Natalie, Business Woman and Basingstoke’s Strongest Women, has a great affinity with
her hometown. From her love of everything local to supporting other aspiring
professionals and athletes, she painted an honest picture of what Basingstoke means
to her and how she channelled her grief into good.

“Having spent my younger years here, attending Old Basing Playgroup, then St Mary’s
infants and juniors and my mum working at and then supervising the playgroup for
decades, we were naturally part of the community for many years. I moved away in my
early twenties in search of adventure, but I knew where I truly belonged.

She was in Southampton when the seed of TFG, the Digital Marketing Agency she owns
with her best friend, started to grow, and by the time they were up and running, she also
had her 18-month old son.

“As a new mum and with a budding business in tow, the decision to move back home was
an easy one after a terminal diagnosis for my mum; I needed to be here with my family
and dearest friends.

I’ve always been amazed at the resilience of the human body and how it responds to
different stresses; having had a brain tumour and a bowel resection myself, I knew to a
certain extent just how strong my body was, but I knew it was capable of more. I’d had an
interest in fitness for a while, having reached the National Netball Final in my youth and
participating in the Great South Run and Basingstoke Half Marathon a few times, but after
mum’s diagnosis, I knew I had to channel that grief into something productive. So I took to
weightlifting. Strong body, strong mind and all that.”

Natalie had followed local athlete Farah Fonseca for a while along her strongwomen
journey and immediately knew that’s what she needed to do, too.

“I’m a firm believer in manifesting the things you desire and being crowned Basingstoke’s
Strongest Women a few years later is certainly proof that it worked for me! The physical
strength I felt from this certainly helped me cope with my mum's passing. I’d like to think
I’m making my mum proud with the work I continue to do.

Alongside the above achievements, Natalie is also vice-chair of the inclusion
committee at Hampshire FA as one of her biggest interests is inclusion, learning about
the diverse world we live in and how she can be better at including people that feel
excluded.

“A childhood friend of mine asked me to join the committee to bring some fresh ideas and
perspectives and to help them run Hampshire FA more like a business and after 3 years,
they asked me to apply for the Vice-Chair position; the rest is history.

As I said, inclusion is a huge interest of mine and I guess last years lockdown highlighted
that for me; it brought back that ‘80s vibe of all the neighbours looking out for each other
and hosting quizzes (I had the best neighbours!) and hearing their stories about why they
chose Basingstoke as their home, too. It was amazing and sad to think it’s no longer the
‘norm’.

Equally, lockdown meant I got to walk a lot (who didn’t); I could tell you where all the
Pokemon Gyms in Basingstoke are and I discovered the garage near my office makes a
delicious coffee! But I also found that we could do with more local hubs to support
growing businesses. As a business owner myself, I feel it’d give Basingstoke a boost in the
right direction.

Natalie, September 2021