I am definitely not a morning person. My alarm goes off begrudgingly at 8am and if I can, I will try to get away with a couple of ‘snoozes’ before I make it out of bed. There is one week of the year where I am forced to be a ‘morning person’ – while on camp with the teenagers in the Summer – but that is the only time I will, literally, rise to the occasion. From that regard I am fortunate that I work from home and I don’t have to be at my desk until 9am so I’m not beholden to any timetables or anti-social commute.

My first thought in the morning tends to be ‘what shall I wear today?’ followed closely by running through a mental list of what I need to do that day. I am a list girl – if it’s not on one of my lists, it won’t get done! I tend to keep a minimum of two lists on the go at any one time: at least one for work and the other for personal things. I always start the day with breakfast and by watching BBC’s Breakfast show which gets me ready for the day ahead.

I’m probably best known for my role as Children’s and Youth Minister for St Mary’s and St John’s, where I’m responsible for the activities of 0 – 18 year olds within the church. This is a huge remit, incorporating all the Sunday School groups (crèche, Little Stars and Sunday School), Toddlers’ Praise, Toddler Groups, Pioneers, Youth Bible Study Group and the Youth Fellowship. Not forgetting the schools within the Parish where I help with RE when requested and to support this I organised both the Easter and Advent Walk.

It has been a strange path that brought me to Walton and sometimes I literally feel as though God has ‘chased’ me here! I have been going to Church since I was three and became a Sunday School leader at 13 following my confirmation. I then became involved in running the Youth Group at my Church and this was probably the start of my path to where I am now. Prior to going to Southampton University to study Sociology I worked for the County Youth Service in Hampshire. I had quite a harsh induction to the role (a hit round the head with a snooker cue on my first night of duty and a thump the second) which served as a good initiation to the challenges that can be involved in such a role. But while such events highlight the need for a stubborn will, the relationships made and feelings of achievement along the way more than make up for any low-points. If ever I have doubts about what I do, I remember that God loves everyone I work with and that gives me strength.

I first started as a church youth worker in Lymington for 5 years and another 6 years in Alton, Hampshire, where I worked with ages 8 – 18, I then came here to St Mary’s and St John’s – I knew I was coming here before I was even offered the job. I remember sitting outside the Vicarage in my car and asking God “is this it?” to which I got a very clear “yes”.

I have now been in Walton for just under two years and my position has been confirmed until August 2011 but I do live with the knowledge that there is no guarantee my role will continue to exist due to funding. I have enjoyed coming to Walton – I am regarded as ‘the Northerner’ in my family as I am the most northerly person – everyone else lives in or around the New Forest. The most notable difference between the New Forest and Walton is the speed of life here. Everything seems very time pressured and it sometimes seems that families don’t have enough time with each other.

Ironically, it’s quite tricky to actually make specific time for God but I do feel that I’m constantly talking to him throughout the day. I seem to breathe and pray: if I hear a siren I send a prayer up to whoever needs the help and those doing the helping; if I need guidance I ask God. It feels like a constant dialogue. I am also studying the Bible in a year through the ‘One Year Bible Bog’ website which I have set up as my homepage to ensure I stay up to date with it, I like that it has pictures as well (I’m definitely a visual learner!).

I try to attend all the groups that I am involved in but this is not always possible due to the sheer amount of them but my day will be spent meeting with different group leaders. My work tends to involve a lot of planning and getting resources together for each group. It’s hard for me to go shopping and not start thinking about how things I see might benefit one of the groups.

My job involves a lot of brain work so when I do have free time I generally want to switch off my brain and will just watch a bit of TV. I do most of my leisurely reading when I’m on holiday and love nothing more than a good action-adventure story. I’ve just finished reading The 13th Apostle by Richard and Rachel Heller – I picked it up from a charity shop and it will return there when I’m finished with it.

Music-wise, I listen to whatever is on Heart FM. This isn’t a problem as long as I don’t travel much beyond Basingstoke so it’s fortunate my god-children live there. My best friend from university married her ‘Mr Basingstoke’ and they have three beautiful children and I am god-mother to their eldest, Charlotte, who is now five. My job does at least prepare me for helping out with her Fairy Princess birthday party!

There isn’t an awful lot of time in my day for hobbies. I sometimes wonder what it would be like to have a normal 9-5 job but that certainly isn’t the nature of my work. The church and my work have become my personal life as the two are so intertwined – but perhaps that’s the nature of working within the church? I love swimming, but the water at Xcel is a bit cold for my arthritis – a condition I’ve had since I was diagnosed at university. I love watching tennis so am already excitedly anticipating this year’s Wimbledon Championships – and please don’t ever call me during the Grand National as I also love anything to do with horses!

If I was prime minister for one day, the big thing I would change is the ‘postcode lottery’ that living in Britain seems to be. I would ensure equality in the services we receive – there has to be a way of making life better for those who are struggling. However, as I am not prime minister, I content myself with the management of my online farm on Facebook! This involves growing crops, trading them, looking after animals and is a serious business for those involved. I have to plan my crops based on my day and week to ensure that I am around to harvest them at the right time. I now have friends all around in places like Canada, Australia and Sweden!

The management of my farm is usually the last task I do at night before going to bed. I’m usually in bed by 11.30pm, depending on what time I get back from a group. The very last thing I do is pray and thank God for things. I am normally asleep the moment my head hits the pillow but I do have to keep a pen and notepad by my bed as I have a tendency to wake up in the night thinking of ideas or things I need to do. As I said, if it’s not on the list…!