Saj talks to Janett about life in Windermere

I had no idea who Janett Walker was until I ‘met’ her on Caroline Robertson’s morning show on BBC Radio Cumbria recently. We’d both been invited to speak about the impact COVID19 was potentially having on BAME’s. Janett spoke so frankly and with such a big slice of humour and humility that afterwards, I immediately connected with her on LinkedIn to find out more….

“I remember the first year or so of being in Windermere” she says “I really was the ‘only black in the village’ and sometimes people would talk very slowly and loudly when they spoke to me. I would laugh (to myself) at the looks on their faces when they heard my very Yorkshire accent, which I have never lost!”

I did wonder about the big risk she had taken by giving up a lucrative and successful career to start again. Janett hadn’t minded telling me she was no spring chicken.

Was her change of career just 3 or 4 years before a very significant birthday, a bit foolish?

“I’d had a great time being a lawyer but without a big city to push against, I knew I’d gone as far as I was going to be able to go. I felt the colour being drained from me (pardon the pun) and I knew I had to get out. It seems a bit mad now, but I really did decide to start a business on a Saturday night, and I handed my notice in on the Monday morning. Sometimes the seemingly hardest decisions are the easiest ones to make. Working as a lawyer in Cumbria for several years put me in really good stead, and I will always be grateful for that. The legal world taught me a lot about the importance of hard work, transparency and how crucial contacts are, especially in Cumbria.”

There’s no one my business partner, Sophia Newton and I don’t know, or we can’t find, through someone else we do. Cumbrian networking helped us build our careers so it made sense to run our own networking events for Cumbria. 

• LA23NET is a flagship Flock event, and I’m proud to say it’s extremely successful. We put this down to how different it is, it really isn’t like any other networking event. 
• As well as the high standard of speakers we have, LA23NET focuses on the human element of networking, and encourages FUN because we think we’re all still big kids at heart.  
• Looking back over the last four years, we have a lot to thank LA23NET for. It showcased us right in front of businesses we wanted to work with and Flock has been able to run all kinds of unconventional events as a result.

Do I ever regret taking the plunge? No. 

No longer do I land at my desk and wonder what if? Instead me and the team are organising events that make businesses stand out – from sunset soirees, countywide treasure hunts, new festivals, Cumbrian wrestling, awards ceremonies, alternative opera and more. It’s so exciting! 

We laugh every day and best of all I feel I can really be my true self. Even down to wearing whatever colour I like in whatever style of clothes I fancy, now, no one bats an eyelid.