Member Spotlight shines on Holly Combe

28 August 2026

Member Spotlight: Holly Combe

This month our Member Spotlight shines on Holly Combe.

Holly is a neurodivergent writer, editor and pundit, offering professional copy-editing and proofreading services with a strong focus on clarity, accessibility and inclusive language.

If you would like us to spotlight your organisation, please contact our Membership and Training Manager at jamiehorton@socialfirmswales.co.uk.

Meet Holly Combe

Holly Combe is a neurodivergent writer, editor and pundit based in Newport, South Wales.

She runs a copy-editing business, working with clients across a variety of sectors including international development, education and medicine, as well as individual authors.

Holly is now looking to expand her business to include additional language and style consultancy services.

From Freelance Editing to Business

Holly first moved into editing through her work running the music section of the intersectional feminist website The F-Word in 2011.

She began editing on a freelance basis in 2013 and has since worked with organisations and authors across a wide range of sectors, helping them make their work clearer, more accessible and more effective.

Copy-Editing Services

Holly provides in-depth copy-editing for clients who want to improve the clarity, structure, flow and style of their work while preserving the author’s voice.

Her work can include adjusting text to meet house style and reference standards, rephrasing for clarity, removing unnecessary repetition and refining sentence structure and wording.

She also offers proofreading for finished pieces that require final checks for consistency, spelling, grammar, spacing, punctuation and other minor issues.

In-Depth Copy-Editing

Holly’s copy-editing goes beyond surface-level corrections. She works closely with sentence structure, wording, structure, flow, clarity and style.

The aim is to help clients communicate their ideas clearly while retaining the individual voice and character of the original author.

Proofreading

For finished documents, Holly provides a focused proofreading service covering spelling, grammar, punctuation, spacing, consistency and other minor errors.

This service involves minimal editorial comments and is designed for work that is already complete and requires a final check.

Supporting Inclusive and Accessible Language

As an autistic person, Holly sees close attention to detail as an in-built strength. She relishes the opportunity to immerse herself in a document and work on improving it.

Her work can help organisations reach wider audiences, meet style guide requirements and use more equitable and inclusive language.

Holly also works to help organisations better represent diverse people and incorporate anti-oppression principles into their communications.

A Personal Approach

Holly begins each project by consulting with the client to understand their needs and get to know the relevant style guide.

She then uses her ability to hyperfocus and her attention to detail to make the changes needed to help create the best possible final product.

Expanding the Business

Following positive feedback from an organisation supporting autistic people, Holly is exploring opportunities to expand her business into language and style guide consultancy.

This includes helping organisations improve disability language, strengthen inclusion and better align their communications with the social model of disability.

What Clients Say

One of Holly's greatest strengths is the care she brings to her work. She does not simply proofread or make surface-level corrections; she takes the time to understand the material, identify inconsistencies, and ensure that the final product is clear, accurate and polished. She is also exceptionally easy to work with. Her quick responses, dependability and ability to turn work around on time have always been greatly appreciated. – Josephine Tsui, previous colleague and client

Client Feedback

Holly’s calming copy-editing was indispensable in the final fraught stages of my Humanities PhD. Her brilliant skills advising on language sensitively, tone and structure were invaluable. – Dr Selina Robertson, previous client

A Focus on Inclusion

As a neurodivergent person and passionate advocate of the social model of disability, Holly has a keen interest in helping organisations nurture inclusivity and diversity.

Her expanding consultancy work aims to support organisations with disability language, inclusive communication and the practical application of style guidance.

Through this work, Holly is building on her experience as an editor to help organisations communicate in ways that are clearer, more accessible and more inclusive.

Find Out More

Holly is based in Newport, South Wales, and is currently looking to expand her client base across Wales.

If you are looking for copy-editing, proofreading or support with accessible and inclusive language, Holly would be happy to discuss your project.