My name is Laura and I started working in the after school clubs when I left school at 16 and then went on to college we here I studied child care.  Then after having my daughter I took some time off from working.

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Then in 2012 I started back working here at Linton Lane as a relief member of staff with the Happy Hoppers Playgroup which then led to me working for them as a full member of staff and that is where I have been up until now where I have taken on the role of joint management of the Centre.

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What I enjoy about my new role is meeting people from all walks of life who come into the Centre and you never know what kind of things will be happening on a day to day basis.  For instance sometimes we can have people come in to Linton Lane looking for help and sometime we have people coming in looking to help the Centre.

Having so many different kinds of groups running here can sometimes be a bit of a challenge – trying to keep on top of any changes that are taking place and all the different needs each group has but I do really enjoy the new role and it is rewarding to be able help people and to get people involved in the community.

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Where I would like to see the Linton Lane Centre heading in the future is as a venue which provides groups and activities for young people.  Often there is an emphasis on providing for young children or the elderly but the middle group of around 12 plus can be forgotten about.  I would like to see the Centre providing somewhere they can come along and spend time with their friends and also to meet other young people.  I would also like to focus on getting more young people interested in volunteering perhaps with our Grey Panthers senior citizen group or with the cookery class.  This would be helpful for improving their CVs and everyone would benefit.