67-year-old love story hits the airwaves
A love story which spans more than 67-years is being transmitted over the airwaves as part of a Gwalia Care and Support project to bring memories to life.
Sound Memories Radio station, has been developed as part of a project to create lasting memories and friendship through common stories in our retirement communities.
The Gwalia Trust awarded Cwm Aur Retirement Complex in Llanybydder £750 to develop the initiative further. As a result Richard and Nellie Ings shared their love tale story with Care Award winner Cheryl Beer.
The poet and community artist from Carmarthenshire, records memories associated with some of their favourite pictures to be shared for Sound Memories Radio Station and their neighbours at Cwm Aur Retirement Complex.
Mr Ings, aged 90, said the memories came flooding back as he, Cheryl and 94-year-old Nellie looked through pictures. He said: “Nellie didn’t really get a word in edge ways. We thoroughly enjoyed reminiscing about how we met, got married and other parts of our wonderful life together. I thought we’d be embarrassed sitting there while our neighbours and friends watched out pictures and listened to our story but I wasn’t. This has been an amazing experience.”
Cheryl has carried out several research projects at Gwalia Care and Support, residential and care homes and said “Sound Memories Radio is a great way of enabling the older community to help each other whilst creating their own wonderful life memory keepsake for them and their family and/or carers. Nellie and Richard had a wonderful story to tell and allowed us to share their memories with their neighbours at Cwm Aur.
Sound Memories not only creates a digital resource for friends and families of participants but also benefits those with dementia by bring memories to life through pictures and participants own voices.
Mark Lewis, Director of Care for Gwalia Care and Support, said: “Storytelling and reminiscence is particularly successful when a person’s short-term memory has started to deteriorate but their memories from years ago remain intact. Recording and playing back their memories can help engage a person with dementia and improve their quality of life.”
Sound Memories can be found on http://soundmemoriesradio.weebly.com/
Article added – 5th July 2016
