New memories archive website is launched

Oct. 28, 2010 - PRLog -- As a new reminiscence website launches in Liverpool, 70% of people, who had an opinion, say they want to tell their family histories and 54% say they want to help tell the stories of their hometown. But many of those don’t know how.  

Liverpool based film company Hurricane Films, who commissioned the ICM poll, launch a new reminiscence website today (28th October 2010), People’s Stories: Liverpool Lives, which aims to become the central hub for the city’s social history.  The site, which has been funded by the Heritage Lottery, was created after many Liverpudlians responded to Terence Davies’ 2008 film, Of Time And The City, a documentary based eulogy to his home city.

As Hurricane Films Director, Solon Papadopoulos explains: “We had Liverpudlians from all over the world wanting to tell their story, inspired by the way Terence had told his. So we’ve created a kind of archival facebook where people can upload and share stories, pictures and films. We only launch today but already we have collected some fantastic stories. And our poll shows that people are keen to get involved at all levels. It is interesting that many don’t know how, so we’re really hoping People’s Stories will change that, certainly in Liverpool.”


Terence Davies, who wrote Of Time And The City, said: “The film I made with Hurricane seems to have pricked people's own memories and I never thought that would happen. I’m astounded that it’s had this kind of response and that this project has been borne of it.”

To help launch the project, Terence and several Liverpool actors have contributed to the site with their own memories of Liverpool. These include, Jonathan Pryce, Alexei Sayle, Joe McGann and his mother, John McArdle and Simon O’Brien.

The site already tells a wide range of stories from the fascinating and the sad, the inspirational to the remarkable including that of George Groves, the Liverpool University graduate from the 1920s who went on to pioneer several new sound techniques, revolutionising cinema and collecting three Oscars in the process.

The ICM online survey asked 2,000 people if they would be interested in taking part in the recording of their family, local, and national history. Where people expressed a preference, 70% said they would be interested in recording their family history, 54% in local history and 48% said they would get involved in recording national histories.

‘People’s Stories – Liverpool Lives’ is free to register and simple to use. Users can navigate or get involved by uploading and sharing their stories, films and photographs. Open to everybody, the project is actively encouraging people to get involved and share their tales of Liverpool no matter their age or background, to get a richer, more colourful picture of the city and its inhabitants. Visit http://www.peoples-stories.com for details.

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