Endorsements

"On Saturday when collecting Willem from his Saturday Dementia Respite club, I asked if the organiser would be interested in a set of the 1940s cards. 
I was able to put my question to the test; one of the ladies was on her own, waiting for her daughter to collect her after those on 'the bus' had left. 

The cards helped to start up a conversation, we learnt that this senior citizen had lost her brother during the war - he had been a fighter pilot - this triggered by the picture of the man in uniform, leaving her without a sibling.  She was obviously still very upset about it.  We also learnt that she had been a shorthand typist, information which had not previously been known to the group.
At the end of the conversation, both organiser and member reflected on the fact that this was the longest conversation the two had ever had and how good it had made the elderly lady feel. 
Though born in 1952 myself, I found myself educating the organiser, who is a young mother of two small boys.  She had come upon the photo of the mother and child which has information on the back about hairstyles etc.  The comment was about how much effort everybody put into looking wonderful as a normal daily event, whereas I felt it demonstrated effort for a special occasion, perhaps a planned photo opportunity. Shaving was another topic of conversation - why, the organiser wanted to know, was it called a 'safety' razor?
There was thought recognition, from the pictures, of the habits of grandparents. The lack of knowledge about rationing is astonishing and as for Pea Soup fogs, nobody knew what I was talking about, nor why they occurred, perhaps my knowledge relates to the fact that my mother was born and brought up in Croydon and was in London during early WW2. I will be buying the group a set of the 1940s cards for Christmas; they have proved their worth.
On a personal note relating to the 1950s cards: my brother and I grew up in a double story flat at the top of a three story a block of flats/tenement, in Edinburgh (in Morningside to be precise).  We do not remember sights and sounds of steam trains so much as the smell - very evocative.  We had a corgi, a cage of budgies and several tropical fish tanks. 
As for Pop-it beads, my memory is of the corgi, as a puppy, deciding to try the taste test with them.  My mother spent some considerable time retrieving these from the dog once they had completed the journey through him.  Neither dog nor beads appeared the worse for wear. 
Whilst my brother and I did have bicycles, my memory is of the sturdy tricycle which was sufficiently robust for one to peddle and for the other to ride pillion, standing on the back bar.  This tricycle went everywhere, even on the train to Fife where we went ever year for our summer holiday.
Congratulations.  An excellent project, both for reminiscence and as a fun form of information."

"I just got my 1950s Chatterbox cards yesterday. They're BRILLIANT! We took them out with us to the pub and couldn't get people to stop talking. We all remembered things we hadn't thought about for years and had a good laugh. Even my husband (who is rather conservative these days) had the old twinkle in his eye again when we reminded him of his DA haircut and winkle-pickers..."

“The residents and carers just grabbed the cards out of my hands, they were so enthusiastic about them. Ours are in use all the time – every care home should have some.”

"I just had to contact you to say how marvellous the cards are. Apart from being beautifully designed and easy to use, they have really struck a chord with our residents and always lead to very satisfying conversations. Please do some more products soon!"

"The children gained greatly from the experience of their encounter with the older people - something quite rare in their lives. They found both the experience and the cards were enjoyable and fun and we've already organised to go back to see them again at the end of term. I thought it was very good for the children to learn about life from a different time and could see that they began to appreciate and value the differences between them and people whose life experience was so unalike their own. We would definitely do it again."

"I really enjoyed learning about what life was like then - and lots of it was quite surprising."

"It was just so lovely to remember and chat about those times - and it really makes you think how much life here has changed."

"The interaction between the old and young was marvellous and it was quite obvious that the children themselves took away a great deal from the visit. It was so good to see the older people talking so easily and freely to the younger generation and both at ease with one another and exchanging their life's experiences."

"The experience was very good for participation between the children and the residents and the questions and the level of engagement and enjoyment were excellent. I feel strongly that the conversations would not have happened without the activity."

"All the children were very enthusiastic about the session, they enjoyed being with the old people and their 'quirks' as much as their lucidity. The children all referred to things they hadn't known before.They certainly gained from the experience and I'm sure the old folk did as well. The cards are a very good idea..."

