A LIFETIME of teaching at Chalfonts Community College has brought recognition for Dorothy Rowlands.

On Monday she was named as runner-up in the lifetime achievement section of the annual teaching awards for the south of England.

Mrs Rowlands, pictured left, was nominated by college principal Sue Tanner and the award, she says, is a pleasant conclusion to her teaching career which began as a rookie in 1974 and finishes when she retires at the end of term.

She came to the schools in Chalfont St Peter as an art teacher, has been head of art, and for ten years has been a senior member of the school management team where she has put her design skills to use in influencing the school's extensive building pro-gramme.

Mrs Rowlands originates from Durham, a very different place in 1974 to the Chilterns.

She said: "When I came to Chalfont for interview and drove along the country lanes leading to the school I thought it's paradise'. At the time the north east was a grimy place.

"I came from a mining village and it was black and dirty. The contrast was incredible."

And she stayed. "Working at one school all one's life is sometimes seen as unfashionable, but I don't agree. All sorts of roles and challenges came up and it's been a fantastic time," she added.

She was one of the project management team and worked with the architect shaping the buildings "to be what we wanted them to be and not what we had been given".

The first had too many corridors. Mrs Rowlands said: "We held out for something more exciting and we got it a lovely building with glass and space and light and every classroom a different shape."

She also created the corporate image for the college to make it more professional and businesslike and she designs the prospectus, which won a national award.

At the college she met her future husband, Jeff Rowlands, who also spent his working life at the Chalfonts, teaching PE, maths and IT. He has already retired and come the end of term the couple intend to enjoy the gap year they did not take as young students.

Mr Rowlands, college principal Sue Tanner and chairman of governors Mike Burnage were at the awards ceremony The awards also recognised primary teachers and heads, secondary teachers and heads, special needs teachers, teaching assistants, new teachers, governors and healthy schools.

Aylesbury High School and Lent Rise Combined School in Burnham were finalists in the healthy schools' section.