3:00am Thursday 25th June 2009
By Mike Pryce
NEARLY 30 years ago, Angela Potter went to Bewdley’s West Midland Safari park for a day’s work experience – and she’s never left.
Now her dedication and commitment to learning has been recognised with an outstanding regional individual award as part of Adult Learners’ Week.
Miss Potter was presented with an outstanding regional learner of the year award by HRH the Princess Royal at the Adult Learners’ Week National Awards Ceremony at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre in Westminster, London.
She also received an award at the West Midlands Adult Learners’ Week Regional Award Ceremony, at the RAF Museum, Cosford.
Since arriving at West Midland Safari Park, Miss Potter has achieved a double distinction on a City & Guilds zoo animal management course; a certificate in natural sciences from the Open University; a BSc degree and, in 2007, was top of the class with her foundation degree in zoo resource management.
Her nominator and boss at the park, wildlife director Bob Lawrence, said: “Angela not only works at the park but lives here too.
“Despite holding down a very full-time job and working at least an average 60-hour week, all of her learning achievements have been undertaken in her ‘spare’ time in between bringing up her young daughter and hand-rearing literally dozens of animals around the clock – everything from African hunting dogs, lions, tigers, deer and antelope down to monkeys and wallabies.”
Miss Potter first approached the park because, despite her distinguished agricultural qualifications, no farmer would employ her because she was a girl.
In the last 12 months, she has been on courses for health and safety, first aid, animal records and much more, as well as attracting 130 students from 79 worldwide institutions on the work experience programme she runs.
Miss Potter has also tutored many of the safari park’s keepers through their own coursework, with a 100 per cent success rate, and is a zoo tutor on the advanced national certificate for the management of zoo animals.
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