"...the product is produced to very high design quality and is a genuinely lovely and interesting 'thing' - which we are sure works. We are very pleased to endorse and support Many Happy Returns 1940s and look forward to the positive impact that the packs will have for our many voluntary visitors and carers alike."

"Many congratulations on your splendid initiative and well-deserved coverage of a brilliant idea.

From personal experience I can testify to the value of the memory cards in providing a valuable overture, for carers, volunteers, family and friends, to encourage older people to recapture precious memories of the past. 

Best wishes for your continued success..." 

Trevor Lyttleton MBE. Founder, Contact the Elderly 

• “We use the reminiscence cards at our Memory Clubs to stimulate conversation between those of our members who are living with dementia and the carers and volunteers. Encouraging people with dementia to chat can be difficult. There is often anxiety about saying the wrong thing, but with these cards it's easy to find a topic of conversation that is comfortable. The 40s and 50s cards are very popular and are especially helpful for younger volunteers who weren't around in those decades! It's just wonderful to see some of our older members, who have varying degrees of dementia, sharing their memories with our younger members and volunteers. The cards also worked brilliantly last week, as an ice breaker, at a newly opened Memory Club where the people don't yet all know each other.”

  Val McKay- Coordinator, North Cotswolds Memory Clubs

• “I bought the 1940s Many Happy Returns cards for my mother-in-law this Christmas. In fact, we only needed to look at two cards as they brought out an extensive and most interesting discussion around the nature and role of evacuees from London during the war and also, most amusingly for her children in the room, a description of her first date....The photographs are powerful and the accompanying words provide the reader with an immediate key into many interesting memories.”

  W. Barney, Surrey

• “I was given a pack of the 1940s MANY HAPPY RETURNS CARDS for Christmas and I wanted to write to say how impressed we were with them. The layout and design is clear yet imaginative, they were incredibly simple to use, and provided many stimulating topics of conversation.
  
  Our teenage children found them really helpful, as the cards put into context and also a time period, the central events in their elderly relations’ lives and gave them loads of new subjects to talk about, rather than just the usual – oldies asking the kids questions such as "how’s school?". For once, the children appeared genuinely interested in their grandparents' reminiscences! Thank you once again - it really is a brilliant idea.”

  D. Morris and family of three generations, London

• “I so enjoy talking about how life used to be in our family and the cards make it really easy to remember.”

  I. Benbow, Middlesex, age 78, living with dementia

• “I bought the box for my 92 year-old father who has early stage dementia – the stories we have been sharing are wonderful, some I had never heard before. Now I am buying them for all my friends – they are fantastic, well done!”

  M. Rosario

• “The residents and carers just grabbed the cards out of my hands, they were so enthusiastic about them. Ours are in use all the time – every care home should have some.”

  Shaaron Caratella, General Manager, Barchester Care Home, Wimbledon

• “Many congratulations on your splendid initiative and well-deserved coverage of a brilliant idea.
  From personal experience I can testify to the value of the memory cards in providing a valuable overture, for carers, volunteers, family and friends, to encourage older people to recapture precious memories of the past.
  Best wishes for your continued success...”

  Trevor Lyttleton MBE. Founder, Contact the Elderly

• “I just had to contact you to say how marvellous the cards are. Apart from being beautifully designed and easy to use, they have really struck a chord with our residents and always lead to very satisfying conversations. Please do some more products soon!”

  Judy Carey, care home West Yorkshire

• “The children gained greatly from the experience of their encounter with the older people - something quite rare in their lives. They found both the experience and the cards were enjoyable and fun and we've already organised to go back to see them again at the end of term. I thought it was very good for the children to learn about life from a different time and could see that they began to appreciate and value the differences between them and people whose life experience was so unalike their own. We would definitely do it again.”

  Caroline Burnett, Deputy Headteacher, Wimbledon Chase School

• “I really enjoyed learning about what life was like then - and lots of it was quite surprising.”

  Jane T. Younger person

• “It was just so lovely to remember and chat about those times - and it really makes you think how much life here has changed.”

  Vera H. Guest, Contact the Elderly

• “The interaction between the old and young was marvellous and it was quite obvious that the children themselves took away a great deal from the visit. It was so good to see the older people talking so easily and freely to the younger generation and both at ease with one another and exchanging their life's experiences.”

