Steph is the council's Creative and Digital Content Officer. We wanted to know what makes her role so enjoyable.
What attracted you to your role?
I wasn't actually actively looking for a job when the opportunity became available. My manager at the time sent me a link to the vacancy, saying she wasn't trying to get rid of me, but she knew that I had previously been a designer and thought that the opportunity was too good to miss out on. After living in the Wyre area myself for a few years, I was excited by the opportunity to do a lot of varied design work and see the impact of that work right here in my own home.
What has been the highlight of your career with us so far?
In my first year my bin leaflet design was posted to Reddit! That was really fun, comments were really positive about it. I know this sounds too small and trivial to be a highlight of my career, but as far as I know we'd never had our artwork featured on Reddit before, so it was a first for Wyre Council and showed us that the material we'd sent out really was engaging people.
I also completely rebranded Fleetwood Market, bringing it back to more traditional roots. To this day I'm really proud of the brand I created. Often design work is fleeting in nature - a poster for an event only has a lifespan until that event has passed - but a full brand for an asset like Fleetwood Market will endure for many years to some.
What are the three main benefits of working here?
- The work I do is really varied and there's always opportunity to flex my creative muscles. I'm sure I speak for most creatives when I say that monotony is stifling, but luckily for me, everyone here at Wyre Council is really open to new ideas and interested in exploring new, creative ways to engage with residents and communicate our messages.
- Wyre Council are invested in their people and I can see this in the training and development opportunities offered to myself and my colleagues. I was able to complete a short course in photography with the Open University and this has been of great benefit to my role, allowing me to learn new skills and helping me to improve my workflow. I know that if I am interested in any other learning or development to improve my skills or progress in my role, I only need to ask.
- Everybody says it, but the flexible working is a huge benefit. The hybrid approach gives me a great balance between office collaboration and home working focus time. I came from private sector employment previously, so I'd never heard of flexitime, but it's amazing and allows me to get 'life admin' done without having to take an entire afternoon off. Better still, our flexible working policy speaks for a culture of trust and respect between employees and employer.
Would you recommend working for Wyre council to a friend? If so, why?
Absolutely. We have a great work life balance, brilliant opportunities for growth and personal development, and friendly people who are genuinely passionate about what they do.