Our Tutors
Diana Bakewell
After years in education management, Diana retired and looked for something creative to do. She joined a local jewellery club which she loved and quickly found it to be therapeutic, relaxing and thoroughly enjoyable. Diana now makes and sells jewellery at Artisan Fairs and House Parties, as well as running jewellery workshops and Beginners' Classes.
Len Bates
Len has over 40 years of experience teaching drawing & painting. Len sees himself as not only an art teacher but also a visual educator. His aim is to break the subject down into simple and understandable sessions, so all the students can go on to enjoy the pleasure of creativity and keep an awareness of Art and Painting very much alive in our lives.
Margarita Concannon
With over 35 years of teaching experience, Margarita is a highly qualified educator skilled in instructing children, young adults, and adults. Beginning her career in 1985 in Chile, she has taught across various educational levels, from primary school to university. During her time at the University in Spain, she focused on community-related education, teaching functional skills such as Spanish, English Language, and Mathematics. At the University of Bolton's business school, Margarita designed and delivered modules on Spanish and Latin-American culture and traditions in a business context. Currently, Margarita serves as a Spanish Lecturer at Bolton College, teaching students from absolute beginners to advanced levels and providing support to new members of the languages department. Margarita has been involved with Enjoy Learning for the past 15 years, where she advocates for engaging and enjoyable learning experiences. Dedicated to fostering a love for learning, she is committed to empowering students to reach their full potential.
Rita Greenwood
Some 40 years ago, because of burgeoning interest in family history, it was decided to start a local group and Rita attended the inaugural meeting with a friend. From then, she became more and more interested in the subject. Before internet sources became available, Rita worked alone, visiting London and repositories in her areas of interest, thus teaching herself to “think outside the box” and “break down brick walls”. In 1999, Rita was asked to take over an existing class at Runshaw College, Chorley, and later worked for Bolton College for some years. Rita subsequently joined Enjoy Learning and has taught here happily for 10 years or so. The students in Rita’s current class have been with her for some considerable time and they are always helpful and supportive of new classmates who might have questions about their own research. The classes are lively with much discussion of the topics at hand.
Chris Humphreys
Chris has a BA honours degree in Fine Arts and a PGDE in the lifelong learning sector. With a long-time practice in the Visual Arts including Watercolour, Oils, Drawing, Acrylics, Print and Sculpture and the decorative aspects of art generally. Chris is an artist who thoroughly enjoys teaching and sharing his knowledge, to enable and encourage your creativity.
Joan Johnson
Joan’s love and appreciation for the art of flower arranging has developed over the years and progressed from being an enjoyable and therapeutic pastime to attaining the necessary qualifications to teach the subject. Joan was also a NAFAS area Demonstrator and Judge for several years and was invited by Enjoy Learning in 2011 to teach Flower Arranging parallel to her teaching of Floristry at Bolton College. There are never ending ways in which to create living flower designs and Joan enjoys the way her students express their pleasure as they learn and create their own designs and appreciate the work of their class peers.
Sandra Kolot
After studying French and German at the University of Glasgow Sandra trained as a teacher and taught for four years before spending eight years living and working in France. Sandra taught French and German in Bolton for many years until her retirement. She is very glad to be able to share her love of languages with all the interesting people she meets through Enjoy Learning.
Ruth Leigh
Since retiring as a secondary school teacher in 2010, Ruth has built upon the skills she acquired from her Textiles/Arts degree. For the last 13 years Ruth has had the greatest pleasure in working with Enjoy Learning students in developing and enhancing their skills in Calligraphy, Creative Stitch and Access to Art. All classes take place in a friendly and supportive environment. Students in Ruth’s classes particularly enjoy the collaborative approach to learning; they share their experiences, offer advice, and share their resources willingly.
Sheila Nelson
Sheila has many years’ experience of teaching French in schools and more recently in adult education establishments. Sheila has travelled widely in France. She finds working in Enjoy Learning very rewarding as she sees students improving and sharing their experiences.
Dan Price
Dan was born into a family heavily involved in the preservation of steam traction engines, fairground rides and mechanical organs, sparking his life-long love of music. As a performer he has played tuba, double bass, and bass saxophone in a number of styles and genres, from brass and concert band to orchestra, musical theatre, big band to contemporary, mainstream and traditional jazz, working in both amateur and professional capacities. His main interest now lies in musical composition however, a profession he has developed since 1998. Dan's primary focus here is producing new music for brass band which has earned him an international reputation. His music has been performed in the Royal Albert Hall, The Sage, Carnegie Hall, Sydney Opera House and the Grieghallen, played by ensembles from Europe, Japan, USA, Australia and New Zealand. He currently works as a lecturer in composition and music theory at the University of Salford.
Irene Roberts
German is Irene’s first language, that she has been teaching for over twenty five years, first at Bolton College and then with Enjoy Learning. Irene’s aim is to increase your ability to speak the language by learning in a relaxed group where you will gain not only knowledge but also confidence and the love of German. Irene is looking forward to meeting you in the new term.
Sara Roman
Sara is from Italy and teaching Italian has always been her passion. Since completing her PGCE, she’s had the privilege of teaching at various universities, schools, and colleges, helping students to progress from beginners to advanced levels. Sara’s fascination with languages extends beyond teaching, as she has been a language student herself for a considerable period. This experience has provided Sara with valuable insights into the learning process and enables her to empathise with her students' perspectives. Sara aims to create a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere that encourages everyone to feel at ease while exploring and experimenting with the language. She works to make learning enjoyable by integrating cultural elements, original materials, and engaging activities into her lessons. Furthermore, Sara takes great pleasure in sharing Italian culture with her students while also learning from them about the diverse cultures of the world.
Elspeth Wardrop
Elspeth is an applied linguist, qualified to teach German, French, Italian and Spanish. After 10 years teaching English as a Foreign Language, she has spent the last 30 years teaching whichever of her languages were in demand. Elspeth loves this job as she enjoys sharing her enthusiasm for languages and culture, seeing students’ progress from zero to communicative competence in their chosen language, and learning from the students' own experiences. She aims to create a relaxed and friendly class environment to promote learning.
Peter Watson
Peter is a freelance lecturer and speaker over many years. He is particularly interested in social history and folklore. Peter has a middle management and honours degree in History and English Literature and enjoys researching for the lectures and talks that he gives on a variety of different subjects. Peter started lecturing in 1998 for Enjoy Learning, WEA and another organisation at Bromley Cross.
