Here's a website she made earlier....
15/04/2009
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Valerie Singleton has made her considerable reputation on hard hitting programmes like The Money Programme as well as that staple of many of our childhoods: Blue Peter – helping to raise millions for good causes as well as discovering countless new ways to use sticky- back plastic. Now Val is promoting a new venture: a website called ‘discount age’ providing discounts on a range of products and services to older people.
“The web is now a wonderful way to pick up bargains,” she says, “but this website goes one further. It’s been amazing how fast it has taken off, with suppliers all keen to reach this audience. The credit crunch has certainly helped, but we now have everything on there from holidays and cooking course breaks through to meat from the Royal Butcher and crocus bulbs.
“We’ve also set about looking for products that can genuinely help people’s lives. A member told us that the cost of heating was so expensive that she couldn’t afford to have it on. We tracked down a small device that wires into the central heating to optimise the amount of fuel the boiler uses, reducing energy bills by up to 35%. And we’ve negotiated a 20% discount!”
The website also makes good use of Val’s decades of experience in front of a camera – with webcasts showing different products in action. You can find out more on www.discount-age.co.uk. But what, I ask, about the overwhelming majority of older people still not online? “This is a major issue,” she says, “and a lot of work has to be done making it easier for those not brought up with computers to feel comfortable and confident with them.
“It’s an area we are very keen to get involved in.” And away from ‘discount age’? “I’m still keeping very busy,” says Val. “There’s always lots going on – and sometimes it’s a relief to get back to my Dorset home to enjoy a little ‘pottering time’.” She’s recently been seen on programmes such as Weakest Link and Celebrity Bargain Hunt.
And her ability to put over a complex message simply and convincingly keeps her in demand for corporate work.
Curiously, while the programmes that made her name may no longer be on the box, her fame is still spreading. “I get requests for autographs from all over the world,” she says. “I wondered why until I was told that there are lots of old clips of me on the internet site ‘youtube’!”