Our Humans of MacIntyre series showcases the stories of different staff members from around the organisation.
We've been talking to Rachel Winup, who is our Activities Coordinator in Milton Keynes. What does that mean? We’ll explain shortly.
First, let’s find out a bit about Rachel’s background.
A career in retail
Before coming to MacIntyre, Rachel had spent 32 years at Marks and Spencer. She moved around to different stores and different jobs, working both directly with customers and in back office roles. One of her roles was running a local M&S coffee shop, and she enjoyed the engagement with people.
Then COVID hit, and for so many of us things changed. Although M&S had stayed open throughout, when the country started to open up again, Rachel knew she needed a new challenge.
Looking for a change
She started working at a big local leisure centre as catering supervisor at their coffee shop.
It was at this point that Rachel’s path met MacIntyre’s. One of our then community coordinators, Pippa, had been visiting the café with people supported by MacIntyre. After observing Rachel’s warm and natural interactions with people for a few visits, Pippa introduced herself and said she thought Rachel would be a great fit for the work we do at MacIntyre.
A new role with MacIntyre
So Rachel celebrated New Year’s Day 2022 with a successful interview at MacIntyre.
Her role as Activities Coordinator does what it says on the tin! She works with people who draw on our support to organise activities they enjoy and value, whether that’s going swimming, creating arts and crafts, rugby or anything else. The most important part is that activities are individual to each person and led by the person.
Rachel freely admits that in the very early days she was “petrified” in the new role, worried she wouldn’t make a success of it and would do the wrong thing.
But with support and the right resources, Rachel quickly became a natural in the new job and built up warm relationships with everyone.
We asked Rachel what made this job better than her years in retail:
Coming in to work every day lifts me, even if I’ve been feeling a bit low. Knowing that what I’m doing is valuable and makes a difference to people is amazing. I sometimes have to pinch myself to realise I’m getting paid for doing something I’ve grown to love.
A Disney fan
In her spare time, Rachel’s a big Disney fan. She grew up enjoying US TV shows and films, and in 1995 her family took the trip of a lifetime to Disney World Florida. She admires Disney’s pioneering animation techniques and the sheer entertainment value of their traditional films. You’ll often find her in one of her collection of Disney t-shirts.
