It's been a while since my last update. Not because nothing has been happening, but because the last few months have largely been taken up with the “day job” working on projects for clients, development work, business support, and assessment activity. That work has been important, both professionally and financially, but it has meant progress at the centre has continued mostly in evenings and weekends.
The unit itself has been inching forward during those weekends, but if I'm honest, it has felt like two steps forward and one step back for quite some time. The roof leak that has featured in several previous updates continued to stall progress far longer than anyone expected.
In January, I'll be honest, I reached a point where I was close to giving up on the centre altogether. The delays, the uncertainty, and the constant feeling of pushing uphill brought back those familiar sleepless nights.
But last week, finally, something shifted.
The roof has now been properly repaired.
It might sound like a small thing, but after months of frustration it felt like a huge milestone. With the leak sorted, the classroom ceiling and electrics are now just about finished. There are still a couple of jobs left — a carpet to be fitted and a fire door to install — but the room is finally starting to look like an actual training space rather than a construction project.
Standing in the room now, it's starting to feel like a centre.
I might have said that before in earlier updates, but this time it genuinely feels different. The pieces are starting to come together.
Once the classroom is complete, the next phase is developing the practical training bays and progressing the approvals needed to deliver the programmes properly. Alongside that will come another important task — finding the right people to work with: quality, reliable tutors and assessors who share the same standards and approach.
It has been tough. Really tough at times.
But with the classroom nearly complete and the roof finally behaving itself, the centre feels closer to reality than it has at any point so far.
And that's enough momentum to keep going.