Welcome back aboard Alice MacLaverty

Those of you who’ve been with us a while might recognise this familiar face… Welcome back aboard our newest content writer, Alice MacLaverty (née Jones)! Here, she discusses writing content around the country and explains what prompted her return to The Bigger Boat six years after jumping ship.

I was that kid who read everything. In school, English was my favourite subject and outside of it, theatre was my passion. So, between poring over books and scripts and keeping a journal, literature of all kinds was a big part of my life. Eventually, a passion for mental wellbeing and personal development emerged and I branched into studying psychology.

After growing up in Bradford and Halifax, I went to Sheffield Hallam University where I got my BSc Psychology degree. While psychology – and in particular, mental health – was really fascinating to me, I came to realise that I didn’t want to pursue a career in that field. It takes a special type of person to help people deal with serious mental health issues and be able to ‘switch off’ from it at the end of the day.

As luck would have it, a cool little agency called The Bigger Boat were recruiting for an account manager and I thought I’d give it a shot. I got the job back in 2015 and absolutely loved it. The team (of just three directors and five employees, back then!) felt like a family and we had a really interesting variety of clients.

But, in 2016, I decided to move in with my partner Alex. As he’s in the army, that meant moving around the country with him to wherever he was posted. So, it was with a very heavy heart that I bid The Bigger Boat farewell forever (or so I thought!) and moved to Hull. There, I got a job as a copywriter and content manager for a Shopify Plus agency called Strawberry, where I was lucky enough to work with talented people on exciting campaigns, including for the NHS.

In 2021, Alex’s job took us to Liverpool. At this point I was on maternity leave and gave birth to my son, Myles, during ‘lockdown one’. Once my maternity leave was up, I took the plunge to go freelance which taught me a lot and married up perfectly with ‘new mum’ life.

Recently, Alex has decided to leave the army so that we can settle in Halifax to be near family, making it possible for me to return to The Bigger Boat. Except this time around, I’m a content writer rather than an account manager! And that’s not the only change – the team, client base and business as a whole has grown a lot in six years… but I’m happy to say that the company’s values, standards and culture are very much the same.

In my three weeks since starting, I’ve been working on a wide range of brands. Helping to deliver engaging and informative content for Little Tikes, Baby Annabell and BABY born is a particular highlight because, as the mother of a two-year-old, it’s great to write the kind of content I’m searching for myself. Alongside getting stuck into the work and learning lots, I’m looking forward to becoming a part of this lovely team, made up of people who work hard but know how to have a laugh, too.

When I’m not crafting content, I love to play with my son and let the child in me loose. Having a toddler is the best excuse for being silly or getting messy with arts and crafts (not that you should need one)! But really, I’m an introvert at heart – nothing makes me feel more myself than going on peaceful walks in nature or cosying up with a cup of tea and a great book.