A TEACHER has proven that disability is no barrier to success with a trip to St James's Palace.

Mrs Marilyn Hoggard (40) of Leach Street, Prestwich, has not let profound deafness hold her back. In fact, she was one of only 25 City and Guild candidates to be presented with an award in London from the Duke of Edinburgh.

The mother-of-two was chosen for the honour after she was awarded a Silver Medal for Excellence when she completed her City and Guilds in further and adult education at Bury College.

Of 500,000 people nationally who completed the qualification this year, 220 received awards for excellence and only a handful were chosen to meet Prince Philip (pictured).

Mrs Hoggard teaches creative activities at the John Denmark Unit in Prestwich Hospital and helps people to learn and develop new skills and discover their full potential. She enrolled on the course to learn the best way of meeting the needs of her students and had to overcome communication difficulties on a course designed for hearing students.

She said: "It was an absolutely brilliant day. I was a bit nervous at first but when Prince Philip spoke to me I was alright. He asked me what I was teaching, what I did at work and how I got on with other deaf people."

She is now trying to get funding to study art psychotherapy at Leeds University.

"I was very surprised to be chosen from the North West silver medallists to meet Prince Philip but I did work very hard for it and my tutor said that my work was of a very high standard. And that was more exciting than getting the medal," added Marilyn.

Her personal tutor, Mr Peter Mayall, said: "As a qualified teacher of the deaf I am aware of many of the problems with communication that someone with a profound hearing loss might have.

"Yet, her ability to work through the course, despite times when some of the practical problems seemed daunting, showed remarkable determination."

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