When people think of the GCCF, they picture cat shows, detailed newsletters, or seamless registration processes. But behind the polished results lies a hardworking and dedicated team making everything happen – and we’ve noticed not many people know who the team are, or what they do on a daily basis!
Early Start, Team Spirit
The workday begins at 8:30am, even though phonelines don’t open until 10. This early start allows the team to catch up on emails and prep for the day ahead. Morning chats (not always work-related!) and the occasional Friday breakfast tradition from McDonald’s or the local food van often set the tone for a productive day.
All Systems Go: 10am–4pm
Once phonelines open, the office comes alive. Staff take calls in dedicated hourly shifts, with a second team member picking up overflow lines. If you’ve ever reached voicemail, it’s because both lines are already helping other customers. Alongside calls, the team juggle a wide range of tasks — answering emails, managing paperwork, attending internal meetings, and keeping day-to-day operations flowing.
Hannah – Office Manager
“Everyday is different for me; I am involved in most meetings with the Board and Committees as well as individual projects to improve products and services for our customers. I support the team in the office as much as I can to ensure they have the time to further develop their skills and listen to them on how we can improve processes to become more efficient. I learn something new everyday from them when they help me with customer queries which is great for my own knowledge!”
Leanne – Accounts & Secretary to the Board
Leanne is our Accounts Manager and Secretary to the Board of Directors. When not compiling payments and refunds from our in-house system, Leanne can be found creating paperwork and minutes/notes for Board meetings and Council meetings.
Rebecca – Complaints & Show Paperwork
“You can find me either, buried underneath printed show paperwork, concentrating on STAR system queries and set-up, lost in collating COTY points, or busy handling all of the formal complaints that come into the office. I find being part of the team here is great fun; new and unique things crop up all the time, so we are always ready for a brainstorm about how to tackle it together.”
Rhian – Breeder Scheme, Show Licences & GCCFI
“Alongside all the calls and emails, my core responsibilities include overseeing the Breeder Scheme and managing Show Licences for all GCCF shows. I also take responsibility for all GCCFI administration within the office and like to get involved in the more interesting and complex issues that crop up. I love that every day is completely different, and some of the queries and scenarios we receive definitely keep us on our toes. You can also find me at shows around the country! I love the atmosphere and the people, and I am always trying to encourage more people to get involved with both exhibiting and supporting the shows.”
Abigail – Prefixes, Medals & Bars
“I am a Business Services Coordinator and am involved in most things GCCF, but directly handle Prefixes, Medals and Bars, ICC register and minor website updates. A typical day in the office for me is filled with email and phone queries alongside registrations of all kinds, I personally enjoy imports the most. A day in the office is never boring, there is always a new query we have not had before or some new genetic information to investigate, so we are kept on our toes constantly which means we are forever learning and expanding.”
Katie – Show Results & Returns
Katie is currently on maternity leave until 2026 (date TBC), however, alongside her usual Business Services Co-Ordinator duties, she oversees all things show results! This includes show returns, entering and clearing show results, show certificate and vet pack orders, and vaccination clearance.
Beth – Content & Marketing
“I have a dual role with the GCCF – Content & Marketing Co-Ordinator and Business Services Co-Ordinator. Whilst Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays are filled with registrations, phone calls and emails from customers requiring assistance, Tuesdays and Thursdays are all about running the GCCF’s social media channels, creating graphics and branded documents, helping to design the website and much, much more! I absolutely love building a social media presence and meeting with our partners to really push our brand profiles. Anything marketing related, I’m there!”
Bethany – Club Returns & Stud Book
“I’m Bethany – though most people call me B. If you’re an officer of one of our cat clubs, chances are you’ve already heard from me chasing up your club’s financial returns and working with you to ensure they’re submitted prior to the deadline. Day to day, I handle a wide range of admin tasks, but my other key responsibility besides club returns is overseeing the Stud Book Service. This means I spend quite a bit of time ensuring records are accurate and up to date for our breeder’s benefit and peace of mind. I’m always happy to have a chat and I’m known for being on the phone for too long talking with customers about their cats!”
Henry – IT Apprentice
“I’m an IT apprentice; I’ve been here almost a year now. I work alongside the IT staff to solve bugs in the code and add new features onto Phoenix, our in-house system.”
Evie – Post & Administration
“I am the newest person to be employed by the GCCF. My role is to complete and post orders, this includes but is not limited to producing and sending certificates for breeders, owners and show winners. Although I am new to the company, this role is ensuring that I become more familiar with the pedigree cat world which I am now fascinated by!”
After 4pm
Though phones close at 4pm, the team do not pack up and go home as people may believe. The final hour is used carefully to finalise orders, process amendments, and wrap up the day. The team also try and clear the customer inbox to be ready for the next day – however, this is not always possible due to the volume of queries.
The team do ask customers to be patient and wait up to 5 working days before emailing or calling asking for a reply.
Weekends & Shows
While the team doesn’t work weekends, they are often seen at shows — helping, judging, or exhibiting. Feel free to say hello, but keep in mind they won’t be able to handle customer queries on the spot!
Small but mighty, the GCCF office team works tirelessly to support cat lovers across the country. Their passion and commitment shine through — and your kind feedback makes all the difference. Every message left via our ‘How did we do?’ system at the bottom of our emails is read by the team, which boosts spirits and keeps the team’s passion alive!
You can contact the office using info@gccfcats.org or 01278427575