  Sue Laver, Teaching assistant, Devon Primary School

• “The experience was very good for participation between the children and the residents and the questions and the level of engagement and enjoyment were excellent. I feel strongly that the conversations would not have happened without the activity.”

  Chris Upjohn, Activity provider, BUPA Care Home

• “All the children were very enthusiastic about the session, they enjoyed being with the old people and their 'quirks' as much as their lucidity. The children all referred to things they hadn't known before.They certainly gained from the experience and I'm sure the old folk did as well. The cards are a very good idea...”

  Ken Ford, Headmaster, Surrey Primary School

• “...the product is produced to very high design quality and is a genuinely lovely and interesting 'thing' - which we are sure works. We are very pleased to endorse and support Many Happy Returns 1940s and look forward to the positive impact that the packs will have for our many voluntary visitors and carers alike.”

  Janet Morrison, Chief Executive, Independent Age

• “Negative, ageist stereotypes often disappear when different generations come together and learn to understand and appreciate each other through products like Many Happy Returns.”

  Stephen Burke, CEO Counsel and Care

• “Work is ongoing across government to explore opportunities for promoting and supporting intergenerational working as a means of preventing social isolation and helping to improve health and wellbeing amongst older people. …I very much appreciate the contribution of the Many Happy Returns project.”

  Phil Hope MP, Minister of State for Care Services

• “"Many congratulations on your splendid initiative and well-deserved coverage of a brilliant idea. From personal experience I can testify to the value of the memory cards in providing a valuable overture, for carers, volunteers, family and friends, to encourage older people to recapture precious memories of the past. Best wishes for your continued success..." ”

  Trevor Lyttleton MBE. Founder, Contact the Elderly

• “"All the children were very enthusiastic about the session, they enjoyed being with the old people and their 'quirks' as much as their lucidity. The children all referred to things they hadn't known before. They certainly gained from the experience and I'm sure the old folk did as well. The cards are a very good idea..." ”

  Darren Dedman, Guillemont School

• “"The interaction between the old and young was marvellous and it was quite obvious that the children themselves took away a great deal from the visit. It was so good to see the older people talking so easily and freely to the younger generation and both at ease with one another and exchanging their life's experiences."”

  C Dufty, Head Teacher, Brookside School

• “"I really enjoyed learning about what life was like then - and lots of it was quite surprising."”

  Carer, Randell House

• “"I just had to contact you to say how marvellous the cards are. Apart from being beautifully designed and easy to use, they have really struck a chord with our residents and always lead to very satisfying conversations. Please do some more products soon!"”

  Mrs R. Derby

• “"I bought the box for my father who has early stage dementia – the stories we have been sharing are wonderful, some I had never heard before. Now I am buying them for all my friends – they are fantastic, well done!"”

  Ms D., Suffolk

• ““I was given a pack of the 1940s MANY HAPPY RETURNS CARDS for Christmas and I wanted to write to say how impressed we were with them. The layout and design is clear yet imaginative, they were incredibly simple to use, and provided many stimulating topics of conversation.
  
  Our teenage children found them really helpful, as the cards put into context and also a time period, the central events in their elderly relations’ lives and gave them loads of new subjects to talk about, rather than just the usual – oldies asking the kids questions such as "how’s school?". For once, the children appeared genuinely interested in their grandparents' reminiscences! Thank you once again - it really is a brilliant idea.””

  Mr W., Kendal

• “"I just got my 1950s Chatterbox cards yesterday. They're BRILLIANT! We took them out with us to the pub and couldn't get people to stop talking. We all remembered things we hadn't thought about for years and had a good laugh. Even my husband (who is rather conservative these days) had the old twinkle in his eye again when we reminded him of his DA haircut and winkle-pickers..."
  "I thought you'd like to know that I took a pack of Many Happy Returns cards with me when I went to visit my dad last week. They went down very well with him, 3 cards prompting a good hour of conversation. Not only that, but I showed them to the volunteer coordinator at his care home, who was so impressed that she brought over the head of therapy to see them. She said they were by far the best of their kind she had seen – clear, well-designed and well-chosen. The volunteer coordinator thinks they will be very useful for the schoolchildren who volunteer and who often feel at a loss to know what to say to the people they visit."”

  Care Home Manager