Abi Aldridge

We’re now a @charitycomms.bsky.social corporate partner 💥

We loved being members back when we were in-house - it helped us connect with some brilliant agencies.

Now we're on the Supplier Directory, offering creative support + 10% off for members: www.charitycomms.org.uk/directories/...

Screenshot of the Instagram profile @commswithabi. The bio reads: “Abi Aldridge | Comms & Brand. ✨ Freelance comms & brand strategy by @abiialdridge. 💡 Helping charities & good causes. 🌿 Encouraging good comms & good rest. ⚡ part of @olio.creative.” There are three story highlights titled “Tips,” “My work,” and “About.” The top six grid posts include a brand copy tip graphic, two selfies, a photo of Abi with a dog, a “7 fun facts about me” Reel, and a post that says “Strong comms start with strategy.”

Charity comms can be messy, joyful, frustrating and brilliant - often all in one day. 😅

I’ve started sharing tips, reflections and lessons from freelance & in-house life over on Instagram.

For comms folks & cause-led brands who want to do good - without burning out: instagram.com/commswithabi/

Mental Health Awareness Week: how community supports comms professionals’ wellbeing — olio creative. This Mental Health Awareness Week, we’re celebrating the power of community - especially for charity communications professionals balancing big causes and big demands.

Charity comms can be beautiful chaos. 💬

But the comms community? That’s what gets us through.

This #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek, we’re celebrating the people behind the posts - and the quiet ways we look out for each other. You are community in action 💛

Illustration-style meme of three cartoon characters walking down a street. The central character, labelled “Me,” is happily holding hands with a smiling woman labelled “Squarespace,” while an angry-looking woman labelled “Other website builders” walks beside them, clearly annoyed. The image playfully suggests preferring Squarespace over other platforms. The olio creative logo is in the corner.

Not all website platforms are created equal. 😅

We’re proudly team #Squarespace (Platinum Partners, in fact) - and we’ve just published a blog explaining why it beats WordPress, Wix and GoDaddy every time.

Also: we made a meme. Couldn’t resist.

Read more 👉 oliocreative.com/squarespace-...

Abi Aldridge | Communications & Brand Support Helping charities and purpose-led teams shape their story, grow their audience, and build campaigns and brands that connect and inspire.

After years of helping charities find the right words, I’ve finally written some for myself. 👏

My new website is now live! And from June, I’ll have more freelance availability - for campaign planning, messaging, content and copy that actually sounds human.

🎉 Our 2024 Impact Review for Schools is live!

Over 70,000 teachers and school leaders took part in NFER research last year, helping shape national policy and classroom practice.

🎬 Watch the animation
📖 Read more: bit.ly/4k5KbV1

#EduResearch #EducationPolicy

Abi and her sister, Ruby, at Abi's hen do. They're both posing and holding up signs that say 'bride to be' and 'Abi's hen party'

Abi and Ruby taking a selfie in Mallorca, wearing matching caps

Abi and Ruby in Palma, amongst trees in the sun. Both are holding shopping bags.

A young Abi and Ruby at the British Museum, posing between Egyptian figures.

I'm taking today off for a special reason - my little sister turns 21! 🎉

11 years between us, and she’ll officially be a children’s nurse soon - I couldn’t be prouder of the amazing person she’s growing into. 🩺

Sharing a few of my favourite memories over the years. 📸

A few things filling my freelance days:
✍️ Web copy for a rural church community
🧠 Social media for a global NGO, US psychologist & wine bar
💻 Content support for a UK children's charity
💼 Helping grow @oliocreative.bsky.social

I have more freelance availability from June 2025 - get in touch! 💬

Preventing burnout: how external creative support helps in-house teams thrive — olio creative. In-house teams in charities and public sector organisations can face burnout from tight deadlines and heavy workloads. Discover how external creative support from Olio Creative can help reduce…

It’s #StressAwarenessMonth - and having spent years in charity comms teams, I know how easily burnout creeps in. 🪫

In a blog for @oliocreative.bsky.social , I discuss how external support can protect your team & your brand.

Feeling the pressure? You're not alone. DM me if you need a chat. 🧡

Ministers face above projected teacher and NHS pay deals Pay review bodies recommend increases for teachers and NHS workers above the 2.8% the government has budgeted for.

Independent pay body gives MPs a pay-rise:
MPs take the money but cry 'It's out of our hands, nothing we can do'.

Body gives teachers and NHS workers a pay-rise:
Govt says they will give it 'careful consideration' but must balance the books.

We see you.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Four white and green post-it notes, each including a different way to rethink your to-do list, including: Try the 1-3-5 rule: 1 big task, 3 medium tasks, and 5 small tasks. Choose three non-negotiables. Apply the 80/20 rule: Focus on 20% of tasks that drive 80% of your impact. Build in time between tasks: Things will often take longer than you think. All on a green background with the CharityComms logo at the bottom.

What do all charity communicators have in common? A long to-do list! The Planning Fallacy, described by Kahneman and Tversky, is our tendency to overestimate how much we can get done by underestimating how long it takes to complete a task.

Here are four ways to rethink your to-do lists...

Selfie of Abi and her dog, Bruno -a tri-colour collie. Bruno is wearing a bandana which looks like a tuxedo.

Realise I have lots of followers on here, and I've never properly introduced myself, so here goes (feat. Bruno, my trusty sidekick 🐾).

👋 Hi! I'm Abi – a freelance communications and brand strategist, mainly working with charities and good causes.

I'm always happy to connect, swap ideas or chat! 💬

Desk setup with a monitor displaying the olio creative website. On the desk are a wireless keyboard, a handwritten note reading ‘DON’T FORGET: take breaks, get fresh air, walk Bruno, have fun,’ a pen, a can of Diet Coke, and a boot-shaped pen holder with pastel-colored pens.

