{"id":4863,"date":"2011-11-11T11:10:00","date_gmt":"2011-11-11T11:10:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jomec.co.uk\/altcardiff\/?p=4863"},"modified":"2015-10-07T10:57:06","modified_gmt":"2015-10-07T10:57:06","slug":"cardiff-character-bridget-stadden","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jomec.co.uk\/altcardiff\/no-logo\/cardiff-character-bridget-stadden","title":{"rendered":"Cardiff Character: Bridget Stadden"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bridget Stadden talks fundraising, working hard and inspirational people<\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

Bridget Stadden is sitting at her desk in her office staring intensely at pictures of Mount Snowdon. \u201cI\u2019m engrossed, I didn\u2019t realise there were five different routes we can take!\u201d she exclaims excitably. Bridget is currently in the middle of organizing a charity walk for The<\/em> Stroke Association\u2019s<\/em> 20th<\/sup> birthday celebrations. \u201cIt\u2019s our staff tribute, we\u2019re doing it dressed as The Sound of Music<\/em>, we\u2019re calling it The Hills are Alive Tour<\/em>,\u201d she laughs infectiously.<\/p>\n

For the past 16 years, Bridget has been a fundraiser and is now The<\/em> Stroke Association\u2019s<\/em> Regional Fundraising Manager for Wales. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t ever an ambition of mine. When I was thinking about a career in school, I wanted to be an air hostess\u201d she laughs, \u201cbut my Father deterred me from doing it because he said it was like being a glorified waitress\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cReally I drifted into fundraising because I had two small children and I did loads of little jobs to fit in around them\u201d. Bridget spent 11 years with the NSPCC<\/em> and a further four with cancer charity Tenovus<\/em> before being made redundant. When she saw a job advertising a position with The<\/em> Stroke Association<\/em>, Bridget was intrigued. \u201cIf I\u2019m totally honest I had never realised that there was a Stroke Association<\/em>. For me that was part of the challenge; I read the job description and I thought oh this sounds really exciting. I had had my fingers crossed thinking, please, I hope I get this job.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since successfully joining the team a year and a half ago, Bridget has been working toward making The<\/em> Stroke Association<\/em> become a more established charity. Before working for the charity, Bridget sadly lost her Mother to a stroke and like many others, didn\u2019t know of The<\/em> Stroke Association<\/em>. \u201cWhen she died I didn\u2019t give the money that we raised at the funeral to Stroke, we gave it to a cancer charity, probably because I wasn\u2019t aware they existed\u201d.<\/p>\n

No Ordinary Job<\/strong><\/p>\n

After working as a fundraiser for most of her professional career it could be safe to assume that The<\/em> Stroke Association <\/em>offered Bridget more of the same. It soon becomes apparent, however, that this is no ordinary nine to five job. \u201cThere is no average day and that\u2019s why I love it,\u201d smiles Bridget.\u00a0 \u201cIn all my other jobs I spent most of the time filling in spread sheets but now, no day is the same, there is no typical day\u201d. Clearly passionate about her work, Bridget\u2019s face lights up. \u201cAll I can say is, most days I start off in the office and then where I go from there, who knows? I don\u2019t know where it will take me! It\u2019s just brilliant. It\u2019s nice to be 46 and say that about your job!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

A rare sight, Bridget at her desk at Stroke Association HQ<\/p><\/div>\n

From having to come up with ideas for new events to organizing fundraising days or even writing reports for newspapers, Bridget\u2019s work comes with the inevitable pressures of deadlines. \u201cIt is stressful but I think if I didn\u2019t have stress I wouldn\u2019t do anything, my colleague Seren always says to me, \u2018Brig, when you start to panic, I\u2019ll start to panic!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Inspiring<\/strong><\/p>\n

There are of course days when the job can become too much so Bridget likes to remind herself of why it is she is there. She momentarily becomes quite pensive and serious. \u201cIf ever I have a bad day, which isn\u2019t very often, I go out and visit a recovery group. Clearly moved, her eyes well up as she continues. \u201cIt just makes you realise the recovery process is incredible. Stroke is not a terminal disease, you can recover and we\u2019re the people to help do it\u201d.<\/p>\n

