Val Codling was born in a Durham mining village. Whilst living in Partington, Greater Manchester, she campaigned to get a dangerous section of the Manchester Ship Canal sectioned off. She also worked for Partington’s community development team. She took part in the Lifetimes project, in which he got to document some of her life story, along with her husband Mick Codling. After the Lifetimes project, she and Mick moved to the Forest of Dean.