Inspiring women: Cathy Maund
“Women still don’t shout about their strengths enough.”
From Phoenix Farm to Ravenscourt Glasshouses, Hammersmith’s community gardens offer much needed pockets of nature in our urban landscape. Five of these green spaces are managed by Hammersmith Community Gardens Association (HCGA), which also looks after community spaces in Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea. The charity is led by Director Cathy Maund, who also finds time to be Treasurer of the London City Farms & Community Gardens Association.
We spoke to Cathy for our Inspiring women series, in the run up to International Women’s Day.
Do you think the UK has achieved gender equity, or are there still some barriers to overcome?
There are still challenges but things are changing; I can see that with my daughter’s experience of work. When I had kids, we had to pay for absolutely everything when it came to childcare, whereas now some of it is funded. However, statutory maternity pay is still crap! As a charity, I wish we could give people a year off on full pay, but we just can’t afford to do that.
Many women choose not to work in high-pressured jobs full time so that we can have a family, but that does come at a financial cost. It’s always a juggle.
Have you experienced any barriers in your career due to your gender?
No, but I’ve always worked in the charity sector and have been with HCGA for more than 30 years, so I think things might have been different if I’d been climbing the corporate ladder.
One of the things I’m very proud about is that HCGA has always been mainly led by women. At the moment, we’re up to 23 people – three are men and the rest are women. I think women are more likely than men to move into the charity sector; they often move over from the corporate sector when they’ve had kids.
The team works very collectively, we have quite a flat organisational structure. It’s a very small, close world, the community gardening and city farming world, and it’s been a privilege to work for one organisation for so long and see it grow.
Which women leaders inspire you?
Angela Rayner, the Deputy Prime Minister, is pretty good. I also really like Margaret Atwood, partly because I enjoy reading, but also because she’s quite political in what she says.
Women still don’t shout about their strengths and achievements enough, and they should.
HCGA celebrated its 40th anniversary last year. Along with managing community gardens, the charity runs a range of projects, from weekly sessions in schools to community workshops.
HCGA is currently running a series of free walks to help people discover new places in their borough. Find out more at https://hcga.org.uk/events/
Guy is a retired solicitor who has lived in Hammersmith for over 40 years. As well as having a long legal career, Guy has decades of experience in the not-for-profit sector. He was a school governor for 35 years and spent several years volunteering as Chair of the Finance Committee at Hammersmith & Fulham Law Centre. If you recognise Guy, that’s probably because he also served as a local councillor for Hammersmith & Fulham.
“We recently represented a migrant woman who was trafficked to the UK by a wealthy family. She was forced to work extremely long hours as a nanny, housekeeper and cleaner. She didn’t receive anywhere near the minimum wage, and the family had control of her passport and bank account.”
Everyone at Hammersmith United Charities would like to thank Vivienne Lukey as she steps down after 12 years as a trustee, including six years as Chair.