Another end of term at St. Mary`s Centre. JUNE 2022
Another end of term at St. Mary`s. This one feels rather special as it is the first term in three years accomplished in a meaningful way
without Covid restricting us too much.
While hard work from the staff underpins what we do, we have an element of luck in that the wonderful tutors we have to deliver the classes have been of the best quality and seamlessly contribute to the positive atmosphere here at the education centre.
The learners make what we do worthwhile, and their enthusiasm and quality of work are the ultimate rewards in Community Education. This year brought us a blend of return offenders and new people that I’m sure will attend for years to come at our centre. People you initially meet for the first time soon become friends to St. Mary`s . Surely that’s what community building is for. To encourage connectivity and inclusion, build relationships and increase capacity in our community.
We have had some long-term staff retire from our Community Employment scheme, and they will be sorely missed. However, I have a sneaking suspicion that their replacements are more than up to match the quality of work their predecessors delivered.
Our board has also stepped up a level, which was shown by them rolling their sleeves up and meeting the community head, on the day of our 20th anniversary. Helped in no small way by the glorious weather provided for us. I am very much looking forward to the future with this board at the helm, and the good things we can accomplish for our community.
This can also be seen in our vulnerable person support program, which we have now named St Mary’s Adult Education Ageing +. We have designated workers to call to older and vulnerable people’s homes, to tend to their gardens, and hopefully make their day a bit brighter. We have also launched a friendly call service for those most socially isolated to have a chat.
For us, the summer is not a complete break as we focus on building towards next term, and hopefully we will have an additional classroom at our disposal to deliver the highest quality of adult education for our community. The future is bright as long as we continue working together.
John O'Sullivan
