Thomas Smith

As one of nine children, I left school at the age of 15 with the sole priority of finding work in order to help my parents support the family, and although I would have welcomed the opportunity to further my education it was never really an option.

Over the ensuing years and married with my own family, I worked in various manual jobs in factories, warehouses and steelworks etc., in positions ranging from general labourer to fork lift driver and welder; I also worked at weekends to help make ends meet.

Having been made redundant in my thirties I enrolled in the local FE College in Coatbridge where I took SCE ‘O’ grades and Highers with a view to gaining a place at University, however the financial pressures of raising my family meant this idea had to be abandoned. The qualifications I gained at college however did prove invaluable as I spent the following 37 years in Management roles with two companies, the last of which I retired from in 2018.

Having at last, aged 68, found myself with the time and, thanks to The Open University, the opportunity to finally realise my lifelong ambition of studying law, I see it as the greatest of privileges to be acknowledged by the University in respect of W101. I would like to thank my tutor Dr Muriel Finnigan for her guidance and support throughout the module as well as the company of a great bunch of fellow students to whom I extend my best wishes for their future success.