About Me

I'm Kate, a Dance Teacher, Charity Founder, Disability Activist, Model, and PR manager from Northumberland. At 26, I didn't *quite* plan my life to take me in this direction, but I've certainly had some incredible experiences along the way.

My main passion is to improve accessibility for disabled people, particularly in the dance industry. Dance is something I love and after having to give up my pre-professional dance training at 14 when I suddenly became ill, I've had to adapt to the 'new me'. I now teach from my wheelchair and specialise in inclusive dance classes. I even set up my own online inclusive dance event with West-End stars so that disabled people could have the same opportunity to dance with the start, which of course, was all adapted and subtitled. Dancing is still my world and I really want to encourage brands to be more inclusive, which was why it was such an honor to feature as one of the first ambulatory wheelchair users in a social media campaign dancing for George at ASDA in Miami. Other dance highlights include filming with Channel 4, featuring as part for Tu Sainsbury's advert, running my own class on Capezio's page, and having my own mini-documentary created. I now have my own inclusive dance school, which you can find more about here and I cannot wait to build a community of dancers! 

Public speaking is one of my strengths and I have been booked for major charity events to radio chat shows.  I enjoy talking about the issues disabled people face and being a voice for many, whether that's through writing or speaking. I have a regular column for Allied Mobility and have had published pieces in The Mighty, The Hexham Courant and Scope. I also have featured on TV /online with The Guardian, The One Show, ITV, Channel 4 and BBC Newcastle.

I set up my own charity, Project Parent, in 2014. Project Parent provides gift boxes to parents who have to stay in hospital over Christmas looking after their poorly child. They often don't receive anything and need a pick-me-up. We support 9 hospitals spanning from Newcastle down to Southampton and have donated over 1,500 boxes. It's an incredible project which really gets the community together.

So, the bits in between. I'm a PR manager for fuelService (part-time) as I love being able to help people with disabilities become more independent. I model, which I love, and I also have an adorable assistance dog. 

That's me, in a rather large nutshell. A very determined young woman trying to make a little difference in the world and I hope you'll join me on that journey!

Kate x