The people behind Living Lingo

I’ve loved learning languages all my life, studying German at Uni, before becoming a Speech and Language Therapist, and later retraining as a Secondary School Language Teacher. I’ve taught French, German, Latin, and most recently Mandarin: I’m a self-confessed language geek!

It was while I was teaching in secondary schools that I came across the research around language learning and dementia. This astounding research, now replicated around the world, demonstrates how beneficial it is for our brains to learn a language: intensive language learning can delay the onset of dementia for up to five years, as well as speeding up recovery from brain injuries and strokes.

I wanted to help people who could really benefit from language learning to access high-quality, engaging foreign language classes. Not finding anything like this in my area, I set up Living Lingo, using my teaching and clinical experience to design unique, fun French sessions, which would be engaging and accessible to all.

And here we are, a few years later: Living Lingo now provides accessible, interactive language learning to hundreds of people in care settings across Cheshire every month, bringing the joy and health benefits of language learning to everyone.