Hi everyone and welcome ! My name is Gillian Whyte – Founder, CEO & Director of Cherry Tree Learning Centre. CTLC (as I lovingly call it) was born out of the painful experiences that occurred in 2020. The first harrowing experience started in mid February 2020 which was the COVID-19 pandemic. The second horrifying and traumatic experience was the murder of a black man named George Floyd on live social media by US Police on the 25th May 2020, his funeral, the months that followed and the continuous social injustices that came as part of the whole horrendous package. I found myself asking questions such as: “Why is this happening again?”, “When will racism and other social injustices be addressed and eradicated forever?” In my mind I went back to dark and scary memories and experiences that I had suffered starting as a 9 year old child. These experiences had reared their ugly heads throughout my life in various ways and forms, and here we were again. I was traumatised – disappointment, anger and complete devastation set in – caused by the extreme and ugly scenes of social injustice and racism that I experienced not only in my personal life, but now on live television and all other social media platforms. I was depressed , stressed, anxious about the future for myself , my family and my wider circle of family, friends and colleagues. I felt oppressed and burdened with a sense of hopelessness for my children, grandchildren and all people of colour. I knew that I had to find a way to channel all these negative feelings and emotions in a positive way for the betterment of my community. But how?
I do believe in the power of prayer, and I asked for guidance as to how I could inspire, empower, encourage, support, teach and assist children, parents, young people and adults. I wanted to help them be confident and gain a better understanding of themselves and the positive roles that they could play in their communities and in society at large.
This is how Cherry Tree Learning Centre (CTLC) was born and I am extremely excited and passionate about it.!
We are an online Education & Training services provider. We provide individualised teaching and learning opportunities in Education and Training for all ages so that the needs, aspirations and goals of each student are fully catered for and met. Under the Centre is housed a Tutorial Hub (Ages 5-16), Educational Workshops (Ages 16-25) and Adult Learning classes and courses (Ages 19 +). All of our Tutors are currently working as Teachers and are DBS checked and verified with over 10 years + experience and expertise in their qualified subject areas. Our Trainers are also all qualified, certified and own their own businesses in their specialist areas. They have over 20 years + experience individually and are passionate about what they do on a daily basis.
All of my Team inspire, encourage, support and empower children, parents, young people and adults alike to be the best that they can be. My Team and I have achieved so much as individuals and now we are happily putting all those wonderful skills and talents together in an innovative, creative and collaborative framework to share with our communities. It is definitely a very exciting time for Cherry Tree Learning Centre! Why not check out our website? We take a holistic approach and use creative and innovative ways to get the best results out of our students. You might find something that would be useful for you or a family member to get involved in. We are happy to have you on board as part of our CTLC family.
Also, look out for more information on our upcoming official ‘online Launch Day’ which is on Sunday 29th August! It’s a virtual ‘Open Day’ in which my Tutors, Trainers and I will be more than happy to share with you our vision for CTLC and what we will be offering in terms of Education and Training opportunities. If you are curious and/or interested in being a part of our Launch Day celebrations, please visit our website at www.cherrytreelearningcentre.com, scroll down to ‘Upcoming Events and click ‘RSVP’ to register. I sincerely look forward to seeing you there!