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“I thought I knew all there was to know about my Mum until she Told her Story to TMS, then I discovered so much about her life and our family I didn't know: I am really glad this has been captured to pass on to my children.”
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“I thought my Uncle had led a boring life, TMS put that idea to rest, he had enough adventures when he was younger to fill two lifetimes. Listening to his TMS recording is better than any radio play! ”
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“I saw a whole different side to my Dad when I listened to his TMS recording, I am so glad I got to know him better before it was too late.”
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“TMS allowed us to record my Aunt's memories before they were lost to dementia. We play them back to her and a little of her lost sparkle shines through.”
Who would use Telling my Story?
Everyone has a unique past full of memories that they may, or may not, have shared with their children and grandchildren; either way these memories are as valuable as any other keepsake you can give to successive generations and worth recording for the future. They can also remind you of a past you may be forgetting either with the distance of time or because you have a degenerative condition. *
- Those wanting to archive family history
- Those wanting to help someone with memory loss
- Someone with a terminal illness wanting to leave their memories to others
- Those wanting unique gift for someone
How does Telling my Story work?
There are three stages:
Pre-visit questionnaire
Prior to recording you we send you a questionnaire asking you about the key events in your life. Set out in a straightforward and chronological way this questionnaire helps you to reflect and consider what you might like to say and perhaps even help you to remember long distant memories; it also provides a useful prompting aid for during the recording sessions.
Recording session
So that you feel relaxed and as comfortable as possible recordings take place in your own home. They are usually carried out in half a day, split into two or three separate sessions allowing for rests and tea breaks! Our chat will feel just like a normal conversation with a friend or acquaintance and while some people may initially feel a little nervous or self-conscious they soon forget they are being recorded and enjoy telling their story.
Post-recording editing
The finalised recording will be sent to you by as an audio file in MP3 format (either on a CD or USB memory stick as preferred) and may be freely copied or distributed. The high-quality recordings will only be edited to remove breaks between recordings and to ensure a smooth flow to the un-abridged narration.
Costs
- Recording session
- £225.00
- £225 for a standard recording session
- Additional sessions
- +
- Further sessions available at discounted rates
- Terms: deposit
- £75.00
- Balance of £100 payable on completion of session and prior to release of recordings
Cancellation policy: Booked sessions may be cancelled up to 24 hours prior to recording – and can be rebooked or deposit returned as wished. For cancellations with less than 24 hours notice the deposit is not refundable.
How did Telling my Story begin?
Telling my Story came into being after Robert recorded his mother talking about her past. He had been encouraging her to write her life story so that he and his children would have an account of her past for the future, but month after month passed by and she seemed reluctant to start the project saying, ‘who wants to hear my story anyway, it’s not interesting’. But it was of interest to Robert, so rather than wait any longer he took an audio recorder to his next visit and asked his mother if she would let him record their conversation. Robert discovered lots of things he never knew about his mother, some amazing some poignant and a lot of them funny and more importantly Robert’s mother enjoyed talking about her past.
Robert shared this story with friends who thought it was such a great idea they asked him to record their parents and after a few sessions it became apparent that Robert had a skill for listening and nurturing peoples personal histories and so Telling my Story came into being.
Robert Dearman an architect for over 30 years, lives and works in North London. He has a Basic Disclosure Certificate** (issued under the Police Act 1997)
** Available on request.