly that two of the Senior Partners here at Husband Forwood Morgan, Ian Fisher and Jonathan Davis, are Old Boys also. We like to look after our own?

However it appears that destiny has not changed and I am still following in my brother’s footsteps. Although who knows what the future holds… Durkin & Durkin LLP?

Jonathan Durkin (1998-2002)