13 May 2019

Leaflet copy for garden designer

To write and illustrate a single-sided A4 leaflet for a high-end bespoke garden design and soft landscaping company. This leaflet also included one of my images within the design. The other was a sourced picture.

11 May 2019

Land Rover advertorial

Via their marketing agency, I was commissioned to write a newspaper advertorial for leading Land Rover dealership, Lindacre. The copy was urgent owing to a fast-approaching publishing deadline and was delivered on the same day.

11 May 2019

Big Drop Brewing Co.

I write articles for the Big Drop Brewing Co, the leading producer of alcohol-free craft beer. The team wanted my expertise to add content to the website that reflects its marketing and social media activities.

04 May 2019

Magazine Editorial | Versatile Insurance

Cover your ink “With a steady flow of fresh canvas looking for custom work, getting inked is big business. From walk-ins to booked appointments, insurance for your studio, contents and public liability is as essential as your needle.” “The importance of a permanent record of your signed consent forms, either paper-based or scans, should not […]

02 May 2019

Brochure Content | River Life

The art of design and the elements of style With every luxury living development, its architecture is only part of the story. Creating aspirational spaces in keeping with the location and character of the surroundings is where the art of interior design brings a project to life….. Discovering a riverside world full of life From […]

02 May 2019

Video Animation Scripts | Coombeshead Academy

Academic Achievement “At Coombeshead Academy, we give every child the environment they need to help them grow and reach their full academic potential. Our outstanding teaching staff challenges all abilities to help every student achieve remarkable academic outcomes in a wide range of subjects.” Community  “Being a part of something helps every child feel valued. […]

02 May 2019

Website copywriting | V.Group Limited

Join our Group Do you have your sights set on a truly global career? V.Group provides a full range of ship management and maritime support services to the commercial shipping, cruise, energy, and defence industries around the world. After 30 years, both our network and our services continue to grow, making us the leading independent […]

02 May 2019

Website copywriting | H.M.Williams Accountants

7 REASONS TO CHOOSE H.M.WILLIAMS While many accountants rollout stock soundbites including “a personal approach”, “a professional service” or “tailored solutions”, we think you’ve probably heard them all before – no one seems to stand out or offer you anything different. That’s why we’re not going to repeat them. All those qualities, while important, are […]

01 May 2019

Elma Glasgow Consulting – website copy

Ann Moghaddami – House of Commons

My name is Ann Moghaddami – I’m the Senior Diversity and Inclusion Manager at the House of Commons. I joined back in March 2007, so that’s 15 ago years this year. I’ve seen a lot of changes in that time – but to be honest, the House of Commons was stuck in the seventies when I joined, and things have moved on a lot since then!

I’ve held several roles in the House of Commons. When I joined, I was recruited as a pension professional, but after four years of that I moved into the Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) team, where I stayed for three and a half years. I reached the level of Deputy Head of Diversity and Inclusion, then moved across to work in business management. I’ve since returned to D&I – and I feel that I’ve come home.

Opportunities at the House of Commons

I’ve been lucky enough to have moved around in my time here, which is great, I’ve found that there are always opportunities to put yourself forward for different roles. You certainly don’t need to be stuck in the same role all the time. I was taken on initially to work in pensions, but I decided I wanted to do something completely different – Diversity and Inclusion – and I was supported in that.

I believe that if someone puts their mind to it, they have the chance to do almost anything they want at the House of Commons. There’s no need to stick to just working in HR or IT. You can diversify.

My passion for Diversity and Inclusion

D & I is my passion, work wise. The only reason I moved away from it in 2011 was because I wanted to be promoted, and there were no opportunities available on the team at that time. So, I applied for and achieved the promotion elsewhere, then as soon as an opportunity came up, I returned to what I enjoyed doing most. Now I’m back in the team and at a level I am happy with, so I’m not interested in any further promotion. It’s great, as it means I’m now able to focus completely on the work that I enjoy doing.

