Catherine Hawkins

I currently own and manage the family 120 acre grassland farm in Wiltshire. Within this company, there has been various enterprises, beginning with a dairy herd then moving to a more diversified approach, integrating farm-to-fork methods with customer service. for many years the business produced its own meat, and sold this through the farm shop and butchers (and in later years a coffee shop). The butchery, farm shop and coffee shop were incredibly successful and therefore required very efficient management, which I helped to provide. After taking the entire business into my own hands following my late husband, the company moved into a less customer based enterprise, and into a smaller scale direct livestock position. This required me to change approaches, and look into being more efficient with the growth of the livestock and the markets we would be selling into. Other duties included:

• Repairing and maintaining farm vehicles, implements and mechanical equipment.
• Preparing animals for market and sale, maintaining health and welfare of all livestock.
• Carrying out all tasks in line with hygiene rules, upholding optimum safe working practices.
• Cleaning and setting tables quickly after customers left to maximise restaurant capacity.

At the Trowbridge charity retail store, my main duties included sorting through and organising donated stock, to be dispatched to various other Dorothy House stores. On quieter days, I assisted the store staff in greeting and helping customers in the shop below. I attended training and other relevant courses to update my knowledge of a retail environment. Other duties included:

• Replenishing floor stock and processing deliveries promptly, maximising product availability for customers.
• Listening to customer needs and preferences to provide targeted advice, increasing sales opportunities.
• Operating cash registers with accuracy and processed cash and card transactions.

In this role, I would assist with general office duties including filing, stock takes and inventory replenishment, and updating computer records. This job required me to work with all the office staff, assisting to the needs of various departments. Other duties included:

• Entering handwritten data into computers for easy retrieval.
• Arranging filing systems for easy use and retrieval by personnel.
• Organising and maintaining office common areas.
• Sorting and distributing incoming mail to correct recipients throughout busy office environments.

Within this role, I worked in the rent office department. Here, I would assist in maximising the most appropriate rental income by working with local authorities to maintain fair rents. When not in the office, I would be operating in the local parishes. Other duties included:

• Developing plans and strategies to promote continuous improvement.
• Successfully completing tasks within tight deadlines.
• Fulfilling office supplies and equipment and prepared stock orders for purchase.
• Liaising with finance colleagues on up-to-date information.