Member Article

Business woman helps to celebrate Women's History Month

An award winning North East business woman has helped a local housing association celebrate Women’s History Month by giving an inspirational talk about her career journey.

Chester-le-Street-based Cestria Community Housing invited Nickie Gott, Managing Director of events management company She’s Gott It, to explain how she launched her business in 2002 after leaving school with no qualifications and overcoming a variety of challenges in her life.

Nickie, who was made redundant during pregnancy, suffered from low self-esteem following this and nursed her son during four years of ill health, sorted her life out by “kicking herself up the backside”.

She took control of her life by starting a coaching course and worked for organisations for free to gain experience.

Cestria Community Housing, which works hard to improve equality and diversity in the community, organised the talk as part of a number of events taking place throughout March to celebrate Women’s History Month.

Arshia Bhatti Corporate Services Officer at Cestria Community Housing, said: “Having Nickie come to Cestria was inspirational and communicates our message of the importance of equality and diversity within the community.

“Cestria is an organisation which not only values equality and diversity but is committed to investing the time and resources required to ensure it becomes embedded in the organisation’s culture.

“We have implemented a variety of innovative and imaginative activities and projects to ensure equality and diversity is at the heart of everything we do.”

Other initiatives organised by Cestria to promote equality and diversity include lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) online forums and advice sessions, a Disability Sports Programme that helps people with learning difficulties to take part in sports and meetings within the community.

Nickie’s speech described how she set herself five main goals and achieved all of them within five years, including running a successful business that won a prestigious six-year contract to organise events for the Edinburgh Christmas Festival.

Nickie, who was named North East Woman Entrepreneur of the Year in 2007 and Regional entrepreneur of the Year in 2009, said: “It was great that Cestria Community Housing recognise that diversity is important in a work place and that they celebrate it.

“The guests were gushing about what they had gotten out of the event – not only were Cestria Community Housing’s staff learning from it but as individuals they were too.

“It was emotive wearing my heart on my sleeve and it’s a great thing to do to share your journey with somebody.

“If you don’t share about yourself nobody else will – we have to remember that as individuals.”

Nickie is also a fundraiser for cancer research after battling breast cancer and she raised £10,000 for the charity in the Great North Run last year and aims to double that this year.

Cestria Community Housing’s upcoming equality and diversity events will promote National Autism Awareness Month during April and Mental Health Awareness Month during May.

Please visit the Cestria Community Housing website, www.cestria.org for more information.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ailsa Macmillan .