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"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."

• “"Hi.. i saw you at one of the talks you did this week at the BIC Care Show... i just wanted to send you a personal message. I found the talk you gave so interesting. You have a great deal of passion for what you are doing. My friend and I purchased a box of cards. Although i have not had a chance to use them yet, I have noticed that the way I am talking to my residents is changing already. i am thinking about what I am saying more. And more importantly listening and taking in what they are saying... Thank you so much." ”

  Karen Matt

• “My mother used to get all the attention when she was alive, but thanks to the cards, my father and I have got closer because we have been able to share his stories from the forties.”

  Hugh Filmer Lincolnshire (July 09)

• “These older people had such fascinating and big experiences in their lives and it’s so good to hear them before they’re lost.”

  Rebecca Davidson, Cheshire (June 09)

• “It’s still hard to believe that my Nan had no hot water or electricity at home, it’s made me think about how tough life was for her…”

  Kylie Sutton, Hampshire (May 09)

• “We’ve heard stories that our mother had never told us before…”

  Marilyn Rhodes, Dumfriesshire (May 09)

• “… it was always a bit of a struggle to get the conversation going, but now we always bring our box in when we visit and it just kind of flows…”

  Janice Rylcott, Derbyshire (March 09)

• “Well, you just sort of forget your troubles when you remember back and the staff get to know you better.”

  Kate M. aged 89, Devon (March 09)

• “It's not easy to describe how much enjoyment people get from reminiscing with the cards, nor how surprised they are by this. I think it's because the subjects and stories are so authentic and the memories are happy. Once someone's long-term memory is switched back on in such a positive way, they're off – and just don't want to stop.”

  Heather Johnson, Lincoln (Jan 09)

• “These cards are just great - as soon as you get them out of the box you want to use them with the pensioners. And curiously, they have brought back a wealth of memories for our younger helpers, too.”

  Janice Copeland, Barnstaple (Dec 08)

• “Old-age is all in the mind if you ask me... and that's why the cards work - they just make you feel younger for a while.”

  Daisy Woodall, Halifax (Dec 08)

• “I recently mentioned to my grandmother (who is 86) that I have purchased a box set which gives ideas of topics to talk with her about. Even this got the ball rolling and the tongue moving. I can't wait to get the actual product. I've not felt this connected to her in a long while.”

  Josh Holloway, London (Sept. 08)