Supporter Stories: Kitty Corrigan
Jill Edwards, a graduate of Central and supporter
Thinking back, what was your first contact with Central?
The teacher who taught me at school was an ex-student of Central and she suggested that I apply. Interestingly, I then persuaded her to return to Central to teach voice.
What were your ambitions before and after studying at Central?
Pre-Central, my ambition was to be a teacher in non-private schools where I felt that my training was of most use. My ambition was to help people.
After leaving Central, I taught part-time in three schools to start with and, at the end of the first year, they all asked me to become full-time. Two of them were private schools, and as I didn’t want to teach elocution, I turned them down and chose Camden School for Girls (In those days, girls were being turned down for universities if they had the wrong accent). I worked at Camden School for Girls for six years and among the girls I taught was Sara Kestleman, who also later trained at Central.
How do you feel Central has made a positive difference to your life and career?
Central training makes such a difference to my daily life, particularly now that I’m dealing with my partner’s memory loss. It helps me manage the stress, be positive and to remember to think of helping others. I cannot think of anything that I say or do that doesn’t go back to my days of being trained at Central. It is a training for life, there are no two ways about it.
After working in schools, I joined Relate as a counsellor. I think the Central training was a huge help with this work as it had given me an great insight into the minds of those who are different to me and the ability therefore to understand what would help them. Also, the breathing training and the relaxation techniques helped me deal with hearing about all sorts of trauma and to process the stress of masking your feelings whilst helping others.
What was one of your favourite memories of your time at Central?
Because I was a debutant and had been presented, I’d had to wear a white dress at the Princess Charlotte’s Ball. I donated the dress to Central’s wardrobe and Dame Judi Dench wore it in a show.
They were filming ‘The Man Who Knew Too Much’ with James Stewart, the episode when a man is shot at the same time as the cymbals crash during the ‘1812 Overture’. It was filmed in the Royal Albert Hall. Central students were able to sit in the back of the boxes, eating our sandwiches, and watching the filming process. It was lovely having access and being able to watch everything that was being rehearsal or performed.
Why have you chosen to include a gift to Central in your will?
A gift in my will matches my original ethos and thinking when I first applied to Central which is to help other people. It’s clear that current students need the financial help to train and it’s a way I can help them achieve that goal.
Please visit the Leave a Gift in Your Will page for more information