Valerie Wood-Gaiger started Learn with Grandma as a retirement project in Wales and is now part of an international network with 49 Facebook groups around the world, from Australia to Canada, Ukraine to South Africa.
Valerie is a Great Granny, living in the small village of Myddfai in Llandovery, Carmarthenshire. She founded the project as a way to bring together the generations and help them learn and grow together with support and encouragement amongst a community.
Valerie says,
“The main aim is share ideas of how to use the internet as a bridge to reunite the generations and help break down the digital age gap by sharing skills, love & knowledge across the generations. All my suggestions are achievable, affordable and sustainable.”
Following open heart surgery after a cardiac arrest in 2013, Valerie was advised to keep her mind and body active and after some reflection decided she wanted to devote the rest of her life to promoting intergenerational learning and active ageing. She began to share ideas in Autumn 2014 after returning from volunteering in Uganda and is delighted by the good projects that are happening now in so many countries.
“It inspires me to keep on sharing the message that doing stuff together is fun. We elders can learn a lot from our young people – especially about all this digital stuff! We elders also have so much knowledge to share. We are not a problem – we are a RESOURCE!”
In October 2019, Valerie featured in America Magazine, the first non-American to do so. She was awarded ‘Grandparent of the Year’ and received an MBE presented by Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace. Learn with Grandma creates no income for Valerie, she lives on her state pension, and lack of funding means sharing ideas and practical suggestions, for varied ages to connect and encourage self-sufficiency.
Going forward, Valeria is working on producing an ebook about a local hero, with friend and school teacher Sarah Lewis and has received a small grant to create an online guide to all ability walks all over Wales. Ultimately, the aim is to turn Learn with Grandma into an international foundation that will continue to help those who need it.
Visit the Learn with Grandma Facebook group to get involved.
