Blairgowrie Advertiser

Home schooling woes? Let Morag ease the pressure

Sand and fruity cocktails at care home

- JOHNATHON MENZIES

As lockdown continues, every parent knows the challenges of working from home while looking after a family, and the daily grind of shopping, cleaning, washing and cooking.

Add home schooling into the mix and you have a recipe for tension, anxiety and exhaustion.

Now help is at hand thanks to an enterprisi­ng young mum in rural Perthshire, whose online home tutoring service is taking some of the pressure off frazzled mums and dads who are struggling to cope.

Morag Thomson is a highly experience­d primary teacher who is currently on a career break after giving birth to baby Alice in the summer of 2020.

She set up her online tutoring service, Tutor Scotland, later that year after realising that she could combine her love of teaching with being a full-time mum, and all from the comfort of her own home by using the Zoom internet communicat­ion tool.

After qualifying with a

B.Ed(Hons) in primary education from the University of Aberdeen, Morag spent the next 14 years in schools as a class teacher, senior teacher, depute head teacher and acting head teacher.

She shares her Perthshire home with her partner and Alice’s dad, well-known comedy farmer Jim Smith, and thanks to the internet she is able to offer tuition to pupils anywhere in Scotland.

She runs one-to-one lessons and group sessions, covering the full range of primary education, from P1 right through to P7, and all to the exacting standards laid down in the Scottish Government’s Curriculum for Excellence.

Although she started the

Thanks to the internet Morag is able to offer tuition to pupils anywhere in Scotland

venture purely as a service for family and friends, Morag has found that demand for her expertise has mushroomed so much that she has been able to expand

the business by employing additional tutors, all of whom are fully qualified and experience­d.

So, parents, don’t let home schooling get you down, or let your kids fall behind – Morag and her team are here to help you with a profession­al, friendly and reliable service. You can rely on Tutor Scotland.

Residents at a Blairgowri­e care home had a (beach) ball of a time at an event designed to lift spirits following a challengin­g 12 months.

Beech Manor Care Home was the venue for the indoor beach party on Friday last week, which provided a stark contrast to the dreich weather outside.

Run by Renaissanc­e Care, staff pulled out all the stops to boost the mood of the elderly residents and staff alike.

Despite a distinct lack of sun in the sky last Friday, staff got creative with bags of sand and fruity cocktails for the residents.

Bright Hawaiian shirts, flower headbands and even grass skirts were in no short supply during the afternoon of beach-themed food and games, all designed to generate some fun and encourage residents to maintain their activity levels.

From sandcastle building competitio­ns, to a socially-distanced beach ball tournament, fruit kebabs and cocktails with a dash of prosecco, all those involved were said to have thoroughly enjoyed some much-needed downtime.

A spokespers­on for Renaissanc­e Care said, prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, the senior citizens were fond of trips out to the seaside and some had recently expressed a desire to get back on the beach.

Sheila Baxter, activities coordinato­r at Beech Manor, said: “My colleagues and I have learned to get creative this past year, using whatever we have at our fingertips to give our residents the best experience possible.

“We know the residents extremely well and have used this knowledge to form a schedule of fun activities for them, which will help boost the atmosphere in the home.

“The party was brilliant fun, everyone loved getting dressed up and it was fantastic to see so much colour and energy about the home.

“Keeping our residents fit and heathy is our main priority here at Renaissanc­e Care Beech Manor, so the party was the perfect way to encourage everyone to get up and have some fun.”

 ??  ?? Family life Morag Thomson, with partner Jim and baby Alice
Family life Morag Thomson, with partner Jim and baby Alice
 ?? Designed to lift spirits ?? Colourful occasion The event was
Designed to lift spirits Colourful occasion The event was
 ??  ?? Good for morale Beech Manor resident Maureen Park
Good for morale Beech Manor resident Maureen Park
 ??  ?? Just brilliant Staff joined in the fun
Just brilliant Staff joined in the fun

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