Heather studies College Art and Design Diploma - at the age of 83!

The former Domestic Science teacher and education mentor subsequently enrolled on our Access to Higher Education Diploma in Art & Design and will start the second year of her part-time studies in September.

Heather had not even pursued Art as a hobby previously, having been told, as a schoolgirl, that it was one of her weakest lessons.

Her first year at Sim Balk Lane, though, has demonstrated to Heather that neither proven prior talent or age need to be barriers to fulfilling your artistic potential at York College University Centre.

She has even long since ditched the pair of jeans she thought would help her blend more into the crowd!

The Access course enables students to complete projects in a wide range of disciplines, such as Digital Art, Painting, Drawing, Textiles, Book Art, 3D and Print Making and, on her motivation for choosing the diploma, Heather explained: “My grandson Jake, who is now at University, came to York College and, when we’d go out for a coffee together, he kept telling me about this Art course he was on and all the things he was doing and I said, ‘That just sounds great’.

“So, after hearing so much about it, I asked him if he thought they took on older people like me. He found out for me, and I soon learned that it wasn’t a problem.

“I came to a College Open Event and was amazed by the standard of the students’ work. It’s so diverse.

“Art was a new thing to me. I hadn’t done it since school where I was considered to be not very good.

“It had never even really been a hobby of mine. I’d done a bit of stone carving, but was always too busy for hobbies when I was working and had family commitments.

“I was advised that the Access course would be the best one for me and that you don’t need any skills to start with, so that gave me the confidence to give it a go.”

On College’s acceptance of mature students, Heather added that she could not have been made to feel more welcome on Campus.

“There’s a grown-up atmosphere here,” she explained. “It was brilliant for Jake as well, because he grew up a lot during the two years he did A Levels here.

“He’d left before I came and I wouldn’t have done that to him, but he’s fascinated by what I’m doing now and can’t wait to see my work. I wasn’t particularly concerned about fitting into the group, but I did buy a pair of jeans and some clothes that I thought might make me invisible!

“I have to say, though, that I’ve been made to feel that my age really doesn’t matter. There are mainly young people on the course, but there are two or three in their 50s as well and, once we go through the door, we’re all treated the same, which is great.

“So many people as they get older give up on doing new things but, studying at my age, gives you a real focus and is much more important than any aches or pains you might be feeling. This is a completely new area for me and, at first, I thought I probably can’t do this, which is why I only committed to paying a term at a time.”

Heather’s reservations could not have been any more unfounded.

Attending College once a week, her work has been diverse and multi-faceted.

Some of her most eye-catching pieces include her 3D dragon and the depiction of the chickens she keeps at home as Andy Warhol-style images and jelly prints.

On the enjoyment she has derived from her studies, Heather enthused: “It’s been fascinating and a great course to do, because you have bits of everything within it and learn so much. You have an opportunity to learn right across the range.

“I was a bit concerned at the beginning with Digital Art, because my computer skills aren’t wonderful, but they’re better now and I can keep up pretty well. Most recently, I’ve been doing reduction lino printing, which is completely new to me, but College is just a brilliant place to come to because the equipment, materials and tools are amazing, which means you get excellent results.

“The tutors are also so encouraging and very good at teaching people with a whole range of skills and aptitudes, so everybody’s work is individual to them. I’m now looking forward to doing more of everything in my second year and lots of things that I haven’t done yet.

“I live about 24 miles away in Wass, near Ampleforth, so it’s quite a journey to drive in, but it’s worth it. I love the course to bits”

The Access course is designed to prepare students for university and, having first graduated with a degree at the tender age of 70-something, Heather is currently exploring the possibility of another foray into Higher Education with College, admitting that she quite likes the idea of maybe marking her 90^th birthday by adding another distinguished qualification to her CV.

Never one to shirk a challenge, Heather said: “The course I am doing now really is focused teaching and that’s what I wanted to do. I wanted to learn and didn’t want somebody just to teach me how to paint tulips.

“I wanted the whole experience and, while that means it needs a commitment from me, you get out of it what you put in. Many of my fellow students are going on to university and I see the great support they receive here for their UCAS applications.

“I didn’t do a degree until I was in my 70s. I did Religion and Theology at York St John but I quite like the idea now of doing another one.

“There are fees to consider but this course is probably costing me the price of a good fortnight’s holiday and I’m getting two years, not two weeks. It’s also much more stimulating than being sat on a beach and, if I do decide I want to do another degree, I’d want it to be with York College, because I feel I have got so much to learn and there is a breadth of opportunities here.”

The Access to Higher Education Diploma in Art & Design is one of our York School of Art courses that encompasses Degree-Level study, Access to Higher Education Diplomas, Foundation Courses and Evening Classes.

You can learn more about our full provision by clicking here