My Life History
 

I hope this page will explain in a little more detail who I am, if anyone is enlightened could you let me know. :-)
 

Study
Bloomfield Road Primary School, Bangor, for 7 years.  I passed the 11+ tests with an 'A' grade and moved to …
Glenlola Collegiate School, Bangor, again for 7 years.  I gained 9 GCSE passes (age 16) and 2 'A' Level passes (age 18), enabling me to move to …
Polytechnic of Wales (now the University of Glamorgan), Pontypridd, Wales for 1 year.  I gained RSA Stage II Typewriting.
College life was not for me so I started working, but I did return part-time a few years later …
BIFHE (Belfast Institute for Further and Higher Education) for one year to gain a professional qualification - Certificate in Administrative Management.  The following year I returned (again part-time) gaining the Diploma in Administrative Management (giving me letters after my name).  It was during my first year of the two-year Advanced Diploma that I first took ill - two weeks before the exams!  I deferred but have been unable to return to studying.

During this last year at BIFHE, an assignment I'd submitted on Training and Development was published in "Manager - The Journal of the Institute of Administrative Management"

Recently I have studied Computerised Book-Keeping using Sage software - more to keep my brain active than anything else.  I am also learning about web page design through this site with the assistance of friends.
 

Life
I was a Brownie and a Guide (from age 7 to 14), neither of which fed my adventurous spirit.  On turning 16 I decided to join the local cycling club and took up the sport competitively (I'd better add in here, I was never very good!).  As it was a male-dominated sport, it also served as a good way to meet boys!  During 1989 I was 4th fastest female in Northern Ireland over 10 miles.  An unfortunate injury to my left knee put a stop to this after one year, though I continued to ride for pleasure for a few years.  I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the club (Toyota North Down Cycling Club) and, until MS started, helped to marshall road races around Northern Ireland.

My adventurous spirit was finally satisfied when I moved to Wales and became a Venture Scout then carried on to be a Venture Scout Leader.  After returning to Northern Ireland from Wales, I joined a local Scout group in this capacity and was able to complete my leader training, through which I made some very valued friends.  I have been lucky enough to go hillwalking in some beautiful places, such as the Austrian Tyrol region, the Brecon Beacons & Snowdonia in Wales, the Peak District in England and the Mourne Mountains in Northern Ireland.  My fascination with mountains led me to take part in a Hillwalking Leadership course with the local Education Authority, I passed Level 1 before MS started.  Maybe one day Level 2 will be possible.

MS hasn't stopped me from getting into the mountains though, here I am summer 2001 in the Silent Valley (Mourne Mountains):

This is as close to driving as I can get for the moment.  I owned my own car for several years and loved the independence it gave me.  During the first year of MS, I had to make the decision to sell the car I owned at the time - a white Rover 214.  It was the best car I'd ever owned and selling it was, to me, like giving away my independence.  I knew at that time that I wasn't able and couldn't see well enough to drive ... it made more sense to sell it rather than have it sitting in the driveway.