A holiday accident can change more than just a holiday — for one Wallington woman, a broken arm became the unexpected push she needed to build her own career on her own terms.
Kath Howard, in her 50s, has turned years of administrative and customer-facing work into a new venture after a physical setback closed the door on her previous job. The launch of Just Ask Kath marks a shift from seeking the right role to creating one that fits.
Howard was part of Asda’s home shopping team when she broke her arm during a holiday in July 2025. The injury proved stubborn: even half a year on, she still couldn’t manage the heavy tote trolleys that the position demanded.
She moved back into administration and took on school catering and customer service roles along the way. But the search for a permanent position that pulled all her skills together kept coming up short.
Agencies often steered her toward part-time cleaning or school kitchen posts. Howard, who had already done school catering work, understood the importance of those jobs — yet she also wanted a role that tapped into her broader administrative and organisational strengths.
So she built that role herself. The outcome is Just Ask Kath, a service offering flexible business support and practical day-to-day help to companies and individuals in the local area.
Her resume is a mix of administrative depth and front-line experience. For six years, she worked as an administrator for the National Council for Hypnotherapy, where she fielded member enquiries, coordinated with board members, and helped organise the annual conference.
She also spent two stints as an administrator and receptionist at The Surrey Institute of Clinical Hypnotherapy. There, she juggled appointments, calls, payments, and confidential records, while also supporting training sessions, preparing documents, and answering student questions.
On top of that, she provided weekly marketing and website-update help for a local osteopath.
Her broader work history includes administrative duties at Veolia, online shopping and Click & Collect tasks at Asda, school catering at West Ashtead Primary Academy, and customer service at G4S.
Just Ask Kath is now the channel for all that accumulated know-how, aimed at small businesses that need help with the kind of tasks that can pull attention away from their customers and core work.
The service menu includes administrative assistance, document preparation, proofreading, and basic WordPress website updates. Support comes remotely or in person, whether a business needs occasional help, a hand clearing a backlog, or temporary cover during a busy stretch.
Business support is priced at £20 per hour, £120 for a seven-hour day, or £550 for five seven-hour days. Clients work directly with Kath — no recruitment agency fees involved — and bookings depend on availability.
For personal needs, Just Ask Kath offers assistance and errands at £15 per hour, plus dog walking and pet care visits priced individually based on the work and location. Any travel or purchase costs are discussed and agreed upfront.
Operating from Wallington, Kath covers Carshalton, Sutton, and the surrounding areas for practical support, with remote business help available too.
For Howard, this launch is about taking charge of her own working future: applying the experience she already has to deliver useful, flexible help within her own community.
More details on services, pricing, and how to get in touch are available at https://www.justaskkath.co.uk/.
About Just Ask Kath
Just Ask Kath is an independent business based in Wallington, offering administrative support, personal assistance, errands, dog walking, and pet care visits. The guiding idea is simple: “Practical help for busy lives.”
Paul Howard
Kindfame Productions
+44 7917 390014
Why it matters: This story shows how a sudden physical limitation can reshape a career path — not as a dead end, but as a launchpad for entrepreneurship. For other mid-career workers facing similar obstacles, Kath’s move demonstrates that experience and adaptability can be turned into a self-made opportunity that serves both the individual and the local community.
