After I completed a degree with the Open University I was so interested in my last course on family and local history that I applied for the above diploma. It was a very interesting course and I had great fun going to different archives and being able to get involved first-hand with original documents. The dissertation for the diploma was based on the fishing villages of Leigh on Sea, Essex, Paglesham, Essex and Lowestoft, Suffolk. The course was for one year so was quite intense as I also had a full-time job. It was really good though as it was my first real experience of being part of a university with lots of students and lectures that I could attend if I wished to. The tutor for the diploma also became my supervisor for my Masters degree at Cambridge and we were able to build a good relationship.