My Latest Kiva Loan

I sold an article at Constant Content (CC) this morning. I don't get many sales now, probably because I don't add much to my portfolio there these days. Being semi-retired, I just write my 6 commissioned pieces a month and then perhaps one on spec for CC. Anyway it's always good to get a sale. This was one that I wrote in June about listening skills. It sold for usage rights which means it can be used once and I retain the copyright, so it still sits in my portfolio and is still for sale.

When I do get a sale I like to make another loan in Kiva.org. I've usually had some repayments there so I have some credit with them which I can top up from my earnings. It only costs me a few dollars, plus a small donation so it's an easy way to help someone out.

Today it was Fatima who lives in Bethlehem. she works part-time and goes to university, working for a BA. Since I was a mature student myself, and aged 38 when I got my degree without having to pay, I have always been interested in women's education and was a board member of a college I attended for many years. It is good to be able to help another woman to fund her university fees.

Another Passion - Hillcroft College

I went to London on Friday, for the AGM of Hillcroft College. This is the place that got my life back on track after my first husband left me to be a single parent of two wonderful children. I was really privileged to have a two year course there, a five minute walk from our home in Surbiton, all paid for  by the government. And it paved the way for my degree course, also free to me, and a varied career thereafter. These days there is no free higher education and students are saddled with high debt before they even get their first job.

Hillcroft is a residential college in the further education sector which has a special dispensation from the Equal Opportunities Act so that it can offer places only to women. It  is very special to me, and over the years I have tried to give something back so that other women can have their second chances. I ran a Friends organisation for a while and later served as a governor, taking the Chair for a couple of years. Now I am  Member of College and keep up with what is going on, making occasional visits. It's always good to catch up with old friends there and meet new people who are always very passionate about the opportunities to open doors for women who would otherwise be stuck and unhappy.

This is the latest information I've received:

Start up and Stilettos from InspirEngage International in partnership with Hillcroft launches its first Bootcamp for women entrepreneurs on Friday 12th April at 11am in the presence of The Worshipful the Mayor of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, Councillor Mary Heathcote OBE with special guest speakers from industry who will share their experience and expert knowledge of the business world. There will be an opportunity to discuss various topics with the panel during the launch.

Following the launch, the first Boot camp takes off at 2pm and runs throughout the weekend with an inspiring programme presented and delivered by Melody Hossaini.

What: A high-energy and interactive skills workshop delivered by Melody Hossaini, covering essential core modules that provides the unique opportunity for participants to develop their skills.

Who: Open to any ladies over 19 years of age.

Where: Hillcroft College, South Bank, Subiton, KT6 6DF. Hillcroft is a residential college and accommodation will be available for participants.

Why: Have you always wanted to learn more about social enterprise? Have a great idea and not sure how to get started? Want a unique chance to improve your skills by a world-renowned trainer? Sign up now! All participants will be awarded a Startup and Stilettos certification upon completion.

Join Melody Hossaini former Sir Alan Sugar Apprentice at Hillcroft 

How: There are limited spaces available. Book your place now.

tel: 020 8399 2688


email: enquiries@hillcroft.ac.uk

Friday 12th April 2013
 at 11am. 
Hillcroft College, Southbank, Surbiton, KT6 6DF

Weekend Break

I've been away for a few days. They were a break from my normal work of writing and running the home for my husband and son in my supposed retirement, but they weren't exactly a rest.

I travelled on Wednesday late afternoon. On Thursday I attended the annual Celebration Day at Hillcroft College. I used to enjoy this day very much because it really celebrated the achievements of individual students, who would be so excited to collect their certificates and receive recognition for their efforts. But now it seems to be just a PR exercise because the college can no longer rely on government funding and needs to diversify its income as a charity. I can see the necessity but the day no longer holds its charm for me.

I have supported the college in many ways since I got my second chance at education there in the 1970s, but that may be the last time I attend that particular day.

On a happier note, I was staying with my daughter and granddaughter, so that I could help with some decorating, either directly or indirectly. On Friday morning, it was my granddaughter's class's turn to entertain the school and parents at assembly, so of course, we went to that after helping the child to learn the sentence she had to recite. We were treated to information about the Great Fire of London, which they had been doing in history, and about their day on the beach last Tuesday, a cold wet day which didn't seem to dampen their enthusiasm.

While she was at school, daughter and I got busy with rollers and paint brushes, but that night my son arrived, travelling after work. So he took over my role for the weekend while I took care of the little one and the laundry, and the cooking, and the dog we were also sitting for the weekend. Eryn and I made some chocolate brownies and had great walks with Ted, a delightful King Charles Spaniel who belongs to a friend and is a frequent visitor. You might remember Eryn and Ted who feature here.

