Valerie Gommon

Valerie was born in Newport Pagnell in 1960. She’s lived in Leighton Buzzard for 12 years and for a year in Lincolnshire, but the rest of her life has been in Milton Keynes.

She went to Castlethorpe school, then to Radcliffe. She worked two nights a week and Saturdays at Maisies from 13 until she left school at 16. She was anti Milton Keynes.

The family shopped weekly in Wolverton and visited Northampton (by bus) once a year. The local church ran a Wednesday Club. She went to the Electra cinema in Newport Pagnell and, occasionally, the Studio in Bletchley. She went to the Rec in New Bradwell and learned to swim  at Wolverton. Later, she roller-skated at The Agora.

After O Levels she went on a training programme at the Open University. At 18 she got a flat in Coffee Hall.  She got a MKDC house in Heelands when she and her husband had their first baby. She breast-fed the child and joined La Leche League.  She set up the toddlers group in Heelands. Her other babies were homebirths. She and her husband were on the periphery of the Spencer Street and The Laurels communities. They home-schooled their children (which developed out of the breast-feeding community and was influenced by The Continuum Concept). She was area co-ordinator for Education Otherwise. All the children took up formal education later.

After raising her children she got A Levels. She qualified as a midwife at Milton Keynes, moved to Northampton on promotion, was independent for 12 years, taught at the College and then returned to the NHS.

The biggest change she’s seen is the increase in facilities, e.g. the Theatre, skiing.

She remembers lots of fabulous times, e.g. Folk on the Green, Stony Live, Brad Bradstock doing the Hawtin Mundy play.

The new gallery should use interviews, photographs and the Evans & Boyd art to tell the story of the city.