Friends of...

Catriona Howard.

My first friend of the mindful mouse is the beautiful Catriona Howard of Esk studio, the genius who created my fabulous website. Not only is Catriona beautiful inside and out she has led a full and inspiring life...

Catriona grew up in Scotland, notably in the Angus Glens for 6 years and in Shetland for 4 years (on Unst - the most northerly habited island in the UK!).

Studied Law in Aberdeen (specialising in criminal law), and worked for the Procurator Fiscal. Further to this she worked for a couple of energy companies before moving to Warwick and working for a company building websites for corporate incentive schemes. Here she still now lives with her gorgeous children, devoted husband Jon and the bouncy full of beans Bertie the dog.

Catriona took time off work to have her children Alfie and Elsie. Naughty Elsie was born at 26 weeks, she then spent 3 months in the hospital, caring and nurturing her premature daughter, who is now by the way a bright and beautiful little human who lights up the world with her presence. Now Catriona is a volunteer for the NHS West Midlands Perinatal Network Parent Advisory Group which is focussed on improving the standard of care across neonatal units in the West Midlands. Catriona recently launched a marketing campaign for the network to raise awareness of neonatal care across the region, something Catriona is passionate about as she knew nothing of prematurity or neonatal care before she had Elsie! The campaign has been picked up by a few other NHS neonatal networks across the country so Catriona’s hard work is out there in other regions doing continued good.

Last year Catriona spoke at a UNICEF conference in Glasgow which was run in conjunction with the Scottish government, talking about her experience, specifically about breastfeeding in prematurity. Something else she also very passionate about!!

While off with the children, Catriona started up a business designing websites and doing a bit of graphic design work for various local companies and friends. She says “I love being involved in the early stages of a new business, and hearing people talk passionately about their own business ideas. I like being able to take their ideas and put something tangible together for them which (hopefully) can have a real impact on their business. I love to get involved in branding, design, marketing strategy and planning, as well as dabbling a bit in social media too. But most of all I love the process of creating a website, a shop window for my clients, a digital place that their business can call home. Everyone has their own ideas, style and priorities which means that every day is different for me!”

Catriona loves sports, mostly yoga, dance and a good gym workout...not running or swimming as she finds them too boring. Catriona also loves watching football and as a family are Derby County season ticket holders which she says is hard work sometimes! However her favourite thing is watching Scotland play… although when they play England it’s tense in the Howard household! The children will have to pick a team before the Euros next year.

Oh and she can can play piano...doing it at higher level (Scottish A level) and getting back into it again, slowly! She also always wanted to be a singer but says she thinks that ship has sailed, I say it’s never too late Catriona!

Catriona bakes a lot, mainly because as a family they love to eat! A few years ago she did a patisserie course at Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons which she found amazing and despite not getting to meet the main man she learned so many good tips and tricks from the cookery school director , Mark Peregrine. Nothing is off limits to Catriona, loves to decorate whatever she makes with homegrown flowers from the garden, much to her kids annoyance who just want a character cake! Apparently they don’t appreciate the flowers so much! With this skill set Catriona is also involved with a charity based in Leamington and frequently makes cakes for children who would otherwise not get a cake on their birthday. The charity supports lots of local schools, children’s centres and charities including The Friendship Project and Refuge. Catriona’s children love to get involved in delivering the cake and she always talks to them about how lucky they are compared to some other children. Taking pleasure to think of happy little faces enjoying some cake on their birthday

Finally, Catriona is obsessed with all things nature and green, particularly growing flowers. “There’s nothing better than growing something from seed and watching what it grows into. The garden is definitely my happy place - there really is no better place to be when you need to clear your mind and ground yourself for a bit. I love being able to gift friends homegrown bunches of flowers… I don’t think I’d ever buy another bunch of flowers again! This Summer I added 3 more cutting gardens and my next project is a pond to encourage more wildlife...Jon doesn’t know this yet!! I’m not sure I could pick a favourite flower as its changes a lot but those that have worked hard for me all summer are Erigeron Karvinskianus, Verbena Bonariensis and lots of different types of Cosmos and of course all the Dahlias and sweet peas!!”

I can hand on heart say that Catriona is an angel that walked into my life and who has given me unwavering support, kindness and a marvellous website to boot! I will for ever be grateful to this beautiful, wonderfully inspiring, unassuming, modest woman (Catriona was intensely uncomfortable talking about herself for this blog) who I hope I can now proudly call a friend.

So for those looking for someone to build them a website, looking for someone who will be as passionate and dedicated to your business as you are, I can hand on heart say that by working with Catriona she will build you a perfect website as authentic and unique as you and your brand.

Get in contact with Catriona on www.eskstudio.co.uk