One of the things I enjoy the most about this job is that it gives me a chance to make a difference – in terms of including everyone in Parliament, putting in procedures and practices that are inclusive, and accessible. There are so many different people working here, and D&I pervades everything, so it means I get to work with many different areas of the organisation and a diverse range of people.

Current Diversity Projects

We’re concentrating on four main areas at the moment.

1. The Workplace Equality Network (WEN): this has been under review, and as soon as the results come through, it will be my job to make sure that any recommendations suggested in the review are properly implemented.

2. The strategy for the Diversity and Inclusion Committee: this will be coming to an end in 2022 and I’ll be supporting ongoing work to develop a new strategy.

3. Accreditation: The House of Commons is already a Disability Competent Employer and part of my job is to make sure we stay that way, and that we continue to hold our accreditation – with a focus on recruitment practices.

4. ParliAble: I set this up with colleagues in 2019 and worked with them to secure a central budget to ensure all staff could have the workplace (or reasonable) adjustments that they need. ParliAble gathered staff feedback and then took advice from the Business Disability Forum – of which the House of Commons is a member. ParliAble also provides equality impact assessments for new workplace policies.

I’m also part of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) which includes people from around the Commonwealth countries. This, and the Commonwealth Parliamentarians with Disabilities (CPwD) group will be a major focus for me in 2022. People will be asked to complete a questionnaire about how accessible they think Parliament is, and then when we have the survey results, I will be using them to take the project forward.

Commonwealth Parliamentarians with Disabilities

In 2011, the CPA established a group called the Commonwealth Parliamentarians with Disabilities (CPwD) – I work with them to make sure it’s inclusive and accessible for everyone. In the UK, the CPwD is led by Paul Maynard MP (who has cerebral palsy and epilepsy). The group organises awareness raising activities, events, campaigns and more to raise awareness around disability and the issues that people may face.

In the past, we’ve covered subjects such as autism, facial palsy, deafness, and blindness. To raise awareness of the impact of facial disfigurement, we once wore butterfly masks over part of our face to try and experience how it feels to live with the condition. We also put on a stage performance that highlighted some of the challenges faced by people with epilepsy.

Every December we celebrate the International Day for People with Disabilities. We also recently lit up Parliament in purple light – the colour of disability. For International Day for People with Disabilities in 2021 I spoke to the clerk of the House of Commons (the equivalent of a CEO) live on LinkedIn about accessibility issues; and we continue to work to influence policy.

The House of Commons is disability friendly!

To anyone who is thinking about working for the House of Commons, I’d say, you’ll be made very welcome. In addition to being open to people who want to experience different aspects of the work of the House, which makes for an interesting place to work, I believe that the House of Commons is a welcoming and inclusive place for all.

If you have a disability, or additional needs, don’t let that put you off, as we will also work with you to make sure that we put in place any adjustments that you need.

30 Apr 2019

White Hot Comms PR | Tone of voice and web copy development

Naturally, upon meeting us, you’ll be bowled over by our personalities. – that goes without saying. But when we remove our collective tongues from our collective cheeks We think you’ll be impressed by our client list Our retention rates And our common sense approach That gets results. There are lots of great PR companies out […]

30 Apr 2019

Dockwray Accounting | The freedom to focus

Getting to know you Every business is different because every business owner is different. It’s part of the reason we don’t work to a one-size-fits-all business model. Instead, we’ll take the time to talk to you to help us get inside your business and inside your thinking.And we’ll listen to you to learn where you […]

30 Apr 2019

PCR Digital | Recruitment is broken. We’re fixing it

Recruitment is broken. We’re fixing it. PCR Digital’s On Demand Resourcing Service works like having your own internal recruitment team. It saves you time and effort, helps your cash flow and shares the risk. Matching clients with candidates, and candidates with clients across the technology, digital and broadcasting industries. “When you sent this over I only really skim-read […]