Nine years ago, Tower Bridge set me the One-Thousand Cats Challenge. And in 2023 (yes, it’s taken a while) I’ve not only reached that target, I’ve smashed it in the most spectacular way, so I thought I’d share some of the lessons I’ve learnt about resilience and leadership on the journey.

So, let’s set the scene.

It’s 2014 and I’ve just produced my first guide for the Bridge – a note here, as well as being Aspire Leadership’s Special Projects Director I’m also Director of a Creative Agency I started with my husband (what can I say, I’ve always liked to be busy).

Producing that first guide for them was great fun – it involved creativity from the start. Have you ever seen people standing in the middle of London Bridge taking a picture of Tower Bridge? That makes sense, but we wanted to capture the great view to the west.

How to do it? Obviously put my leadership cap on and hire a boat!

The picture needed to be taken at high tide, with the Bridge open and a sailing barge with a tall mast passing under it. It needed to be a sunny, cloudless day and Tower Bridge also wanted a red bus and a black cab in the picture and for flags to be flying. My husband and architectural photographer Adam Parker finally got the shot with all these things in place on the third outing. (Ok, I can admit it now – we photoshopped the flags.)

That guide, Tower Bridge 360˚, had just reached the shop when the manager tells me he would, one day, like to sell a soft toy linked to the Bridge. “A plush cat is what I need,” he says, “I could sell thousands.” He elaborated, “It would have to be the right sort of cat though, I’d need a children’s book about that cat first”.

I can do that for you!

I said. (I say that a lot – I find it’s a good policy in leadership – if I can’t do it myself, I pretty much can always find someone else who can).

I continued to say,

I can do that cat book for you…

for the next three years.

On the (we know now) pivotal day, Tower Bridge said we have good news and bad news for you. The bad – sadly you didn’t win the tender to do our 125th anniversary book. The good – we’re going to let you have a go at the cat book.

So we did.

The Tower Bridge Cat

My husband looked for illustrators (we chose the talented Steve Cox) and I tested story ideas out in schools (and ok, it has to be said, on everyone we knew – the Tower Bridge Cat has been the chief topic at so many dinner parties at our house I’m surprised people still come!)

That book, aptly called The Tower Bridge Cat, came out in 2018, and lots of great things happened – it quickly became the best-selling item in the shop, it won a Children’s Book of the Year award, and we had a big happy party at Tower Bridge where the manager presented me with a cake made to look like the book!

In 2019 some linked merchandise was produced, but no plush cats. More resilience needed.

The Tower Bridge Cat & the Baby Whale

The second book was due out in March 2020, but the pandemic closed Tower Bridge and so The Tower Bridge Cat & the Baby Whale was released when they reopened, a much quieter affair – no party, no cake. With so much uncertainty that year it took a lot of self-belief to go ahead with the print run, but like many businesses we decided to take a deep breath, take the risk and continue.

We could ride out the storm we thought…

Johnny

Turns out 2020 hadn’t finished with us though – things got very bleak, very quickly. My husband was diagnosed with a fast-growing brain tumour and died twelve weeks later.

What a sentence to write. If you didn’t know that about me when you started reading this, I’m sorry to spring it on you. It is and was utterly shocking.

And so totally heart breaking.

Resilience – The Tower Bridge Cat and the Missing Button

I’ve always thought I was resilient, but since then have had to draw on deep leadership reserves that I had no idea I had.

Tower Bridge asked for book three and I went on and produced it for them. Steve Cox was onboard again, and my son took over design, his Dad had been teaching him but they hadn’t got as far as they’d wanted and it was a big step for Ben. He rose to the challenge (he’s resilient too) and did a fantastic job – The Tower Bridge Cat and the Missing Button came out early in ‘22.

There’s a great tribute to Johnny in it, Tower Bridge asked could we include a picture of a smiling Scouser in a flat cap cycling over the Bridge?

We did.

Leadership – One Thousand Plush Cats

At this point it’s eight years, three books and quite a lot of merchandise later.  The Tower Bridge Cat had become an established and much-loved brand and you’ve guessed it – it was time for the cats. I’m proud to say that, in July ’22, one (very delighted) shop manager received one thousand (very cute) plush cats.

As that is where we came in, and the 1k cats challenge was finally conquered, you would think that would be the end of my story about resilience. But as leaders we don’t stand still do we? We aim high don’t we? As leaders, I believe our role is to look for opportunities to excel and I was sure there was more our adorable cat could do. So, I kept pushing, (with charm I’m told), but pushing-never-the-less.

The Tower Bridge Cat ABC

The news today, (we can gloss over the many hiccups along the way along the way, all part of being an entrepreneur) is that the Tower Bridge Cat has her own day at the Bridge. February 11th 2023, sees a fourth book, The Tower Bridge Cat ABC, launched and a family trail based on the books open at the attraction (it then stays in place all year!). Tower Bridge Cat Day has actors playing the story characters, book readings, signings, balloons and who knows, maybe even another cake (I live in hope).

What a great leadership journey it’s been, fuelled by creativity, determination and hard work, underpinned by vision and buckets of resilience.  As Ben put it yesterday, “Mum, it’s quite bonkers how big it’s become!” Ok, so nine years is hardly an overnight success, but it’s been worth all the effort.

So, next time you spot an opportunity – you know what to say don’t you. You say:

I can do that!

Tower Bridge Cat Day (and to buy any of the books)   https://www.towerbridge.org.uk/discover/tower-bridge-cat