One of those weeks where everything’s landing at once:
– Rebrand going public
– New website & socials live
– Email campaigns flying out
– Big-picture strategy for one org, tiny tweaks for another

If you're looking for comms or brand support, I’m open to new freelance projects! 👋 #CharityComms

olio creative • Squarespace Website design, logo + branding Elevate your brand with bespoke Squarespace sites. From logo design to digital creations, we'll give your online presence a fresh look. Book a call today!

👋 New here, but not new to this!

We’re olio creative - a small but mighty team making standout websites, beautiful designs, great content and comms strategies for good people doing good things.

We started as an in-house charity team, now we're out in the wild! Come say hi 👋 #CharityComms

🧑‍🏫 Can AI help teachers save time?

Research from @thenfer.bsky.social , funded by @theeef.bsky.social & The Hg Foundation, has found that teachers using ChatGPT spent 31% less time on lesson planning.

Take a look at our latest Research Bite to learn more: nfer.ac.uk/chatgptsummary

NFER's annual Teacher Labour Market in England monitors the progress towards meeting the teacher supply challenge in a easy to digest format. Now in its seventh year, this year's report, funded by the Nuffield Foundation, highlights ongoing challenges with teacher recruitment, unfilled vacancies, w Teacher Labour Market In England Annual Report 2025

🆕 Government #spendingreview is the last chance to meet 6,500 new teacher target, as unfilled teacher vacancies hit record high.

Our School Workforce Lead @jackworth.bsky.social summarises the key #TLM2025 findings below 👇

youtu.be/45oM094oETw

[1/2]

Hot off the press! 🚨 Our new Teacher Labour Market Report is out - exploring teacher supply and key challenges. Despite some progress, big issues remain.

📖 Download the summary for schools: www.nfer.ac.uk/TLMSchools

Social media burnout: how to reclaim your brand's strategy — olio creative. Social media doesn’t have to be overwhelming. We share some tips and tricks to create a sustainable strategy, repurpose content, and engage meaningfully - without burning out.

Let’s #ReclaimSocial for good! ✨

Social media should be a positive space - but that starts with supporting the people behind the posts.

In my first blog for olio creative, I explore social media burnout and how brands can reclaim their strategy 👇

oliocreative.com/comms-and-ma...

What 800,000 fewer children by 2032 means for schools The decline in the pupil population that is affecting schools now is a trend that’s unlikely to change for decades, new ONS data shows

New ONS data suggests that pupil populations will continue to decline over the coming years. 📉

But what impact might falling pupil numbers have on primary schools? 🏫 (1/2)

Hi BlueSky, we're NFER Classroom. 👋

We work to support impact in the classroom - and beyond.

Follow us for the latest @thenfer.bsky.social research, guidance, resources and practical tips for those working in schools: nfer.ac.uk/classroom

A fake Spotify Wrapped screenshot using a bright yellow design from this year's roundup. The songs spell out "Please please please apply alt text to your Wrapped." The songs used are Please Please Please by Sabrina Carpenter, Apply by Glasser, Alt by Paysage d'Hiver, Text by Chief Keef, To Your by Momajay and Wrapped by George Strait. Each song is accompanied by album artwork.

Wow! Loving our Spotify Wrapped this year.

Such great songs...

#SpotifyWrapped

Three years of 10 per cent pay rises needed to hit 6,500 teacher target Pay rise needed to achieve teacher recruitment target would cost government an extra £7.7bn by 2028, research warns

The DfE has been urged to reveal how it defines and plans to meet its 6,500 recruitment teacher target - a key manifesto pledge.

@thenfer.bsky.social has estimated that the target would require pay rises of nearly 10% a year for three years, equalling billions💷

www.tes.com/magazine/new...

New research report - How to recruit 6,500 teachers? Modelling the potential routes to delivering Labour’s teacher supply pledge

🆕 Our new analysis suggests that the Government would need to increase teacher pay by nearly 10% a year for three years to reach 6,500-teacher manifesto target, if using pay as a sole incentive.

🟣 More info: bit.ly/3ZbjNQw
🟣 Key findings: bit.ly/4gf6eGT

Falling pupil numbers in primary schools Insights on what falling pupil numbers could mean for schools, and recommendations on how schools can respond to these declines.

Primary school pupil numbers in England are falling.

@thenfer.bsky.social's latest Research Bite explores:
📉 How numbers are projected to change
🗺️ How projections differ across England
🏫 What falling numbers could mean for schools
💙 How schools can mitigate the impact

Download for free. 👇 #EduSky

Of course, there’ll be busy times and an occasional long day - but it’s hard adjusting to a new (much nicer!) norm.

If this resonates, be kind to yourself. When working through #burnout, you can convince yourself that what you’re experiencing is normal - it takes time to change that belief. (2/2)

One of the strangest post-burnout feelings is the guilt that you’re now not doing enough.

After 18 months of 50+ hour weeks and an overwhelming workload, I now find myself feeling guilty when I log on or off on time, take a lunch break, or work at a normal pace. (1/2)

This evening I was lucky enough to have dinner with a group of mental health leaders (thank you @mirandawolpert.bsky.social) - & realised that we're not connected on here. So I got a 'mental health leaders' starter pack going: go.bsky.app/DqTaxQj - please do tell me all the great people I've missed!

I. JUST. WANT. THE. RECIPE. I. DON'T. WANT. FOUR. PAGES. OF. STORY. ABOUT. HOW. THIS. WAS. YOUR. AUNT. LINDA'S. FAVORITE. DISH. ON. WINTER. ESCAPES. TO. THE. MOUNTAINS.