Jane spends windfall on youngsters

Sep 1 2008 by Neil Mckay, The Journal

THOUSANDS of youngsters will start reaping the rewards of an unexpected £9m legacy today – at the expense of the country’s cats.

Former magistrate, school governor and countrywoman Margery Freeman always told her family she would leave her fortune to a home for forgotten felines.

But when she died four years ago, shortly before her 101st birthday, she left it to her cousin, Jane Ritchie instead.

Today Miss Ritchie, a former County Durham careers adviser, is using the legacy to launch what she calls a “hub for practical learning” in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham.

She intends it to provide future students with much needed, job-related, practical lessons.

Miss Ritchie was thwarted by lack of funding when she tried to build a centre to link education and industry 15 years ago.

The 59-year-old Cambridge graduate and former manager of the County Durham Business and Learning Partnership, who now lives in Wensleydale, North Yorkshire, said: “I just want to give something to the young people of Durham.

“My cousin, who also lived in Wensleydale, said she would leave her money to a cats’ home, although she did tell my mother there would be something for me.

“But I had no idea how much she had, nor that she would be leaving me such a substantial amount. When I found out how much she had left, my first thought was that I could now build the centre which combines learning with industry.”

The Work Place Learning Centre, which cost £5m of Miss Ritchie’s inheritance, opens today on Newton Aycliffe Industrial Estate. It complements the Government’s 14 to 19 education reform, which offers specialised diplomas alongside the existing curriculum.

Miss Ritchie, who spent most of her working life in Bishop Auckland and Ferryhill, said: “The problem in schools is often that children cannot see the link between, say science and maths and its application in real life.

“On top of that, you have areas such as health and social care, where it is difficult to get students under 16 any work experience. This centre will stimulate people to learn, it will enrich learning and it will motivate people.”

Miss Ritchie did spend some of the money on herself, buying a new hat for a wedding and a rhubarb forcer. She said: “I know people think it’s rather odd. People say I could have spent it on a cruise but I can’t think of anything worse – I would eat far too much!”