Meet the Committee

Lisa King

Chairman

Hiya, I'm Lisa and I'm now your Chairman. I have been a member of the MRC since 2007 after coming along to a couple of shows after I got my first rats in 2006.

I have been on committee in a couple of different roles over the years and most recently took over as Chairman when Graham had to sadly stand down due to ill health. Graham said this better than I could when he was Chairman, so I'm stealing it;

"The MRC has always held the promotion of rats as pets and show animals at its heart and over the years we have built a reputation for friendly and welcoming shows. We have, as a matter of principle, aimed to encourage and educate as well as provide a fun social environment for all our members.

As chairman, I see my task as ensuring these and all our principles are maintained and enhanced throughout all aspects of our club and its activities".

Outside of MRC life I have many hobbies, some I have more time for than others thanks to my 4 children, mainly crafty type things such as sewing and crochet but I also love to read.

Reece Maxwell

Treasurer

Hi I'm Reece, the current Treasurer. I've been a member since 2018 and having been loving it since. I've kept rats for most of my adult life but found the MRC after moving house and wanting to increasing my mischief. I haven't looked back since.

I have a passion for DIY and have built parts of or all of the current enclosures my animals live in which I'm happy to show off. I enjoy a variety of things that gets my adrenaline running and keeps me active. Can't wait to put my own spin on things, see you at the next show.

Charlotte G

Rosettes & Trophy Officer

Hello! Im Charlotte G, some of you will know me as the human of Goedric’s Hollow.

I owned rats as a teenager till my mid twenties and then had to give up for over 10 years. I went back to keeping rats in 2017 and started breeding in 2021.

As the rosettes and trophy officer I make sure there is a nice selection of colourful rosettes at every show, and polish the trophies before the cup show.

Hayley Wainwright

General Show Secretary

Hello! I’m Hayley, General Show Secretary. I’ve been on committee for several years, and I very much enjoy getting involved. It’s great to be on committee with passionate like-minded people.

I’ve been keeping rats since the age of 15. My first experience of a rat show was in 2008 at Willington MRC. I would never have believed back then that oneday I would be helping to run these shows… In 2020 I started my breeding journey under Rainmaker Rattery. I breed shaded rats - Burmese, Wheaten Burmese and Tonkinese.

On an MRC show day you can often find me behind the secretary bench. If you see me come and say Hi!

Martin King

Shop and Stalls Co-ordinator

Hi everyone, I’m Martin, long suffering husband to Lisa who used to be your shop and stalls co-ordinator but is now your chairman. I was co-opted onto committee last year and it just made sense for me to take over Lisa’s role. I had been helping her with both behind the scenes tasks like upgrading the shop to use a barcode scanner and creating a database so that it would work.

I had rats as pets when I was a child and then Lisa and I got our first rats together at the end of 2006 and we’ve had them ever since. Lisa started breeding in 2019 and whilst I have no idea about the genetics and I’m not involved with making any breeding decisions I do enjoy it when there are babies to socialise (and tiny bellies to prod).

If you’ve attended a show recently then you may have noticed that I also have a passion for 3D printing and bring along prints for the craft collective including rat themed ones.

Rhiannon Wilkins

Membership Secretary

Hi I'm Rhiannon Wilkins. My first encounter with a fancy rat was my partner Reece thrusting one into my face and saying “Hold it”. He handed me the cutest little brown rat, which instantly licked my hand and started exploring. I was in love. It wasn't until my first show that I was obsessed.

Meeting everyone and feeling so welcome, I had never been surrounded by so much fluff and love.

Rachel Phillips

Club Secretary

Hi, I'm Rachel, Club Secretary. I returned to the wonderful world of rat ownership in 2021 after a 15-ish year break.

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Steve Fairhurst

Publicity Officer

Hi I’m Steve your publicity officer. I started keeping rats in 2019 and fell in love with them immediately.

Having had many different types of animals over the years I wasn’t expecting to love rats as much as I did. Eventually I ended up showing and was soon drawn to the friendly and fun MRC community and it’s now such a pleasure to help serve on the committee and help make shows better than ever for all our members old and new.

I spend a lot of time online anyway on social media so this role made sense when I was asked to do it. Hopefully we can continue to grow as a club and carry on having the best shows possible.

Nix Wooly

Fun Events Co-ordinator

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