Barbara McInnes

After retiring, life was great for a while until I got bored. I saw an advert for a part time cooking courses at Lancaster & Morecambe College and, at the age of 70, decided to enrol. My mother had been a confectioner and a great cook, so I thought it was appropriate to follow in her footsteps and see what I could do!

We are proud to celebrate with one of our student Barbara McInnes, who has recently achieved her Certificate in Psychology Level 2 course at the age of 91. Barbara has been featured in both local and national press for her inspiring new beginnings after the age of 60, as she has breaking boundaries by taking up hobbies such as drumming and returning to education. She has embraced a renewed zest for life and is eager to explore as many new experiences as possible.

After retiring, life was great for a while until I got bored. I saw an advert for a part time cooking courses at Lancaster & Morecambe College and, at the age of 70, decided to enrol. My mother had been a confectioner and a great cook, so I thought it was appropriate to follow in her footsteps and see what I could do!

Last year, at the age of 90, the learning bug got me again. I am a drummer, which is very physical and satisfying in many ways, but I felt I needed some intellectual stimulation. 

Barbara enrolled at LMC in 2003 onto a part time Hospitality & Catering course, with Andy Hipwell as the tutor in charge. She learned a great deal, both about cooking and about working alongside younger people, but unfortunately, she had to leave the course after one year when her late husband became ill.

Barbara’s diverse life experiences led her to enrol on our part time Psychology course. She was driven by a desire to better understand human behaviour, thought processes, and the reasons behind our actions. She described the course tutor, Laura Walker, as an “excellent tutor”. Throughout the course, Barbara’s passion for learning continued to grow, and by the end of the programme, she was encouraged by Laura to consider progressing onto the Criminology course, taught by Rachel Preston.

This experience has been a real eye-opener for me, as the amount of knowledge I needed to learn was challenging. However, once I'd added the final touches to my essay and poster, and submitted them, I started to think, "What next? My brain is still functioning…”

The skills I have learned while being at LMC include the science of cooking, how people tick, how I tick, and what makes humans tick.”

Barbara's biggest accomplishment whilst at College includes everything from simply attending and stepping into a new environment, to meeting new people, learning new things, conducting research, and writing essays.