About Cherita

My name is Cherita Payne and I am a newly appointed Health Apprentice based at the Keith Thomson Centre in Braithwaite (Keighley), which is run by the Braithwaite People's Association.

I am a mother of three and have recently moved here from another town. The whole part and parcel of moving has brought its fair share of chaos. New house, new schools for my children, new surroundings to explore and of course a job.

The question of why I applied for this position has cropped up quite frequently during the past few days. The reasons I gave were that I wanted the challenge of doing something I had never had the opportunity to do before, to learn lots of new skills during my placement and to have the chance to make a notable and positive difference to the community of which I live in.

I am one of twelve Apprentices and out of those twelve, there will be two of us at the Keith Thompson Centre.
At my placement there is already an established community café up and running successfully and also a Mothers and Toddlers group that runs on a Wednesday afternoon.
Older residents of the community are not forgotten here, as there is also a pensioners luncheon club and a bingo session on a Friday.

My role as an apprentice will involve helping with the smooth running of the "Healthy Eating Awareness" community café, helping it to develop further in terms of opening hours and suitable menus.
There is a possibility of developing a local produce shop within Braithwaite and involving local residents. This really appeals to me, as I feel this would improve overall community spirit.

The projects I would like to set up would involve the local residents of Braithwaite. Some ideas I have been toying with are introducing occasional structured activities for both the parents and children attending the mother and toddlers group, a drama group for ages 5 to 8 with scope to write and produce a play incorporating health issues and also the making of costumes and stage sets.

One of the issues I would also like to address is the amount of litter in the area. To combat this I would like to organise a sponsored litter pick up involving local residents.
The opportunities are endless within this post. I am very much looking forward to meeting new people and above all making a difference and being proud of my achievements and the job I am doing.