Volunteer teachers needed to rescue charity education programme

Ted Hall in front of One in Eight's charity shop on Gloucester Road

An education and community development charity is making an urgent appeal for volunteer teachers to keep its vital education programme going.

One in Eight on Gloucester Road, Bristol, which has been serving people from some of the poorest communities in north Bristol for 30 years, has previously provided classes on areas including languages, creative writing, art, music, personal development and yoga.

But with funding and its number of volunteers at an all-time low, the charity is now only able to provide a single class – computer and information technology for people aged 50 and over.

One in Eight has previously been able to hire teachers to deliver classes thanks to funding from sources including Bristol City Council, the European Social Fund, and the Garfield Weston Foundation.

With funding cutbacks to public bodies and strict conditions on applying for cash from many foundations, the charity has been unable to secure external funding to continue many of its classes.

Leaders at One in Eight believe that classes provide a vital step on to further education, training and employment and have the potential to transform people’s lives.

The charity needs volunteer teachers, who are either training for professional qualifications or are already teaching in their field, to provide at least one two-hour class a week. The charity is happy to consider a wide range of subjects.

Ted Hall, volunteer coordinator at the charity, said: “We have appealed for volunteers in the past through distributing flyers and through our website but it can be difficult to get people to come forward. People lead busy lives.

“However, if people get involved they would be making a huge impact on people’s lives by helping tackle social exclusion, isolation among the elderly and by boosting the confidence of people who have been long-term unemployed or suffer from low self-esteem.

“Often informal classes such these are the only chance we have of engaging vulnerable and marginalised people since many individuals don’t have the confidence or the money to enrol in mainstream education.”

To contact the charity call 0117 9246228, email northbristolcommunityproject@yahoo.co.uk or visit www.oneineight.co.uk.