North West Regional College student Leona French pictured with NWRC Curriculum Manager for Hospitality Leyonia Davey. (Picture Martin McKeown).
Leona French, who is studying for a Level 3 in Professional Cookery and has enrolled on the Access Adult Learners Diploma, says the support she received from NWRC Hospitality and Catering staff was “life changing.”
She has now set up her own food business ‘Baked to Basics,’ which aims to educate people on the benefits of healthy eating without the need for preservatives or additives.
Leona explained how she decided to try a course at NWRC after taking a career break from her full time job and engaging in one to one counselling.
She said: “Being a single parent definitely prevented me from returning to education. It was obviously more important to provide for my son as I was his sole provider. On top of this, severe anxiety and depression later in life had a huge impact in holding me back.
“Counselling helped me make changes to better my life and one of these changes was to finally get an education.
“All of the experience from my previous work meant nothing without a qualification to go along with it. I knew an education would open up a number of avenues and opportunities.”
The local woman’s next step was to enrol at NWRC where she took her GCSE in Maths and completed the Level 2 Diploma in Professional Cookery.
Leona continued: “At NWRC I met Leyonia Davey, Curriculum Manager for Hospitality, who has been a huge help and has always offered support. She helped me find the right path and to apply for the Access course.
“Lecturer Douglas Walker offered me lots of advice on opening my own business, giving me a number of useful pointers. I have always found the NWRC staff to be extremely helpful and approachable.
“The support has been life changing, especially for someone with anxiety where all it takes is one little knock to send you running in the opposite direction.
“The feeling that you are in a safe and friendly environment is crucial to any learning experience.
“I would have to say that starting college opened my eyes to a new way of life, new opportunities that that I never had before. Learning new things in itself changed how I looked at myself, I knew I wanted to achieve more. “
Leona is now running her own enterprise, on a part time basis, educating people on the benefits of healthy eating.
She continued: “I wanted to educate people on the benefits of healthy eating, like how using the simplest of ingredients can be enough to make a difference. There’s no need for all of the additives or preservatives.
“I believe depression is on the rise for a reason and that a persons’ diet can have a huge influence.”
Leona now plans to study for her Hospitality and Management Degree, next year.
But before that she has her own advice for anyone looking to return to education: “Try not to hide behind your insecurities, there is plenty of help out there, make use of it. Never give up and certainly don’t let anything hold you back.
“For me, catering was the perfect choice. The possibilities are endless, perfect for somebody that gets bored easily. It is also a great distraction from whatever issues one might have, you can completely lose yourself in creating that perfect dish.”
Leyonia Davey, Curriculum Manager for Hospitality and Catering at NWRC said: “We are thrilled to see Leona return to us this year having completed Level 2 in 2017-2018.
“Leona has been a fantastic student and for the staff at the college it has been fulfilling to see her start her own business and move on to Level 3.
“She is proof that there are no barriers to education that cannot be broken. We hope Leona’s experience will inspire others to return to education.”
For more information on courses at the college please go to www.nwrc.ac.uk
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