Celebrating the remarkable lives of older people with photographs and stories, capturing hidden memories, discovering unheard voices.
Remarkable Lives is a project that serves older people and puts them first, helping to change society’s perceptions of later life. Through the powerful medium of photographic storytelling, I hope to offer a refreshing perspective of their lives, rolling back the years to celebrate their most memorable moments as seen through their eyes, told in their own words, remembered through their old photographs.
Giving later life its voice, the project tells the untold stories, capturing living memory accounts of history because everyone has a story to tell: the home maker, the farmer, the factory worker, the teacher, the soldier, the nurse – whether ordinary individuals who have lived through history or the protagonists who helped shape it, all their lives are remarkable in some way, and to someone.
I’m Owen McNeir, founder of Remarkable Lives, and I’m on a mission to encourage everyone to reconnect across the generations, to share stories, preserve photographs and save memories.
I started this project to encourage us to look closer, try to think differently about old age, because we’re so absorbed in our own, busy worlds that we switch off thoughts of later life. My motivation comes from very personal reasons too, having discovered aspects of my grandparents’ lives that I’d never known, after they’d gone and too late to retrieve the memories.
I created the Remarkable Lives photo-blog to celebrate later life stories for others, to produce a lasting, permanent memory for families, and to open a window on the past, giving older people a renewed identity, dignity and meaning.
Every day, I set out with my camera, voice recorder and curiosity to meet and interview people, often in their own homes, also in care homes, hospices and community centres. We sit together and I listen to their stories, take their picture and scan their old photographs, from which I produce short life-story moments.
The stories, easily accessible online, are also designed to help those who care for older people to better understand and connect with them. Carers and nurses are rushed off their feet, so Remarkable Lives provides a quick to read, personal history to help them form a picture of the individual in one click. Care homes who have participated in Remarkable Lives even add the stories to their residents’ Care Plans, all of which is resulting in improved staff satisfaction.
It’s a privilege and an inspiration to listen to stories from the 1920s, 30s, 40s – sometimes even from 100 years ago – to imagine what people have lived through and to record authentic accounts first hand, from a time in history pre-social media and 24 hour news. Real life stories from a time that is rapidly disappearing.
Stories like Derek’s, pictured here aged 13 with his school friends in 1940:
Who then decided, just two years later aged 15, to leave school and family and join the Merchant Navy and a life at sea…in the middle of the Second World War:
Who rose from the very bottom (literally, cleaning the oil in the tankers), through the ratings to become a first class Navigator as First Mate:
Finally achieving his Master’s Ticket to become a Master Mariner, a position allowing him to sail any ship of any size in any sea in the world. At 89, however, living in a care home with quite advanced dementia, Derek’s is a story like so many I discover: a hidden memory yet so deserving to be told, celebrated and shared, not least so that those around him can truly understand and better appreciate the individual in their care.
I hope you will join me on this journey, not just because I can’t do it without your support (it’s all or nothing with Kickstarter), but by sharing this project with your friends and family, you’ll be part of this positive, progressive movement, helping to grow the Remarkable Lives community. A community that is not defined by old age and its associations with mental or physical decline, but by a new, fresh, invigorating perspective of later life and its place in our human narrative.
Together, I think we can imagine a better future, by listening to the past. After all, we’re not born old.
So far, this project has been self-funded and, even though I’ve interviewed and photographed over 100 people in 18 months, its scope and reach have been limited.
The £15,000 that I hope to raise through this Kickstarter will help fund the project’s expansion over the next 4 months and enable many more people to get involved and have their voices heard:
I want everyone to take part in this positive movement that truly reflects the world we all live and grow older in, embracing the diversity of our ageing society.
The funding from this campaign will go towards:
Stretch goals
If the funding goal is exceeded, I will be able to discover and tell even more stories of remarkable lives. Depending on how much we stretch, my ambitions include:
But before any of that can happen, my first priority is to reach this campaign’s funding target.
In addition to the project’s online presence through my blog and social media, this campaign aims to amplify the Remarkable Lives message through the rewards, while giving every supporter something special at each pledge level.
