Do you remember buying blue bags of sugar at Woolworths? Or watching the Atherstone Carnival football game?
Heritage and Culture Warwickshire (HCW) has a new range of reminiscence loans boxes containing items from the Warwickshire Museum and County Record Office collections. The Reminiscence boxes are designed to stimulate memory through objects, pictures, and activities.
Themes include The Mop Fair, Treasures of Warwickshire, and Woolworths, and include real historical artefacts and high-quality replicas that have been chosen to engage the senses through careful handling and promote conversation about people’s lives. All boxes also come with a supporting booklet of activities and information about the objects.
Six new boxes across three themes are being added to the existing boxes available to be borrowed through the Warwickshire Library Service, which are designed to be used at home with a loved one or with small groups. In addition, HCW is now offering five boxes for larger groups available on a 2-week paid loan.
These boxes follow the same themes as the library boxes but contain more objects, more copies of sharing images, and a copy of a related dementia-friendly “Pictures to Share” book.
Cllr Heather Timms, portfolio holder for Environment, Climate and Culture, said “With Dementia Action Week taking place from 13th – 19th May it is important to take action to improve the lives of people affected by Dementia. The HCW team hopes that these boxes will help people share memories, connect with others about their lives, and let more people enjoy our collections in a tactile and personal way.’
For enquiries and to book the group Reminiscence Boxes, please email heritagelearning@warwickshire.gov.uk or call 01926 412069.