When I opened the March community Center, last year, I had the privilege to present awards to a range of people who had started on an educational journey to full literacy and numeracy.

Individuals all had an individual story to tell but there was a common theme about how difficult and how high some of the obstacles they had to overcome we’re. One group caught my eye. A number of travellers were seeking to be champions for the communities they live in and to take back a message of learning experiences to encourage others.

My meeting yesterday, in March, was a follow up to see how things were going. We had a wide ranging conversation and explored some of the difficulties faced by the communities and thoughts on how we might adapt our services to better meet those needs.

My gut feeling is we have made a good start but there is much more to do. The prize for all of us is to help help children get the education they need and deserve to help them play an active, positive role in society.

You can’t get to learn these lessons from Shire Hall that’s a fact.