Love is in the air as Norland awards its first degrees
12 April 2022
Mass celebrations, including those of a more romantic kind, were held at our first degree-awarding ceremonies.
Marking multiple firsts, Newlywed Norlanders Abi and Greg tied the knot in Bath just a few days before officially graduating from their degree and diploma on 1 April 2022. The honeymooners not only celebrated their new married lives together – the first known in our history – but also were among the first graduates to earn the prestigious Norland-awarded degree and diploma after four years of rigorous training.
The Norlander couple are members of Set 41 which took its place in history as the very first to graduate with a Norland-awarded degree since we were granted degree awarding powers in 2019.
Greg said: “Neither of us went to Norland expecting to find romance. We met in the first week in September 2017 and were good friends until we started dating in February 2019. While it certainly helps to share a profession, we were brought together by shared faith, interest in the outdoors and our firm foundation as friends.”
Also graduating were Emilia (Set 42) and Nathaniel (Set 41) who will marry in April 2023. Emilia is currently completing her Newly Qualified Nanny (NQN) probationary year of employment with a family in south-west London to earn the prestigious diploma and professional title Norlander. Nathaniel completed his NQN year in north-west London to become a Norlander in December 2021 and is still nannying with the same family.
Emilia said: “We met each other at a mutual friend’s birthday party in early 2019. We didn’t go into Norland with the expectations of finding a partner, we were lucky that we had friends from other years who introduced us to each other. We spent lockdown together in Scotland before getting engaged in April 2021.”
“We have been able to see each other grow as practitioners and help each other through assignments, having the common interest of the early years which we can share together”, said Emilia. “We are so proud of each other and are excited to continue our future together.”
Commenting on their future plans, Nathaniel said: “We hope to be able to travel, seek new opportunities as a couple and use our qualifications. We have our wedding in April 2023, which we are both extremely excited for and then will decide what the future holds for us.”
Abi and Greg hope to work in daily positions in London so that they can live together as a married couple. Greg added: “Longer term we would love to have a family of our own and run a smallholding and have also considered the possibility of doing childminding or running a forest school alongside that. We are excited to see where God will lead us next.”
Dr Janet Rose, Principal, said: “We’re incredibly proud to see our very first students graduate with a Norland-awarded degree in our 130th year. To also have two sets of Norlander weddings to celebrate makes the event doubly special and aptly reflects our founding motto ‘Love Never Faileth’. It is wonderful to have so many happy moments and achievements to celebrate at this historical event.”
