Five bpha residents have been recognised for their education achievements at the Bedfordshire and Luton Adult Learners Week awards.
With only 10 awards on offer, the lucky winners were recognised for their efforts to increase to increase their own learning or that of others.
The winners were:
- April Lee – European Social Fund (ESF) Achiever of the year
- Mauricette Truba – Volunteer of the year
- Yordanka O’Callaghan (mother) and Lidiya Zaharieva (daughter) – Family learning award
A fifth bpha resident won the Adult Learner of the Year award.
While Adult Learners’ Week promotes education and training for adults, providing guidance and motivation to participate in education, the awards themselves celebrate the achievements of those adults who have excelled in an area.
ESF Achiever of the year winner, April Lee, said that after being out of work for 17 years, she was thrilled with the award.
“When I first started working with the Employment Support Programme through bpha, I never thought I would win an award. I found a job in April after being out of work for so long – it’s a wonderful feeling! It has really transformed my life.”
Mauricette Truba, who was recognised as the volunteer of the year for her work with the Bedford Silver Surfers, was also extremely proud of her award.
“I have been a volunteer helping to train people how to use the internet since and I absolutely love it! It’s wonderful to watch someone discover the world wide web and it can really change their world. Being able to keep in touch with family and friends can really mean a lot if you don’t live close by.”
Nicky Dahl, Community Development Manager at bpha, said that these awards were testament to the time and hard work that April, Mauricette, Yordanka, and Lidiya had each put into reaching their goals.
“Every single one of the winners deserves their award and both myself and my team are thrilled to see them recognised for their efforts. We’re really proud of them and are looking forward to working with them in the future to help them achieve even greater things.”
Anyone interested in learning more about the Employment Support Programme or the Bedford Silver Surfers should contact bpha on 0330 100 0272 or email info@bpha.org.uk