One of Kathleen's fantastic images of the Palace on a lovely sunny day
Kathleen McCulloch has given her take on volunteering with our marketing department over the last 8 months! Read on to hear about her experience with the Palace so far...
I first visited Fulham Palace in December 2015 for a Christmas past event. I had never heard of Fulham Palace before that time. I was surprised to see such a lovely place that was undiscovered by so many people. I enjoyed my tour and marvelled at this wondrous place. I never dreamed of becoming a volunteer here. That all changed in July 2017.
I remember quite well how I felt when I saw the ad for ‘Marketing Assistant’ on the Do-it.org website. I had been looking for a volunteer post in marketing with a focus on social media. I hoped a suitable opportunity would present itself and it seemingly did. My interview was smooth and I was made to feel so at ease and welcomed onto the team. The Volunteer induction day also went well. Rachel, the Volunteer Development Officer was so professional and friendly and it all became real at that moment. I was officially a marketing assistant volunteer at Fulham Palace. Wow! Dream one, tick!
Marketing Volunteer, Kathleen McCulloch
I am a keen amateur photographer and a history buff. So as soon as I started working I had dream two. Let’s bring an Instagram group here to get some ‘free’ publicity. It was my first time taking the lead in organising such an event. In the end, 15 photographers showed up, took photos and posted them on Instagram and Twitter. I was thrilled and each time I met with members of the group, they talked about what an awesome experience it was and how they had never heard of Fulham Palace before. They were also spreading the news about our existence. Success!
I am now working with Neil, the Marketing Officer and it’s incredible. Each week, I have a new project. Most of the time it involves photography. This is amazing not only because it’s one of my passions, but also because I am challenged by some of the subject matters. Comfort zone? What’s that?! I have photographed artefacts from the dig, autumnal scenes, the cafe, and created a flower and garden remnants image of the number 2,000 to represent our 2,000 likes on Facebook.
Kathleen's image shows viewers an interesting perspective of the Palace Chapel
I thoroughly enjoy chatting with different members of staff. We have such a diverse, knowledgeable and charming group of individuals working here. I was once called, ‘the lady with the camera.’ I quite like that! Everyone is always accommodating whenever I need to get specific shots. Teamwork at its best! Hooray! The journey continues. I am so happy doing what I do here. I look forward to more challenges and positive experiences. Bring on 2018. The dreams continue!
...Thanks for the fantastic post Kathleen - if you're interested in writing a blog for the portal then I'd love to hear from you: rachel.bray@fulhampalace.org