AEROBICS teacher Wendy Harcombe's super-fit lifestyle hit the buffers when she suffered a debilitating stroke at the age of just 50.

Life for the mother of three grown-up children saw her life thrown into turmoil when she was forced through illness to give up work and the independence she had once enjoyed.

But now, almost five years on, Wendy's managed to haul her life back on the tracks swapping physical for mental fitness.

She says the transformation is down to one thing - learning.

Wendy is now helping promote the NIACE Dysgu Cymru (National Institute of Adult Continuing Education) Sign Up Now campaign, which encourages adult learners to get back to learning.

Sign up Now is funded by ELWa, the European Social Fund and the National Assembly.

Wendy, who lives in Pontllanfraith, said: "I went from one minute being an action-packed keep fit instructor flitting all over South Wales giving aerobics classes, to a person who was incapacitated, sitting at home, seeing and talking to virtually no one.

"Frankly I felt really depressed, washed up and in a bit of a social vacuum wallowing in self-pity. It was a pretty dark time for me until one day my family suggested I take a course of learning."

Wendy had always wanted to learn French so she signed up for a course at Blackwood Community College and in the process took hold of her life again.

"I was a bit nervous about going back to learning but I soon got into the swing of things even though in some classes, filled with unruly teenagers, I was the oldest person by far," said the grandmother, now aged 55.

"It may sound like a clich but it is true; learning has given me a new lease of life."

Wendy went on to attain Basic Skills, Key Skills and certificates in IT and GCSE maths. She also attained a qualification to teach Basic Skills.

She recently passed her A Level in French and her Certificate in Education after studying at Ystrad Mynach College.

She is now on a BA (hons) course in Post Compulsory Education & Training. Now a qualified teacher, she works in Caerphilly. She is an active supporter of the Sign Up Now campaign.