Sew many ways to learn English
Wives of Ghurka soldiers based in Nuneaton are on the hunt for any unused sewing machines.
The ladies, who are based at the Gamecock Barracks, would like to be able to make clothes for themselves and their families.
Getting together with a tutor to learn sewing skills would also help them learn English and they would be able to take their new skills back to Nepal when their husbands’ positing here comes to an end.
Their need was found by Linda Aston, who is an Extended Services Development Officer for Warwickshire County Council.
The initiative is all part of Extended Services, which aims to further develop schools into hubs of advice and learning for children, young people, families and local communities.
Schools are coming together in clusters to make sure they can offer services such as access to advice, training and childcare. While schools are used as the base for these activities they can be run by a number of providers from the public or voluntary sector. The sewing work will take place initially at Wolvey Primary School as part of their Family and Community learning programme.
Part of Linda’s role is to work with different communities to find out what support they need.
She said: “The Ghurka wives demonstrate how varied different groups of our community are. It is hard for them to access learning through traditional routes because they don’t know the area, yet they are willing to pick up new skills and to develop their English.
“We have the rooms to offer classes and we can find the teachers. Now we’re looking for any unwanted sewing machines or cottons that we might be able to put to good use. These lessons will be open to everyone in the community so there is a chance for lots of people to benefit from new classes.”
Anyone who can help can contact Linda on 01926 742254.