My Wilder Ways Journey - Christina

A question I get asked the most from our guests that stay with us is – ‘So, how long have you been working here for?’, and nearly every time people are so surprised when I tell them that it’s been nearly 3 years! While writing this, I have just completed my 3rd season at Wilder Ways (4th season here we come!) and in that time, I feel like so much has changed. Not just in my life generally, but in terms of my work skills and as a person. A lot of you may know me as the girl who cooks and serves most meals during your stay (my chocolate brownies are now quite renowned!), however there’s a lot that I do behind the scenes which many of you may be surprised to know!

It all started back in April 2021 when we’d just come out of the third and last covid lockdown. I originally started looking for work in early 2020 after helping to care for, and sadly losing, my Dad in 2019. One day I was looking on social media and came across an ad for a local Horse-Riding Holiday business (that being Wilder Ways of course!) who were looking for a cleaner/housekeeper. Even with only little experience of this, I decided to apply. The idea of working, even if not with animals but surrounded by them, sounded like heaven for me. Fast forward a week, and there I was, starting my first day. The best part about this was coming to the realisation that my sister, Sara, had also actually just got the job as Yard Manager too! What a coincidence.

The 2021 season was a blur, it went so fast but with so many memories made! It was now my first winter here and during this time, Nikki and Cara were looking for a bookkeeper. Someone suggested that I have a think about whether that’s something I’d like to get some basic training in and I decided – why not! I officially started bookkeeping here in February 2022 and have been doing it ever since. During the 2021 season, it was also picked up on that I really enjoyed helping Nikki with food prep every now and then and, so, when the 2022 season came along, I started taking some of the cooking responsibilities for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

​By the end of the 2022 season we were all in major need of a rest after back to back holidays with our amazing guests, following covid rebooking’s and international travel now being allowed. I’d somehow (haha) managed to acquire two dogs (our Bulgarian rescue Kuro and crazy German Shepherd puppy Maia!) during this season, so for me this was an unforgettable year overall. In the winter of 2022, I started to get really involved and interested in our marketing. I designed and edited the Jan 2023 ‘Straight From The Horses Mouth’ Newsletter as my first marketing project and it was all up from there! Not only that, but I was now also getting into doing our social media posts.

Fast forward to this year’s season, I was now in charge of cleaning, cooking, bookkeeping, social media & marketing! It was again a busy season but so much fun. I decided that something I would really like to do is delve deeper into bookkeeping and get a better understanding of that side of things. So, this winter, I’ve officially enrolled into my AAT Level 2 Bookkeeping course which will be followed by Level 3 and will give me the qualifications I need to apply to be a licensed Bookkeeper. I’m really enjoying it so far!

Reflecting back on the past few years, I started working here pretty much just out of high school aged 19, lacking a lot of self-esteem and confidence. Now, I have so much more confidence not just in engaging with others but also in myself! Wilder Ways (Nikki & Cara!!) has done so much for me – not only in raising my confidence (to the point that people don’t even realise I’m the same person they’ve already met back in 2021 or 2022 – yes this has happened!) but in so many other ways too that a lot of people wouldn’t realise. It allowed me and my sister to build on our relationship and we are now closer than ever, it has given me the realisation that school qualifications are not the end in terms of what career you can have in life (to go from having just National 5 Maths to being in a financial related job of any kind, let alone a Licensed Bookkeeper is something I never thought I’d be capable of!), it has allowed me to make so many beautiful friendships (especially Hilary & Rio!) and has provided me with a really strong sense of family, something I really, truly cherish.
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 - Christina