Finally, if you are ever looking for Sunday lunch in Surbiton, head for The Grove in Maple Road. We had the best pub roastie I've ever tasted. They advertise a 'Sunday roast like mother used to make' and it's no exaggeration.



I went without my camera, but this photo, by Hugh Venables, is of Claremont Gardens, a little park in the centre of Surbiton, not far from The Grove.

Another Day at Hillcroft

This is the cover of a book written by the Principal of Hillcroft College when I was there as a student in the 1970s. The college still looks exactly like this. I was there again yesterday, to join in their annual Celebration of Achievement Day. I last wrote about Hillcroft in March 2008, in my second ever post here. That time I had been to the AGM, and I didn’t get to the celebration day last year, because it clashed with helping out a friend in need.

It’s always great to go back and catch up with other people doing the same as me. Because I was once a Chair of Governors, I am treated as something of a VIP, and have to be included in the photographs. No doubt I will be featuring in the local press as I was placed next to the new mayor of Kingston. I didn’t mind as he is something of a dish (but don’t tell my hubby). I also discovered that he likes to be called Ian, rather than His Worship.

But in one respect, this time the day was rather a disappointment. It was originally instigated as a Graduation Day, when the students of the year receive their certificates of achievement in front of their proud families. This year, only one exceptional student was singled out for that honour, and said to be representative of her year.

The achievement that was truly celebrated seemed to be winning a bid to the national lottery for some very necessary cash. The local Waitrose also sent a representative to present a cheque from their token collections. It’s a sad day when fund-raising success in a supposedly government funded college takes precedence over what the students, who are all educationally disadvantaged women, have managed to achieve.

Hillcroft is a very special place. I described my own experiences there in my previous post, and mentioned plans for an additional building on the present site to bring the premises into the 21st century. But, despite the cash spent on the grand plans and on project managers to deal with it, the promised government funding has not arrived, nor is it likely to. Everything is still on the drawing board, more or less where it was when I last wrote about it. And the lottery money won’t help that project as it is ring-fenced for other work. You can find out more about Hillcroft on the college web site.

However, it was still an enjoyable day for me, catching up with old friends. And I had the pleasure of meeting the guest speaker, Alison Baverstock, writer and broadcaster of note, who chose to speak about writing, something else dear to my heart.

Hillcroft College

Last week I attended the AGM of Hillcroft College. Just another boring meeting? Not for me.

I’ve been connected to the college since I went there as a student in 1976. It was my chance to open a door to getting the degree that had been my ambition since I left school at 16 and went to work doing the milkmen’s books at a local dairy. My family needed me to earn, rather than be a hole in its pocket.

Anyway, some 18 years later, with two children and an estranged husband, I got a place at the college, which was just around the corner from where we lived. And six quite difficult years after that, I had my upper second BA.

Hillcroft is known as the second chance for women in education. Lumped in with the government’s further education sector, it is one of the long-term residential colleges, the only one just for women.

For me, it did much more than educate. When I lost my husband, my confidence took quite a knock. At college, I discovered that I still had value in the eyes of other people, and I soon recognised the fellowship of women. Because I had to care for my children, I’d had to take one of the few day places, so didn’t experience the full camaraderie of the evenings and weekends. But I made friends that I still see today, although we are well scattered.

When I moved on from Hillcroft, I couldn’t break the ties. I joined the Old Hillcrofters’ Association, was elected onto its committee, and went on to become secretary. After it evolved into the Friends of Hillcroft, I took my turn as chair. We held annual weekend reunions in the college building.

The college has an idyllic setting, unlikely as that may seem for a location just behind Surbiton station in South West London. The main building is a listed Victorian mansion that used to belong the Bryant Match family. It is set in spacious grounds next to a small nature reserve, and gets visits from a resident fox and other wildlife. It’s like a peaceful oasis in suburbia and a perfect haven in which to learn.

I was a governor and trustee for many years, culminating in two years as Chair of Council. During that time I learnt of the difficulties of maintaining a listed building, keeping it suitable for all types of students and making the improvements necessary to keep up with legislation, while fighting for a share of the FE cash pot.

When it became clear that we had to expand, and might have to move, I almost said, only over my dead body, but I actually said, “I hope it’s not in my time.”

At the meeting last week, together with other College Members, I was shown architects’ impressions of a very sympathetic new development on site, alongside the old house. It should be completed in time for a relaunch in 2010, the year of the college’s centenary.