Aynur has been studying with us in Merton since September 2024. She first started in the E3 class and has since progressed to our L1 evening class. She will continue with us next academic year.
Aynur arrived in the UK in 2020 with her husband and daughter from Bulgaria. In Bulgaria, Aynur was a qualified accountant. This is something she is working towards now in the UK, applying for jobs in this field and improving her CV and employability through volunteering and attending English classes.
When Aynur first arrived, it was during the COVID lockdown. She found herself very isolated at home and for 2 years did not really venture out, aside from visiting the supermarket once or twice a week. Her confidence in speaking was low, not wanting to answer in long sentences, and wary of making mistakes. Now, her confidence has improved hugely, and she speaks with a wide variety of people.
Once restrictions lifted, Aynur was keen to improve her conversation skills. She joined a functional skills class at Mitcham library where she heard about the work that LEAH does.
She joined our classes shortly after and has continued to improve her English and reduce her isolation since.
In September 2025 we invited Aynur to volunteer with us. As her level of English is quite good, she is in a great position to help some of our lower-level students in class.
Aynur comes every Tuesday as a volunteer for our E2 class where she specifically helps a partially sighted Ukrainian man and works as his teaching assistant. She will continue to do this next year. Aynur appreciates the opportunity to volunteer as it also serves to improve her English and give her extra practice each week.
Aynur’s daughter attends a secondary school in Merton and completed her year 10 work experience with us.
As a thank you to Aynur for her hard work as a volunteer, she attended the Wimbledon championships 2026 with a ticket generously provided by the Wimbledon Foundation.