All the Info

I've been in Scouts and Guides since I was seven years old.

That might sound like a fun fact. But honestly, it's more than that. My teenage years were really unhappy, and Scouting was my safe place. It was where I belonged when I didn't feel like I belonged anywhere else.

I was diagnosed as dyslexic at a time when very little was known about it — support was minimal, understanding was almost non-existent. I've also come to recognise myself as autistic, though at this point in my life, a formal diagnosis feels less important than just finally understanding myself.

Those experiences shaped everything.

I spent years working in social care, specialising in learning difficulties, mental health, and assistive technology. I saw firsthand what happens when people don't get the right support  and what becomes possible when they do.

Then menopause arrived  and it didn't just bring the usual challenges. Being neurodiverse and going through menopause is a particular kind of hard that doesn't get talked about enough. All the strategies I'd spent years building to manage everyday life  the routines, the coping mechanisms, the ways I'd learned to function — just stopped working. I had to learn how to navigate my own life all over again, from scratch, while everything else kept moving. Eventually, trying to manage all of that alongside a demanding job felt impossible. Retiring early wasn't giving up. It was survival.

Now I put everything I've learned into Scouting. Into making sure leaders are better equipped, better informed, and more confident supporting the young people who are struggling in the same ways I did. Because I don't want any young person to feel the way I felt growing up. And I genuinely believe that with the right support, Scouts can be that safe place for so many more of them.

That's what drives me. That's what Purple Lady Cathy is really about.

Purple has always been my colour. The hair has changed, but the name stuck — and honestly, it still feels exactly right.

Oh and I have two pomapoos called Reggie and Ronnie, who are chaotic and wonderful and feature heavily.