Cardiac nurse Kate follows her heart to the sea
Wild water swimming, beach walks and sunrise yoga are the epitome of coastal living for specialist community cardiac nurse, Kate Maylard Mason.
Kate, aged 60, swapped Berkshire for the beaches of Thanet eight years ago after deciding to follow her heart and move to the coast.
Kate first qualified as a nurse in 1981 before going on to specialise in cardiac nursing, becoming the first community-based heart failure nurse to be sponsored by the British Heart Foundation (BHF). She’s now a specialist cardiac nurse working for Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust (KCHFT).
Kate said: “It was a chance visit to Margate during the mid-point of my life that inspired the move. I hadn’t realised how beautiful this part of Kent was and I fell in love with the scenery and the beaches. I felt it was time to do something for me and my wellbeing, so we put our house on the market. In six weeks, it had sold and I had a job at KCHFT. I was off to live and work by the sea in Kent.”
“I discovered so much more than the beaches and quickly adapted to coastal living. I joined a local yoga group which opened up lots of new activities such as sea swimming and paddle boarding. The biggest surprise for me has been the beautiful sunsets and sunrises on the Thanet coastline. Being surrounded by these while exercising outside, is a truly joyful and energising experience.”
“I am really passionate and proud to work in the community, helping people with heart conditions to lead healthy and fulfilling lives. I also think it’s really important for us as healthcare professionals to look after ourselves and as a team we have organised yoga ‘mat and chat’ sessions as well as a team wellbeing beach day at the tidal pool in Cliftonville.
“The BHF programme was about training more community nurses to support patients coming out of hospital and keeping them well and out of hospital long term, which is something I am still passionate about to this day.”
If you want to have the best work life balance and join our community teams on the gorgeous Kent coast, check out our latest vacancies.
