Chance To Chat – Memory Boxes

After a suggestion from a Fair Shares member and carer, Fair Shares in partnership with the Museum in the Park and Stroud library, set up a free borrowing service for reminiscence or memory boxes.

They are available to borrow just like a book, either from the library or the museum. They are available for anyone to use but should be especially useful for carers, family and friends, care homes or social groups to borrow for a 2 week period. Each box will have various objects, related to: childhood, education, home, leisure, occupation, travel and more. Inside there are notebooks so that people can let us know how they used them.

The library and museum staff involved in the project worked out the procedures and recording methods for borrowing the boxes. They are available for people to borrow for 2 weeks at no cost from the library and museum, just like a library book. Each box has various objects, related to childhood, education, home, leisure, occupation, travel and more.

Many carers and family members have said how useful the resources have been, from sons and daughters using them to reignite family stories to care workers finding out more about the lives of the people they care for.