Val worked in education for 38 years in the UK and Germany and was the headteacher of two secondary schools (13-18, 11-16) in the Midlands. A former feminist activist, Val has retained the optimism afforded by the formative 1960s. She has hosted a Julian of Norwich meditation meeting in her home for 25 years, is a member of the Alister Hardy Trust and the Scientific and Medical Network and has particular research interests in the field of children’s spirituality. Val continues to live in Midlands, England.