Walker Anne climbs new heights with double university success

Keen hill walker, Anne Henderson, climbs new heights today, Thursday 22 November, when she graduates from the University of Teesside with an HND in Computing (Information Technology).

Anne, 47, from Marske, will celebrate a double success with her family after scooping two academic awards.

She has been awarded both the British Computer Society Prize and the HND Prize. Anne said: ‘I was totally amazed and delighted when I found out my achievements. My family are very proud of me and I’m looking forward to bringing my husband, Stuart and children Vicki, Ben and James to my graduation ceremony.’

Anne was inspired to go to university after completing a basic computer qualification. She said: ‘When I had completed the courses I wasn’t ready to give up learning so I decided to enrol on a HND. I have thoroughly enjoyed learning new skills, particularly programming languages such as Visual Basic and HTML.’

Anne, a keen walker, designed a computer system as part of her HND that tracks which hills and mountains walkers have climbed and allows them to plan future walks. She hopes to eventually market the system.

She said: ‘I have a real love of walking. At the age of ten, I completed the Cleveland Way with my father and a school friend. This year, my husband and I finished climbing all the 2,000ft mountains in England, apart from Pillar Rock, and I am now concentrating on finishing all the Wainwrights.’

Anne, who works as a teaching assistant at St Bede’s Primary School in Marske, has now enrolled on the BSc (Hons) Computer Studies degree at the University and hopes to set up her own IT business in the future.

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