Two members of charity staff are retiring after supporting children in North Edinburgh for over 30 years and there is a party later today!
Mae Duncan and Bob Griffiths have supported children and young people in the North Edinburgh area for three decades and are now retiring from Circle, a charity that improves the lives of children by strengthening families, on 30 May 2014.
Mae, 65, was brought up in West Pilton and now lives in Salvesen, while Bob has lived in the area for 40 years and still lives in the Greater Pilton area.
Mae attended Pennywell Primary School and then Ainslie Park High School, where she took a course in Commercial Studies. She later studied Child Care at Stevenson College and the Greater Pilton Child Care Centre.
Bob went first to Craigentinny Primary School and later to Norton Park Secondary School, which he left at the age of 15 with no qualifications. Like Mae, he studied Child Care at the Greater Pilton Child Care Centre.
Mae and Bob ran two projects at Circle. The first was the “Inter School Social Education Project” (ISSEP), where 5th and 6th year students from Edinburgh secondary schools mentored primary school children from North Edinburgh.
The second was “Under Fives,” where Mae and Bob worked with children in the Pilton area for 2 – 5 mornings per week and helped parents to understand the importance of boundaries and play in their child’s development. Mae, reflecting on her time at Circle, said:
“I have always thoroughly enjoyed my time with Circle and will always be grateful for the help and support I received whilst doing my child care training.”
Their work at Circle has made a huge impact on the local community, as they have supported many children and parents over the past 30 years. Liz Dahl, Circle’s Chief Executive, praised their contribution:
“I would like to take this opportunity to wish Mae and Bob well in their retirement and thank them for the over 60 years of combined service they have given to the organisation. They will be hugely missed by everyone at Circle and especially by the generation of families they have worked with over the years.”
To celebrate their service to the local community, Circle is holding a retirement party for Mae and Bob on the 21st of May at the West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre.
When asked about their favourite memory from their time at Circle, both Bob and Mae explain that they have far too many good memories to simply choose one.
Mae and Bob are looking forward to pursuing their hobbies during their retirement. Mae will read, do crafts and spend more time with her family, while Bob is interested in computers and other gadgets, and will have more time to “potter about with them.”
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