Staff Stories: Gina Chalk, Membership Support Officer

You may know a bit about who we are as an organisation. You might know our mission is to create safer places. But what about those behind this work? In this blog series, we'll introduce some of the staff members working behind the scenes. This post features Gina Chalk, our Membership Support Officer who is our first port of call for members.

Can you tell us about your role at Thirtyone:eight?

I'm a Membership Support Officer in our Member Care Team. I'm the first port of call for all members. I make sure their enquiries are answered and help to guide them on their safeguarding journey. 

Can you share some of your story so far? What work were you involved in before joining Thirtyone:eight?

I worked for Land Rover for around 20 years before I had my children. I worked for the Customer Excellence Team for the brand and it was a job I absolutely loved. Anyone who knows me would say I love to talk so this particular job played to my strengths! I have always been involved someway or other in customer-facing roles. I love people - so making sure their needs are met and their customer experience is exemplary feels very natural to me.

What inspired you to join Thirtyone:eight?

I think it was heaven sent to be honest! When I had my children I decided to have a career break to be a stay at home mum. When my youngest started school I was looking to go back to work part-time so I could still be with my children once they had finished school. I remember thinking one day ‘I really want to find a job that I love again and one that would fit around being a mum’. Literally that afternoon I was talking to someone who suggested I look to work for a charity as they often advertise lots of part-time roles suitable for working mums. As soon as I looked at the Charity Jobs website – Thirtyone:eight’s advert was glaring up at me! I applied there and then and the rest is history! I've worked here for almost five years and I can honestly say I love my job even more than when I worked for Land Rover. 

What do you like most about your job?  

That’s an easy answer – the people! That includes the staff who work here and our wonderful members. The people I work with are truly caring – Thirtyone:eight is like a big family. Everyone looks out for you and they want the best for you. As for our lovely members, I love chatting to them and help support them on their safeguarding journey.   

What does a typical workday look like for you?

Well to be honest no two days are the same!  But the staples are being the first port of call for all of our members either on the telephone or via email. I help answer queries about our membership or I help members log into our members area online. I carry out membership reviews, schedule new enquiry calls and help members navigate their way around our website. 

Are you reading anything interesting right now? What’s your takeaway from it?  

I always have two books on the go as I am an avid reader. The first is Richard Osman’s 3^rd instalment of The Thursday Murder Club – The Bullet That Missed and the other is The Oxford Textbook of Criminology. 

I do love a good book – and I actually like to read from a book rather than on a Kindle or device! I love fiction as its an escape for me as I have a rather busy life with my children, my two cats and my dog! So any time I have spare to relax is amazing!

Plenty of takeaway’s from the Criminology book as I’m studying it in good time to start my degree course with the Open University in September!

What’s on your bucket list? 

Plenty! I would love to take my children travelling. In around two years' time I'll be fortunate enough to take a sabbatical from work for four weeks so I'm in the planning stage! I hope to visit New Zealand if the planning works out.

Find out more about our staff and trustees: Our people | Thirtyone:eight (thirtyoneeight.org)