Intern Insights: August

Katie Wright joined Newcastle Cathedral in July 2022 as our new Marketing Intern. In this article, she writes about some of the skills and experiences she’s gained already.

Having touched on marketing and communications in my previous job, I’ve been eager and intrigued to learn more in-depth about marketing as I progress in my career. I’m joining at a fascinating time as we enter the final months of the ‘Common Ground in Sacred Space’ project supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Since leaving college with A-levels in 2021 I worked in a heritage/museum related job before getting the opportunity to apply for this post at the end of my contract. I wanted to continue working within a heritage setting but to develop and grow my skills in the much more specific area of marketing.

So far, I have delved into the management and upkeep of the website, adding many new events, talks and tours that have been made possible through the project. I’m also learning more and more about the daily services of the Cathedral as I update the various sources for information around our services, as well as promoting these on social media to extend and grow our audience where we can.

Since starting in July, we’ve been promoting an array of events which range from rock concerts to medieval experience days and lots in between. I was lucky enough to join one of the Tower Tours in my first week which gives a unique insight into the Cathedral from a whole new perspective. These tours have proved very popular, and I could tell why when I reached the top of the tower and was able to see out across the entirety of Newcastle!

It’s impressed me to see the transformation the Cathedral has undergone through the entire project and how it now attracts wider audiences. Working within my team, I have begun studying the Cathedral’s website and social media analytics and have been given an introduction into how we collect and record these useful insights. What has been evident is that, since the Cathedral reopened in August 2021, it has gained and maintained the interest of new audiences who may not have previously considered visiting.

I’m looking forward to the rest of my internship, with lots more to learn from the marketing team and so opportunities to develop my skills. I’m hoping to utilise some of my prior experience by looking into the history of the Cathedral and promoting its history and heritage in ways we have not done before in the hope we continue to attract new audiences.