A NIGHT in front of the television led an Alcester woman to a new interest and a degree in Humanities.

As Jackie Unitt, of Seymour Road, flicked through the channels thinking "this is a load of rubbish, I could do something better with my time", she came across an advert for the Open University and thought: "That looks interesting, I could do that."

She took an introductory course in Humanities before embarking on six years of study for her degree and graduated on Saturday in a ceremony at Symphony Hall, Birmingham.

"It has been hard work," said Mrs Unitt, who also works full time for the Inland Revenue in Stratford.

"But I couldn't have done it without having the full-time job as well. I needed the pressure of the time constraints.

"If you've got all the time in the world, it doesn't get done.

Mrs Unitt, 60, has spent 14-16 hours a week studying and has attended a summer school and been on trips organised by the OU.

At £500 a year, the course is 'cost effective' and Mrs Unitt recommends this form of study to others but said: "You've got to want to do it."

She is now a volunteer at the new Roman heritage centre in Alcester and is about to embark on an MA in Classical Studies.