Helmdon Branch WEA – Conference 2001

Helmdon Branch WEA – Conference 2001
Charity reg. no: 1112775

A Report from Audrey Harwood, Helmdon Branch WEA secretary, who attended the national WEA biennial conference in
Manchester, 11-13 May 2001

A May mini-heatwave, and where was I? In sizzling Manchester, attending a conference of WEA delegates at UMIST. But it was a rewarding experience. Apart from the “networking”, the exchange of information, ideas and views, there were keynote addresses on the Friday evening, formal business was transacted on the Sunday morning, but the Saturday was almost wholly given over to excellent workshops on subjects as varied as ICT to enhance learning; understanding dyslexia; working with refugees, asylum seekers and migrant workers; the future for lifelong learning; and world development education.

My particular participation was in the workshop “The WEA in the Rural Community” in which I teamed up with a wonderful group who have pioneered the creation of computerised farm records for hill farmers and given them the IT skills to access them, which gave two widely different examples of the work the WEA does in the countryside.

Here is the report of the workshop from a conference newspaper, published on the Sunday. I make no apology for including the report of the innovative North Yorkshire hill farming project which, incidentally, aroused great interest from Welsh delegates..

WORKING WITH RURAL COMMUNITIES
Twenty-six of us crammed sweatily into a small room, but were held spellbound by two different but gripping tours de force. We heard how Audrey Harwood moved from London in 1990 to the small unsuspecting village of Helmdon in Northamptonshire (pop 800). When Audrey became Secretary in 1994 a one course Branch with £30 in the kitty was transformed into a key agency in the life of the village. The Branch was roused first by traditional methods of leaflets and calls to former members. Then a course on “The Changing Village” involved class members, and provided the spark that led to a to a series of local studies publications and ultimately a web site with information on the range of WEA and village activities. This tied in the majority of village organisations and called on the skills and generosity of key members of the community. As a Millennium project a film of a year in the life of the village was made which again demonstrated the embracing nature of these activities. The most recent branch AGM had an attendance of 44 and broke all records.

Meanwhile in North Yorkshire, Teresa de Saram has been working with the North Yorkshire Widening Participation Partnership. The WEA’s role was, as usual, to find ways of attracting hard to reach groups, or, in a word. MEN.

Teresa was recommended to make links with farming unions and this led to an historic meeting with 6 very angry farmers at Ruth Patchett’s farm high in the Dales. Three and a half hours into the meeting, mesmerised by the anger and sheer bulk of the men, the tutors came up with the answer “you need help with your administration” they said. Calm was restored. The farmers became ambassadors for the Hill Farmers’ Project and 16 of them attended the group meeting. At the next meeting their wives were also provided for, with a second course.

Ruth Patchett made clear and explicit what farmers were up against with a detailed exposition of MAFF bureaucracy, and how she and Donna Boynton had transformed this hideous nightmare into a series of manageable programmes and courses. It has taken 2½ years and has involved progression from an introduction to MS Works, to advanced training in Access and Excel softwares. It has involved networking for the farmers with help desk support and exploration of the possibilities of diversification. The farmers are totally converted to the value and importance of the WEA provision. 360 farmers have attended 6 seminars, and Radio 4 Farming Today, BBC1 Country File and other media have homed in, raising the profile.

What lessons came from these two projects?
• First, the crucial importance of key individuals with the enthusiasm, energy and persistence to pursue good ideas, too difficult for some of us.
• Second, both projects were based in student led learning, meeting the needs of students.
• Third, both projects involved the affirmation of marginal communities giving importance to communities otherwise overlooked.
• Fourth, the WEA brought flexibility, the ability to adapt to specific student needs, and sustainability, the ability to maintain a presence over a period and to become part of the community involved.