A SINGLE mum who kept on studying while battling a serious illness has been honoured at an awards ceremony.

Michele Marlow from Weymouth missed only one of her classes despite undergoing chemotherapy for systemic lupus, an immune system disease.

Her efforts to finish her courses despite overwhelming pressures won her the Outstanding Learner Award at the South West learndirect Achievement Awards ceremony in Bristol.

The award recognises learners who have overcome difficulties, disability, or adverse circumstances to succeed.

Michele, aged 43, of Southview Road, who is the mother of two teenagers, explained how she decided to acquire new skills in an effort to update her qualifications so she could get back into work.

She enrolled on a learndirect course through Weymouth College and obtained a clutch of different IT and maths qualifications.

Michele said: “I was absolutely petrified when I first started and had no confidence. I realised I had to get my head round computers and had no idea what to do.

“I was asking questions every five minutes. Luckily my tutor Laura Williams was brilliant and really supportive.

“The great thing about the courses I did was that I could do them any time I wanted. It’s really flexible and fits around you.”

Michele said when she became ill she kept up her courses to give her something to focus on.

She said: “I went into renal failure and was very poorly. But the courses gave me something to take my mind off things. I could think about something other than myself.

“I’m still getting treatment now but I’m better than I was.”

Michele said she was very shocked when she heard she had won the award.

She added that learning had given her the confidence to go to a job interview and she was now on the lookout for admin work.

Michele will represent the South West in the national judging stage this summer.

Another local woman who was singled out for praise at the ceremony was Deborah Brown of Portland who was highly commended in the Skills for Work Award.

Since taking a learndirect course, single mum Deborah has achieved maths and English qualifications and has also begun an i-start programme.