A MEXICAN woman who met her county husband while he was working in her home city is now passing on the gift of languages to children in Worcester.

Meli Valenzuela is offering Spanish tuition to children in the city and beyond after moving here from Mexico to marry husband Gareth.

Growing up in Hermosillo in northern Mexico, Meli started learning English when she was seven years old,

She said: “I always found it interesting and challenging so I always enjoyed it.

“After taking private tutoring for a few years, then taking English classes in school, I went to Canada for a year when I finished high school, to improve my skills.”

She came back to Mexico to study an English teaching degree in University, becoming an English teacher.

While still in Mexico, one of Meli’s friends introduced her to Gareth, a county engineer, who was working for General Electric setting up a production line in Hermosillo.

She was chosen to help with translation because of difficulties with the British accent, and the two fell in love.

Meli, 33 said: “We met back in 2016, he kept coming back to the city to work, and eventually we started talking everyday and meeting every time we had a chance.

“He kept on telling me to move here with him, but I said no, if you want me there, you need to talk to my parents about it, and put a ring on my finger, and I want to have a big Mexican wedding. And so he did. What a brave man.”

Arriving in Britain, she found Kidslingo, a company dedicated to teaching Spanish and French to children between three and 11 years old, which gave her the opportunity to do what she loves, passing on the love of languages to future generations.

She said: “I want to inspire more people and try to get children to practice another language.

“Spanish is becoming a much more popular language now and more people want to learn it than in the past.”

Meli is running classes for youngsters across Worcester, Droitwich and Stourport to get started learning Spanish, and also offers one to one teaching.

Classes will be running at Lyppard Grange from Monday, September 9.

For more about Meli’s language classes, contact her on melindav@kidslingo.co.uk

For more about Kidslingo, go to www.kidslingo.co.uk