Just before Christmas, I had the very great pleasure of meeting Sarah Ball and her adorable son Barnaby. Sarah is the new Social Media and Content Consultant for the Clevedon BID, a role which she is really excited about.
Sarah moved to Clevedon from Bath last February when she and her partner were looking to purchase their first house and start a family; Clevedon very quickly became her first choice. Soon after moving here, she found a large community of mums-to-be who were more than happy to welcome her into the family scene in Clevedon. Sarah manages the Facebook page for the Clevedon Mums and Dads. Twelve months on and Sarah feels very much at home in Clevedon. She loves the fact that there is so much going on for young children and that there is such a variety of activities for her to get involved with, she is a great fan of the Curzon, The Theatre Shop and the Pier – who wouldn’t be? Being a great walker Sarah loves the miles of unspoilt coastal paths that are just perfect for long dog walks.
The dog in question, seen here with Sam, Sarah’s partner is a lovely Jack Russell called Olive and walking around Poet’s Walk with Olive has become a daily ritual that neither of them can live without! If the weather allows the family will often climb the peaks of the Brecon Beacons at the weekend.
Sarah’s wider family will soon be joining her in the area. Her parents Nick and Sarah who have been regular visitors since she moved here, have decided that now they are retired they would like to start the next chapter of their lives in the South West. They are really looking forward to moving to Yatton in the next couple of months and being near Sarah and her family. Sarah’s sister Caroline who lives in Toulouse works for Capgemini, a multinational professional services and business consulting corporation. She also likes to get over here as much as possible and particularly loves the Pier as there’s nothing quite like it where she lives!
I was interested in what other interests Sarah had aside from walking and climbing. Having lived in Spain for a year while studying English and Spanish literature at university, Sarah has always tried to include travel in her life each year, either abroad or within the UK. Last year she celebrated her birthday in Bovey Castle in Dartmoor where she and the family spent the days wandering over the moors and enjoying local pubs! Most of her holidays seem to follow a similar course; plenty of fresh air, long walks and even longer lunches. She did also manage to squeeze in some time to explore the spa at Bovey Castle! Nice one!
Sarah’s partner Sam who is a coffee buyer for Clifton Coffee travels all over the world where coffee is grown; meeting the farmers, negotiating price and managing strategies to transport coffee (by the tonne) back to the UK. Sarah and Barnaby are lucky to have the opportunity to go with him on some of his trips They are hoping to take Barnaby to Panama next January which sounds very exciting!
I asked Sarah what had attracted her to this role of Social Media and Content Consultant for the BID and what experience she had of this type of work. She explained that social media began as a hobby and a daily part of her life which connects her with friends and the local area; it is now of course her profession. Without the local Facebook groups and Instagram accounts showcasing the best of the town, it would have taken her a lot longer to get to know Clevedon.
Before moving, she worked for an company that had developed a payment and loyalty point app which connects the user to independent businesses across London, Bath, and a number of different towns and cities in the South West. Her role involved managing the social media channels, email communication to businesses and users and managing the event marketing when her company became official payment partners with a variety of different festivals, markets and events. Although she loved her job, she had always planned to do some freelance work in the future once Barnaby was a little older. This became a reality sooner than expected when Victoria from (the shortly to close) 19 Alexandra Road invited her to interview. She felt as though it was an opportunity she just couldn’t miss and is incredibly excited to get her teeth into a new challenge and is really looking forward to working with local businesses again.
I asked Sarah what her priorities were:
“The priority for me is to showcase the very best that Clevedon has to offer to people looking to visit the area. We’re beginning this task with a new website, which we’re developing to become a soundboard for businesses in the area. There will be plenty for locals too of course! The website will have plenty of events listed for locals to enjoy as well as articles and features of interest. Alongside the website, we have also started to look at ways we can improve the area with murals and artwork from local artists.
You might have already seen the first mural in the Triangle! There’s a very proud looking train painted onto the wall opposite Coffee No.1. Projects like this are a great way to connect locals to the history of the area, while brightening up an otherwise forgotten corner of Clevedon.”
It all sounds really good and I’m sure that the many hardworking shops and organisations in the Triangle are delighted with the mural and will welcome any initiative that promotes and supports their business. The Faces of Clevedon team look forward to working with Sarah and supporting her in any way possible. At the end of the day, we all want the same thing, a thriving, prosperous community with happy residents proud to welcome visitors to their town.
Find out more about the BID here: