We will hold our first business meeting of the new year on Tuesday – which reminded us that we haven’t yet shared a brief biography about Ann, who was inducted to Rotary in December, during our last business meeting of 2023!
As mentioned in our article on her induction, Ann’s Rotary classification is Pet Care Professional – although Ann says she has been many versions of herself over the years while carrying out different roles. These include marketing director, art consultant and working in social care management.
After having these varied roles Ann says she finally decided to do something that she’s always wanted to do: be a dog and cat groomer … and be the owner of her own salon in Canterbury! She says she knew she could offer a service to cats and dogs that is “far more compassionate and superior to commercial salons” and chose to study dog grooming with the current European and World Champion, Amy Manser, to gain the appropriate skills. Ann now loves working with the animals and has a job she enjoys a great deal.
Ann also has a few ongoing projects under her belt: for example, she’s exploring /discovering how to make sustainable pet toys from recycled materials; she’s investigating how to use dog fur for composting etc.; and she’s working towards persuading all business owners in Canterbury, Whitstable and Herne Bay to be “dog friendly” in the hope of combatting social isolation.
Ann has also been studying Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism for 12 years and says she’s passionate about supporting people to live their very best life without suffering and unhappiness.
Ann is American and grew up “over the water” in Boston, Massachusetts. She’s married to Andrew (who’s English) and they have two grown-up children, both currently at university. The family moved to the UK in 2008 and Ann has lived in Canterbury ever since. She now also enjoys the company of four rescue animals – two English Setters and two Calico cats!
A final interesting point about Ann is that her father was also a Rotarian. Ann always thought she’d join Rotary one day, so it’s great that she’s finally following in her father’s footsteps!
Would you also like to join our friendly club? Why not become a “Friend” of our club, or simply contact us to tell us of your interest? In the meantime, you can also stay up-to-date on our activities via this news section.
Picture: Ann pictured at work. Picture credit: Anne Walker-Parry/Rotary Club of Canterbury.
