Finding self and community in Swindon

14th November 2017

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Over the last few weeks and months I’ve shared on here experiences of, and reflections about, Swindon from friends and clients.

They’re all under the Switch on to Swindon category on this blog: https://swindonian.me/category/switch-on-to-swindon/

This one comes from Catherine Attewell who wears another hat as Catherine Jay jewellery. You can see her Etsy shop here and her Facebook presence here: https://www.facebook.com/catherinejayuk/

Catherine makes lovely jewellery, which to some extent she can tailor to you – your wrist size, the type of fastener you prefer – that sort of thing. Her contact details are on her Facebook page – link above.  These plaited bracelets are among my faves of her work:

Anyway, like so, so many people, Catherine pitched up in Swindon for economic reasons.

Finding self and community in Swindon – and a business to boot!

Like so many others before and after me, I came to Swindon for economic reasons.

At the end of 2000 I left my home town of Northampton to relocate to Swindon as my partner had got a promotion here.

There was some trepidation in this move as I can’t say Swindon as a town had received great recommendations from colleagues. Indeed, they were pretty negative about it.

I remember the first time I took a wander in the town centre and felt that I definitely didn’t want to move here. Yet somehow when the job offer came in and I found myself saying “yes”. Within a month or two we were selecting a new home on the Taw Hill estate. This was in the days before the opening of the Orbital Centre and the Thamesdown Avenue road.

In the main those days revolved around my workplace.  I made friends, including some native Swindonians all of whom proved welcoming and friendly.

After a while we moved to Devizes for a couple of years. But then found that we were travelling back to Swindon so much for shopping and socialising that it made sense to return. After doing the rounds of showhomes we plumped for a house in Haydon End.  We were the first people on the building site to move in.

We had children and it was when they were small that I became more aware of my need for local community. So I joined a baby and mum music group at Bath Methodist Church in Old Town.

A positive recollection I have of Swindon’s people revolves around an incident in Boswell’s café with my baby girl. She was sick, not only all over the floor but all over herself as well.  Not being the most organised of mums I hadn’t got a change of clothes for her. To cut a long story short a fellow diner disappeared and returned with a new top for my baby. She refused payment from me. What a wonderful act of random kindness that was.

Park Life

Lydiard Park is a fantastic place to go with children.  I have loads of happy memories of times there. In particular, my daughter’s 1^st birthday when a group of us mums and my mum had a wonderful afternoon playing with the kids on in front of house.

Around this time, the friend I’d met at the music club asked me to be God Mother to her little boy.  Being asked was such an honour. Although I did feel a little coy about the fact that outside of Midnight Services, I hadn’t been to church in years. The Christening was at St Saviour’s in Old Town.  It’s s a beautiful church with an interesting history to it.

John Betjeman, once said of it:
“I would sooner be on my knees within the wooden walls of St Saviour’s than leaning elegantly forward in a cushioned pew in an Oxford college Chapel.”

This event proved to be turning point for me. I felt something spiritual – or at least felt I’d come home. I knew then that I wanted the church to be part of my life.

Twist and turns

Life took a further twist when I left my banking career in 2013. I’d worked for the company for seventeen years. But now, with two small children, I craved a meaningful way of life with a more equal work/life balance.

I felt a drive to do something more meaningful to me – that meant something creative.

So, setting sail on a journey I didn’t fully understand I launched my Catherine Jay jewellery business.

Swindon in business

The great thing about being in Swindon is the community of like-minded businesses women I’ve been able to connect with.

I’m a regular attender at ‘Ladies who Latte’ – a free and supportive networking group. The friendships formed at this and other groups have been invaluable.

In 2013, life took another turn with the unexpected death of my mum.

Around this time, getting to St Saviour’s to worship proved too much with two small children and I’d decided on a move to St John’s in Haydon End. The homegroup and Sunday school were super welcoming and gave much-needed succour at a difficult time.

Rock café

What I like about St John’s is its community involvement. It offers practical services such as the rock café on Fridays and a pram club on Mondays. There’s a craft club to that I run together with another lady.

For me the church is more than a building and a place of worship. It’s a community and it’s important that it’s open to people.

Back to my business: Catherine Jay Jewellery

https://www.facebook.com/catherinejayuk/?fref=ts 

I have over the last few years developed my passion for beaded jewellery.  I’m still in the process of working out which way to take my business, but one regular feature of my calendar is a jewellery evening at Stanton House Hotel held in November.  I have a collection of jewellery for sale, but the evening is as much about being social as it is about shopping.

Here’s a few snaps from last year’s event.

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