Sharon has been a key part of West Suffolk College’s administration for 23 years, working across almost every department — from Performing Arts in its Burma House days, to Higher Education, Timetabling, Customer Service, and more. Alongside her husband, Alan Cain, she has witnessed huge changes at the College and had the pleasure of working with many wonderful people. Among her fondest memories are the end-of-term staff parties, both at Christmas and in the summer, which were always a highlight.
How did you come to join Eastern Education Group?
I relocated to Suffolk from London with my husband and was looking to continue working in education. The College was well respected and felt like a family.
I started at the College in November 2002 as an Admin Assistant in the Faculty of Art and Performing Arts. At that point, our team — myself and Barbara Unwin — were based on the ground floor of Gibraltar House, sharing with the Faculty of Technology admin team, run by Anne Holmes. During a reshuffle, it was decided to move the admin teams nearer their faculty. We moved to Burma House, which was a self-contained building. At that time, we were sharing an office with the Performing Arts and Music Teams. Also in the building was the Adult Education team, run by Mary Taylor and Peter Dudley. Burma, I believe, had been a youth club called the Rendezvous and was later used as the nursery. Burma also had a performance space, which was used for shows called The Vinegar Bowl. One of my best memories was when the students from Minden House used to put on their Christmas shows — they were enthusiastic and very good. During this time, I was also lucky enough to be given the chance to take on the role of Faculty Business Administrator, working with both Kim Griffiths and Jean Heffer.
This was a huge change from my previous job in a primary school, but the staff were great to work with. As I progressed and became a Faculty Business Administrator, I moved into the Professional Development Team, which included projects and teacher training. Based in Leonardo House under Barbara Beaton, I worked mainly with the teacher training team. However, as a team we tended to “all pull together,” so I often assisted Jo Wyatt with PD Days and Shirley Grainger/Sarah Allman with project administration. We had a great team who got on really well and supported each other.
During another reshuffle, I was moved to the Higher Education Team to work with Dave Kent and Lisa Hunt in Suffolk House, assisting with timetables and supporting the HE Team. Another great team!
I was then asked if I would take the role of Senior Co-ordinator for the Customer Service Team based in The Gateway. The challenge was bringing two teams — the Student & Staff Helpzone and Reception — together as one. Both were an important part of the College, ensuring good customer care and support for students, visitors, and staff operating across two sites, the main campus and Milburn Centre. It was a great team and worked well together. At this time, I was also still working with the HE Team with timetabling until they were able to find a replacement. However, with such professional staff they soon became a complete team. Once the Customer Service team was settled, it was time to move again, so I moved to work with the Enrolment Team in Central Admin, still assisting with the HE timetables.
Eventually, all timetabling was taken over by Management Information Services. This gave me the chance to work on a new project-funded scheme that needed admin support — Science Boxes for Primary Schools. This was great fun and very rewarding, though challenging at times due to the location of the resources, but I loved working with Victoria Fiebelkorn. This project was eventually incorporated into the newly formed NCCE project-funded Computing Hubs, working with schools to train staff in computer science. This was a new project, and it was great to be there at the start — helping get everything set up, working with local schools, assisting with the training sessions, overseeing the loaning of kits, and setting up events. It was great working with Angela Berry and Nadine Payne in setting up the Computing Hub and being part of this project from the beginning. Later, Andrew Wheeler took over and, with Rob Walden, continued to support the scheme until it ended in March 2025. I was pleased when Andrew offered me an hourly contract to continue working with the team after my retirement. It was nice to see the project through and help set up the Physical Kit Loan services for the coming academic year.
Do you have any special memories from your time with us?
Christmas meals and the caretakers dressing up always made me smile. My husband Alan, who was a Shift Leader in the Estates team, hated dressing up — but he did it anyway. Over the years we saw punks, Oompa Loompas, seven dwarfs, Mexicans, zombies dancing to Gangnam Style, Where’s Wally, and more.
Huge thanks go to my line managers over my time at the College (apologies if I have missed anyone): Barbara Unwin, Barbara Beaton, Dave Kent, Angela Wright, David Howells, Colin Shaw, Angela Berry, Steve Steeds, Nadine Payne, Andrew Wheeler, and Rob Walden — plus all the wonderful colleagues I had the pleasure of working with over the years.
The College has always had a “family” feel, right up to when I left recently. When I started all those years ago, there was just one campus with a few local bases. Buildings included Suffolk House, Gibraltar House, Australia House, Burma House, Edmund House, Mechatronics, and the Industrial Training Centre. There was also Whitworth House, which housed the nursery and Sport Science team, and was eventually replaced by Minden House. Over the years the College evolved and grew, with new buildings such as Leonardo and The Gateway, as well as the purchase of the Milburn Centre and the University and Professional Development Centre. These developments gave specialist areas the space they needed to improve the provision offered by the College — from Art, Performing Arts, and Music, to Technology, Construction, Carpentry, Adult Education, Higher Education, Hospitality, Business Development, and more.
Now there are multiple sites and a much bigger team, but somehow Eastern Education Group has managed to maintain its friendly, welcoming feel for students, staff, and visitors alike.
One thing that has never changed is the people. I have met some wonderful, fascinating, funny, inspiring, supportive, and genuinely lovely individuals. I will miss working at the College, but I wish everyone all the very best for the future.
Are there any family members who have connections to EEG?
My husband, Alan Cain, was a Shift Leader until he took early retirement in 2019 after 18 years at the College. He started at the College as a relief caretaker, supporting the two shifts as required with general duties, maintenance, security, furniture moving, deliveries, and any other support needed by staff, students, and visitors. He then moved up to become an Assistant Caretaker, working alongside Jim Maughan as Shift Leader and Ron Miller-Impey as the other Assistant. On the other team were Kevin Healy, Kevin Green, and Aiden Noonan — all under the watchful eye of Robin Renton, who was Estates Manager at the time, and Brenda Waker, the administrator. When Anglian Lane was opened, Jim took on the role there and Alan stepped up as Shift Leader. Alan also took the opportunity to make the most of the professional development on offer to improve his skills, including training in plumbing, forklift operation, and more.
He found working at the College very different from his previous role as a School Premises Officer across three primary schools in London, a job he had done for 23 years. Alan really enjoyed his time at the College and was sad to leave, but he wanted to take semi-retirement and work part-time. He was fortunate to secure a role at Screwfix, where he worked for six years, and is now formally retired after an incredible 41 years of being a caretaker in one form or another.
The lifestyle change for both of us, moving from London to Suffolk, was a big adjustment — but one we have never regretted.
My niece, Victoria Glazier, also studied at the College, graduating after completing a part-time Psychology and Sociology course. It was a wonderful moment for both Alan and me to be able to share in her graduation ceremony.
Is there a message you would like to share as we celebrate our 100 years of history?
Keep up the good work, education is the backbone of our country, and the college contributes by supporting our local area.
Lastly, do you have any advice for future students and staff at EEG?
Enjoy your journey and be kind to yourself and others.
