Meet Your Colleagues: Kim Godsman

Here at SERC we are keen to promote internal colleagues to allow staff the opportunity to get to know each other and put a face to the name, particularly due to the size and scope of SERC. With this in mind, “Meet your Colleagues” is a fun Q and A exercise to help raise awareness of people’s roles within SERC and allows you to get to know more about your fellow colleagues.

This week’s “Meet your Colleagues” features Kim Godsman. Kim is a Copy/Bid Writer in the Communications and Marketing Department of SERC. 

What does your role at SERC involve?

I write bids and award applications in an attempt to secure grants or the award. It is my role to research the requirements of the application, liaise with the relevant people and organisations and ensure that the final application reflects the strengths of our organisations ability to deliver the proposal and that the social, workforce or economical need for the proposal is clearly outlined and evidenced.

As well as writing bids, it is my role to identify biddable opportunities through on-line portals and organisations websites. I will check the rules the bid must follow and will lead the structuring and formatting the bid document.

Another part of my role is to track the implementation of our organisation’s wins and ensure that lessons are learned from feedback.

I commenced post in February 2019 and we have since secured funding for the Newcastle Campus Creche, a Horticultural Therapy Garden in the Holywood Campus, a Mental Health Self-Therapy Room in the Bangor Campus, a Syrian Refugee Come Dine With Us networking event, funding for D of E equipment, funding for engagement software to target unemployed men, funding for an Erasmus International Manufacturing Education Cell and a number of awards for individuals and the organisation. I also project managed the registration and implementation of the Newcastle Creche, Little SERC.

I have established a new system called ‘Find a Fund’ whereby every few weeks I will provide information to all staff on the funding available for innovative projects for their areas. If a member of staff would like to apply for the funding and lead the implementation if successful, then I will help them to prepare the bid.

Tell us a bit about your background?

I started my working life as a Registered General Nurse a long long time ago. I then became a midwife and labour ward sister at the Liverpool Womens Hospital. In 2000 I moved into clinical audit and led a Liverpool city wide audit project to prevent strokes from blood clots.

From 2001 and 2017 I worked in NHS commissioning, leading pathway transformation projects and holding all providers of care to account for their delivery of services.

I love working in SERC because they are the best employers I have ever had and the social innovation projects that SERC leads are far more effective at preventing ill health in decades to come. If people are educated and able to provide for themselves and their families, then the long-term prevention of clinical conditions attributed to poverty are significantly improved. I wish I moved to work in this environment years ago, as this is the area where an organisation can make the biggest change to individuals and populations lives both economically and health wise.

What 3 words best describe you?

- Organised

- Mature 

- Determined

What do you like to do outside of work?

I love seeing live music and attending music festivals – so I am regularly travelling to Liverpool and Manchester to meet friends and attend live concerts.

I also love going to the gym and attend Banbridge Leisure Centre Gym 6 times a week. I have a trainer who gives me very painful workouts, but he’s getting results, so I have a love / hate relationship with him!

I also love spending time with my kids – one is a grown-up kid who teaches English in London and I have 13 year old twins.

If you could swap jobs for a day who would it be and why?

Donald Trumps PA – just to see how bad he really is. I’d find that fascinating.

List 3 items you would want with you if you were stranded on a deserted island?

My kettlebell (worked too hard to lose this fitness again)

An endless supply of water

Matches so I can make fires and alert passing ships

What is your favourite film and why?

Pretty in Pink – a classic 1980s movie that reflected how people 40 years ago were put into a social class label and it was socially unacceptable to have friends or girlfriends / boyfriends from outside of your social class. I was a working class teenager when the movie came out and it accurately captured the behaviour and attitudes of the time. Thank goodness times have changed and now anybody can achieve whatever they want in life and makes friends with / date / marry whoever they want as well.

Where do you most want to travel, but have never been?

Sydney at Christmas is on my bucket list

What is your top tip for keeping healthy (either physically or mentally) during the lockdown?

Having a healthy routine and being disciplined to stick at it

If you are interested in the current grants available, click here

If you would like to partake in “Meet Your Colleagues” please contact Calum Donaldson (Marketing and Engagement Intern) at cdonaldson@serc.ac.uk for more details.