'Terrible shame' if adult education centre closes

Lauren Hill said being able to study at the centre had helped with her social anxiety

Students at one of the seven adult education centres in Cornwall under threat of closure have said they would feel "lost" without it.

The future of the centres at Camelford, Callington, Torpoint, Saltash, Launceston, Penzance and St Austell is uncertain amid a consultation over closing them.

Users in Penzance said the centre was a vital resource that had allowed them to learn in a safe and supportive environment.

Cornwall Council, which runs the centres, said they were being run at a deficit because the number of learners had failed to recover after the pandemic. It added courses would still be offered elsewhere and online.

The adult education centre in Penzance is one of seven in Cornwall that could be closed

Lauren Hill, 24, who is doing an IT course at the centre in Penzance, said she hoped it would lead to a new career working with computers.

She said being able to study at the centre had helped with her anxiety.

"I've really enjoyed coming here because it allows me to get out of my house," she said.

She said she was concerned about what would happen if the centre closed.

"I'd have to get another bus and go all the way to Hayle or go online and that would mean I wouldn't really get out of my house at all," she said.

"It would be a terrible shame if it goes away."

Confidence boost

Jared Kingston, 23, said the facility had helped him to get into education after struggling to focus in school because of his autism.

"It's actually made me a lot more confident," he said.

"It's such an informal place and I've been able to advance quite far in my studies.

"Secondary school just didn't work out for me, so I sort of stagnated.

"Here I'm actually able to get on with it and I can just be who I am."

Tim Dwelly, independent councillor for Penzance East, said he was trying to find another base for classes to remain in the town.

"There are lots of people without much money or much confidence here and they don't want to go online and they don't want to travel all the way up to other towns," he said.

"They want something in their community and sometimes they're intimidated by going to places like colleges - so this is essential."

'Value for money'

Cornwall Council confirmed the centres in Bude, Newquay, Liskeard, St Dennis, Bodmin, Helston, Truro, Camborne, Hayle and Falmouth would remain open.

In the consultation into the changes it committed to finding alternative provision for anyone whose course was affected by a centre's closure.

The service is delivered by the council but funded by the Department for Education based on the number of learners.

Councillor Barbara Ellenbroek, the council's portfolio holder with responsibility for adult education, said the authority could not keep providing a service if it was losing money.

She said: "This is not a case of reducing our offering, it is about delivering it in the most cost-effective way to ensure we are providing the very best value for money for our residents."