Happy Chistmas

Well, I'm writing this on the very last day of term. There are a few things we need to do - some information sending over to UK online etc. but it's pretty quite. There are no learners in the building just myself, Jocelyn and Kay McDonald preparing some work for next term.

I always find the last day before the Christmas holidays quite poignant. I go around and make sure that everything is switched off. I knock the lights off on the Christmas tree for the very last time, knowing that by the time we come back, it'll be time to take it down and pack it away for another year. I also take home all the cards that I've been sent and try to tidy my desk up - OK, at least I'll make an effort.

We had notification today that we didn't succeed in our bid for £100k from UK online, which is a shame. Funding of that size and variety doesn't come around too often. However, onwards and upwards as they say.

The Centre staff are all doing different things over Christmas. I'll be going down to Bolton on Christmas Day with my family and then travelling on to Witney near Oxford for New Year. I like Christmas - probably more so than my kids - and it's nice to have time off together.

Anyhow, best wishes to all of you for 2007. Have the best Christmas you can and, hopefully, we'll catch up with you in the new year.

Andy

Au revoir to Grant

After a number of years both tutoring and looking after our maintenance needs at the Centre, Grant has decided to move on. He's got a new job at Nelson Thomlinson School in Wigton. I'm sure many of you will have benefited from Grant's expertise in the past. In particular, he's been instrumental in the introduction of the easywindows and easydigital photography courses that have proved to be so popular in recent months. He's not going to disappear overnight and he'll be around tutoring for a few weeks yet.

On behalf of everyone, I wish Grant well in his new job. I'm sure he'll enjoy it but I'm equally sure he won't be a stranger to us in the future.

Andy

Hello and Welcome

This is the weekly blog from All Saints' Learning Centre.

What we're hoping to do here is to let you know some information about what's going on but also to show you what it's like trying to organise somewhere like All Saints' - how we work out what courses to run, how the latest government initiatives affect us, what's going on with some of the personalities at the Centre.

Hopefully, it'll be fun as well as you get to know us more.

This week, we're a little quieter as some courses have ended ahead of the Christmas holidays. It's a nice time of year. The tree is up and we receive lots of cards from learners and other people who we've met over the years.

We've put a bid in for money to UK online, one of the big organisations we work with. This is really exciting and if we receive the money it will lead to lots of further work for us. The way we work is changing. We're not only expected to help people to use computers and to develop their skills, we're also expected to get people to start to think about using all the services that are available online. This includes all the e-government services - both national and local. If you've never seen one of the government websites, then let us know and we'll get you on a course. Unless you can access some of these services in the future, you'll be disadvantaged.

So come on - take up the digital challenge.

Andy