The full list of REWARDS is on the right with lots of ideas for individuals and organisations, but here are some examples to give you a flavour; I hope you like them.
The Postcard Set
A set of 3 printed postcards featuring images & quotes from the Remarkable Lives project.
The Wear Your Age with Pride Badge Pack
A pack of 4 individual Remarkable Lives pin badges.
Book of Remarkable Lives: Untold Stories
A signed copy of the inaugural Remarkable Lives: Untold Stories.
The Remarkable Bundle
Don’t just take my word for it, here’s what others are saying:
“What you are doing has such value and importance. It’s things like this that make our world better and kind, putting humanity into statistics.” Nicci Gerrard, Author & Founder of John’s Campaign
“At its heart Remarkable Lives is beautifully simple – collecting real-life stories and celebrating that older individuals are all remarkable and so much more than the stereotypes people often have. But there’s so much more to this. The process of capturing the stories (which itself gives value to the lived experience and contact between the subject and Owen) has huge benefits to individuals, and sharing them has significant impact in changing wider societal perceptions of older people. The emphasis moves on to their lives, experiences and skills and away from dependency and disability. What I particularly like is that Remarkable Lives reaches out to those often most excluded: the very old, those with dementia, and those living behind the doors of a care home.” Rob Fountain, Chief Executive, Age UK Gloucestershire
“I just wanted to say thank you so much for spending time with Mum over the last few weeks she has really enjoyed it and talks about it all the time.” Anne. Daughter of Betty, 89.
“Owen’s initiative to capture the lives of our residents has been an inspiration. Our residents have enjoyed fascinating and often challenging lives; being able to talk and share their past affords great joy. Owen is bridging the gap in understanding between the young and old, introducing families to revealing facts and insights for the first time – without Owen they would have been lost forever. Remarkable Lives has strengthened our staff/resident relationships – we know them better and have a deeper understanding, adding even greater meaning and value to the care we provide.” Peter Gardiner, General Manager, The Hollies Care
“Owen seems to have the knack of bringing out the best in our residents. He talks to them calmly, listens with compassion and they respond to him with a smile on their faces. The stories are funny, exciting and sometimes sad but touching. We use Remarkable Lives in our care plans which all staff have access to, helping them to better understand each person.” Diane Browning, Head of Activities, The Hollies Care
“Owen has made a huge difference to the lives of all our family. I met Owen and he was immediately interested in Alan, who has advanced Alzheimers, and told me how his project can help families of those with Alzheimers and other forms of dementia. I’ve been delving into Alan’s early life of which I had little knowledge and contacting old friends and relatives. This has been good for all of us. Everyone has a remarkable life, which should be made known to carers so that the elderly coping with Dementia can be afforded the dignity and respect they have dutifully earned. Thank you Owen, we both feel that somebody really cares!” Caroline Lumsden. Wife of Alan, 83.
“UnLtd is convinced that innovative social entrepreneurs like Owen hold the key to ageing well in the UK. We are delighted to have the opportunity to support him to increase and deepen the impact of Remarkable Lives.” Julie Carthy, Award Manager, UnLtd.
The Remarkable Lives project has featured in the press & media including:
You can follow progress and keep in touch with the project and this campaign on Remarkable Lives’ social media:
Facebook I Instagram I Twitter I Tumblr
… but the BEST way you can help is to spread the word with your friends, family, colleagues and total strangers by sharing this Kickstarter Campaign on your own social media channels, by email or good old fashioned word of mouth.
Thank you
Owen
Project:
The main challenge with this project is time. For once, and as I have found, it can justifiably be said that time really is of the essence when capturing the stories and memories of people in later life. But that’s what Remarkable Lives is all about. Another more practical challenge is the requirement for me to travel to my subjects (I can’t really ask them to come to me!), but this is another reality of the project I’ve built in to the timeline.
Rewards:
The designer and printing house are in place and are local, which will afford a more manageable and of course sustainable process. There are many stories already recorded which provide a solid foundation upon which to add the new Remarkable Lives. So the main obstacle to overcome is the funding. If I raise over £15,000 then production of the rewards is guaranteed to go ahead.