The job does mean that Bridget meets a lot of the people the charity helps. \u201cI once met a volunteer and he was 26, and you would never have known, he said to me, \u2018oh I had a stroke two years ago and I\u2019m desperate to get back into work and that\u2019s why I\u2019m volunteering\u2019. He was a real inspiration and I think now, without us he might not be in that position\u201d.<\/p>\n

Smiling again, Bridget continues. \u201cThat is my inspiration really; never a day goes by when something doesn\u2019t take my breath away\u201d.<\/p>\n

Looking to the Future<\/strong><\/p>\n

Looking ahead Bridget is optimistic. \u201cI just want to continue to get the best deal for stroke survivors by pushing stroke to the front of the agenda with politicians and the public\u201d.\u00a0 Luckily for The Stroke Association<\/em>, Bridget has no plans in fulfilling her childhood dream of becoming an airhostess anytime soon. \u201cI\u2019ve always enjoyed my work and I cannot imagine ever doing anything else now. I don\u2019t know where former fundraisers go; I imagine it\u2019s some sort of scrap yard they send them to! It\u2019s like being a nun, I reckon, you cannot do anything else, you\u2019ll always be a fundraiser\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bridget Stadden talks fundraising, working hard and inspirational people   Bridget Stadden is sitting at her desk in her office staring intensely at pictures of Mount Snowdon. \u201cI\u2019m engrossed, I didn\u2019t realise there were five different routes we can take!\u201d she exclaims excitably. Bridget is currently in the middle of organizing a charity walk for… <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Read More<\/i><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":119,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[764,62,180,763,762],"yoast_head":"\nCardiff Character: Bridget Stadden - alt.cardiff<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.jomec.co.uk\/altcardiff\/no-logo\/cardiff-character-bridget-stadden\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Cardiff Character: Bridget Stadden - alt.cardiff\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Bridget Stadden talks fundraising, working hard and inspirational people   Bridget Stadden is sitting at her desk in her office staring intensely at pictures of Mount Snowdon. \u201cI\u2019m engrossed, I didn\u2019t realise there were five different routes we can take!\u201d she exclaims excitably. Bridget is currently in the middle of organizing a charity walk for... Read More\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.jomec.co.uk\/altcardiff\/no-logo\/cardiff-character-bridget-stadden\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"alt.cardiff\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2011-11-11T11:10:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2015-10-07T10:57:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.jomec.co.uk\/altcardiff\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.jomec.co.uk\/altcardiff\/\",\"name\":\"alt.cardiff\",\"description\":\"If it\\u2019s offbeat and in Cardiff then it\\u2019s online here.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":\"https:\/\/www.jomec.co.uk\/altcardiff\/?s={search_term_string}\",\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.jomec.co.uk\/altcardiff\/no-logo\/cardiff-character-bridget-stadden#primaryimage\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/www.jomec.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/DSC043281.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.jomec.co.uk\/altcardiff\/no-logo\/cardiff-character-bridget-stadden#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.jomec.co.uk\/altcardiff\/no-logo\/cardiff-character-bridget-stadden\",\"name\":\"Cardiff Character: Bridget Stadden - alt.cardiff\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.jomec.co.uk\/altcardiff\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.jomec.co.uk\/altcardiff\/no-logo\/cardiff-character-bridget-stadden#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2011-11-11T11:10:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2015-10-07T10:57:06+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.jomec.co.uk\/altcardiff\/#\/schema\/person\/34d0ea86f9ec8130e4085bb0592503c0\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.jomec.co.uk\/altcardiff\/no-logo\/cardiff-character-bridget-stadden\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.jomec.co.uk\/altcardiff\/#\/schema\/person\/34d0ea86f9ec8130e4085bb0592503c0\",\"name\":\"altcardiff\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.jomec.co.uk\/altcardiff\/#personlogo\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/251d18ae391aa476d090c1eb0e8b3365?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"altcardiff\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jomec.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4863"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jomec.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jomec.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jomec.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/119"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jomec.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4863"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.jomec.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4863\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4973,"href":"https:\/\/www.jomec.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4863\/revisions\/4973"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jomec.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4863"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jomec.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4863"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jomec.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4863"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}