// BBC UK NEWS — CRONACA
The 101-year-old who created a dolls' house museum with her childhood toys
Val Ripley may be 101 but she still enjoys playing with dolls' houses.
She was given her first by her parents when she was eight, in Christmas 1932, and remembers waking up and seeing a huge parcel all wrapped up.
"I remember thinking 'they can't have bought me that one', and it was my pride and joy my whole childhood."
More than 30 years later, Val and her sister rediscovered what she thought had been lost while clearing out her parents' attic and decided to create a museum.
There is still a need to prepare tasty meals, even in a doll house
In 1939, when Val's father went back into the Army, the family's possessions, including the prized dolls' house and toys, were put into storage until the Ripleys found a new home.
When the family did settle again, the toys were put in the attic and not seen again for decades.
Val said: "We thought they were all gone. But after our mother died in 1977, my sister Pam and I discovered all our toys in their pre-war crates. It was so emotional, I can't tell you."
With a pristine collection of vintage toys, Val and her sister decided to expand their collection and share it with others. Together, they opened Ty Twt Dolls House and Toy Museum in Newport in Pembrokeshire.
That was 26 years ago, and Pam has since died, but Val still welcomes visitors and school groups to show them the toys of the past.