Amanda Charteris

Amanda Charteris from Inverurie graduated from North East Scotland College this week, just 4 days after her 60th birthday. She said, “I’m living proof that it is never too late to follow your dreams. I’ve always been fascinated by design and really wanted to study it at college or university but had never felt that the time was right to do it.”

After sadly suffering a family bereavement, Amanda decided to take the plunge and apply to study HND Textiles at NESCol.  She said, “Despite it being daunting at first, I had a fantastic time at College and made life-long friends. Some of them are the same age as my youngest daughter, who also studied at NESCol, but it doesn’t matter! I would encourage anyone to go to college when they are older if they really want to.”

Amanda is now at Robert Gordon University studying for a BA in Fashion and Textile Design. She said, “I’m amazed at how far I’ve come in such a short time and studying at NESCol really gave me the confidence to go on to university.”

In the future Amanda hopes to hold textile design workshops for people with mental health issues, especially new Mums who suffer from postnatal depression. She said, “Having to focus on the design process can really help people towards recovery.”