Patricia Richardson, Joint Chair of Grove Park User Group Committee has sent us an indepth account of her community groups struggle to defend adult education in Lewisham through the Mayor’s Commission on Libraries and Learning. 

It is a tale of buck-passing and broken promises as local government, the Mayor’s office and national education policy failed to address the needs of an organised and vocal community.

UPDATE: CALL has now received a letter from Community Education Lewisham describing the changes in more detail, you can read it here (doc, 39kb) 

Click the link below to read Patricia’s account in full.

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In a new regular item, each fortnight the CALL website will feature the story of one one individual’s experience of adult learning and how it has changed their life.

This week we feature Vikki Annetts from Barnsley:

I started my learning journey as an adult on the WEA Helping in Schools course. This inspired me to continue with my learning and from that course I attended Northern College on an access diploma and Dearne Valley Business School on a BA Hons Business Administration course. This has had a huge impact on my life. Whilst I was doing the Helping in Schools course I was also claiming Incapacity benefit and had not worked for a number of years due to injuries and post natal depression. This course gave me a zest for life. I met new friends and suddenly felt I had a purpose in life other than a mum. (more…)