You don't mind if I call you Peggy Mitchell do you? | Why Social Mobility Matters

I did mind. But I never said. Because I didn't want to 'cause a fuss' or make things awkward with my colleague, who would go on to call me Peggy and quote Eastenders lines at me for the next few years.

My Childhood

I don't actually come from the East End of London, I was born in Southwark and I grew up around Walworth, Camberwell and Bermondsey; ending up on the Old Kent Road, which you'll probably know as the cheap brown one from the Monopoly board. These were (and are still) some of the most deprived and diverse areas of the country.

My childhood was great - I spent my weekends playing out, harassing the neighbours with games of 'knock-down-ginger', making dens in the park, hanging out at or stopping in at some 'aunty' or friend's place for tea, and then heading back to mine because my mum and dad always had choc-ices in the freezer. I earned my first tenner at 7 by taking note of anything people on our estate wanted from the corner shop, and doing a run down there on a Saturday morning - most of the time (unless they needed the coins for the electricity meter) I got to keep the change. I was RICH.

And whilst I can look back with rose-tinted glasses at mine and my friend's childhoods, I'm certain it wasn't such an easy and enjoyable time for our parents, who would have been preoccupied with worries about ensuring the bills were paid, mouths were fed and that we had the money for the essentials. None of our parents owned their houses, but I was definitely one of the luckier ones as my parents were still together, and they had jobs and a car, and I got a purple bike with sparkly tassels on the handlebars for my birthday one year. I was privileged.

Spot the difference

To be honest I didn't really cotton on to the fact that my family, and those of the people around me, were any 'different' until I got to secondary school. I got a place at the 'good school' in our area - Haberdashers Askes in Lewisham. This was a school situated smack bang on the divide between the 'haves' and the 'have nots', and meant the students were a complete mix of people; from those whose parents owned great big houses in the leafy 'suburbs' of South East London, to those of us living in social housing and relying on free school meals and transport.

That school was a place where I made lifelong friends, had access to a brilliantly stocked library, and the support of incredible teachers who saw and supported the potential we had. This, combined with parents who valued education and gave me the drive and determination to aim high and create a better life for myself than we had, are something I'll forever be grateful for.

Later, when I started at Goldsmiths University the disparity between social levels in the UK became even more pronounced. Here I got my first experience of students whose families had been able to privately educate them, who knew Latin and ancient Greek, and could share stories of all of the exotic places they'd travelled to or studied in. But the one thing that really made me aware of the difference between us was that it was bizarre to many of them that I had to work and study at the same time. I'd finish university for the day and head straight to work at my retail job, then from there I'd head to the pub to work my second job, and at the weekend when I was lecture free I had a third job to add to the mix.

Looking back it was a relief in many ways when I found out that I was expecting a baby at 19 and would no longer be going to university. Of course I felt guilty for disappointing my parents, and the extended family and community around me who'd pushed so hard for me to get the opportunity to get further education, but the pressure to fit in and excel were crippling me, and I had no support to help me get through it. I didn't know anybody else who'd done it and so didn't have anyone to get advice from or learn how to succeed from.

The Promise

When my daughter was born I made her a promise - that the comments people had made about me ruining my life, or ending up as just another council estate benefits mum, would never come true. She wasn't going to be the reason I didn't succeed - Lily was going to be the reason I did succeed. Being her mum gave me the biggest incentive to do well for myself - because I wanted to give her every opportunity in life that I could.

I threw myself into motherhood and building a career at the same time - taking every opportunity that presented itself to me, and banging down a few doors whenever an opportunity didn't arise by itself. I was, and still am, lucky to have the support of my ever-patient and kind husband, as well as many of the people I met along my way.

Not everybody was so supportive - the Peggy Mitchell thing started because of a conversation where I'd shared how I learnt to pull pints at 4 years old, sat propped up on the bar because I was too short to reach otherwise (not that I'm much taller now!), and that I'd worked down East Street Market from the age of 13. The colleague was somebody who'd had a very different lived experience than I did, later they would recommend that I 'tone down my accent' and 'perhaps share a little less of yourself at work' as it was unprofessional. I was left feeling embarrassed by who I was and where I'd come from, and it made being myself feel awkward and uncomfortable. It took a long time for me to get over those feelings.

Why the girl did well

Yet as I've often found in life - the good apples more than outweigh the rotten ones. Carla Thomas put me forward for my first corporate job and Kevin McCann hired me despite the fact that I had no admin experience. Paula Hadley would open the door for me to get my first role in proposal management - teaching me skills I still use today. Working for Simon Clayton with his Manc accent and dad jokes was an epiphany moment on being authentic to who you are. A conversation just last week with Jonathan Kinsey and Hana Sutton reminded me of the importance of backing yourself, not needing to label ourselves to fit into a box, and the real reason why I strive for bigger and better things.

I've done well in my career and life, not because I'm super smart or gifted, or because I achieved particular grades, but because I have had access to resources, support and opportunity throughout. As Mohammed Bentaleb points out in his fantastic article on Social Mobility - if I'd had more, I'd be further. If I'd had less, my life would be very different today.

I've worked hard but I would never have had the resources and opportunities I had if there hadn't been the policies in place to support me - things like the Education Maintenance Allowance that meant I could afford to get to and from college and buy the books I needed for classes, University grants that meant I could start university in the first place, wider policies that invested in young people and public services such as the libraries I got so much from when I was young.

Why Social Mobility Matters

Today is Social Mobility Day, a cause incredibly close to my heart, and I wanted to share that bit about myself to help raise awareness. Not only do I know first-hand the challenges faced by those from working class backgrounds, I also know the incredible potential and talent that can emerge from these communities when people are supported and given access to the right resources and opportunities.

Only 7% of the UK’s school population have access to Private Education, but they disproportionately go on to make:

• 65% of Judges ????
• 44% of Politicians ???
• 66% of FTSE 100 CEOs ??

Yet, people from Working Class origins make up only:

• 6% of Doctors ??
• 12% of Journalists ??
• 12% of Chief Executives ??

There are so many young people, who are much smarter and capable than I am, who will not have the opportunity to learn and develop a career the way that I have. Not through any fault of their own - but simply because they don't have access to the resources, opportunities or support that I did. We need to be working towards a future where everyone has the opportunity to succeed and make a difference. And Social Mobility plays a huge part in that.

All of my experiences have shaped who I am today - a hard worker, someone who puts in the graft and gets things done, someone who is comfortable talking to anyone, on any topic, at any length. I'm truly grateful for my background and the diverse community I was raised in - it's been a benefit to me in so many ways. I'm grateful that I'm able to give my own children access to many opportunities and resources that I didn't have - building them a foundation on which to succeed in whatever sector they go into, currently one of them has plans to study history and French at university, the other wants to be a Roman knight or a monster truck mechanic (I'm hoping he grows out of the former or he'll be sorely disappointed!).

There are some fantastic organisations such as The 93% Club and F4S who are doing the groundwork to open up opportunities for young people across the UK and I'm lucky to be involved with initiatives that allow me to open doors for others.

Now, 'get outta my pub' and get on with breaking barriers and making the world a better place! If we're lucky 'this time next year we'll all be millionaires' ;)

#stateschoolproud #socialmobilityday #socialmobility #diversityandinclusion #personaldevelopment #careergrowth #datacentres #skillsgap