Sunderland university tutor recognised for devotion to woodwork

Mar 11 2010 by Kerry Wood, The Journal

AS a young girl she shunned the frills of dolls in dresses, instead spending hours building Meccano sets.

And her childhood passion turned into a profession as Stephanie Atkinson carved out a successful career becoming the United Kingdom’s first female woodwork teacher.

Now the tutor at the University of Sunderland is to be recognised for her lifelong devotion to design and technology.

Despite entering a male-dominated environment, the 22-year-old woman who wanted to turn her hand to teaching design encountered little resistance.

One male metalwork teacher tried to stand in her way, but Stephanie, who grew up in Monkseaton, North Tyneside, overcame every obstacle to reach her goal and is still plying her trade today.

The 67-year-old, whose career choice caused a stir in the national media back in the 1960s, said: “At the time there was no such thing as a woman teaching woodwork in schools, but I loved the job. The pupils were lovely and all the male teachers were very supportive.

“I was lucky. I have always been able to do the things that I wanted and no one actually ever said to me ‘no you shouldn’t, or can’t do that’.

“It’s very different now. We have an abundance of female students in Design and Technology, which is fantastic. It’s a far cry from when I first started.”

From a childhood playing with toy steam engines and construction kits, Stephanie landed a place at the former College of Art and Industrial Design in Newcastle.