Bilingual House of Memories Cymru launched to support Welsh communities

Museums come together to create pioneering bi-lingual support and learning programme House of Memories Cymru for Welsh people living with dementia

Created in partnership with National Museums Liverpool and the Welsh government, the app will support the dementia community across Wales.

An app featuring memories of Wales, Welsh people and their communities has launched at the Welsh Senedd, with the aim of connecting, engaging and improving the lives of Welsh people living with dementia and their loved ones across Wales and beyond.

House of Memories Cymru is a bilingual programme of workshops, training and a first-of-its-kind digital memories app package, which aims to help spark conversations between people living with dementia and their carers.

Through the House of Memories Cymru app package, users can search through a live museum of Welsh items and personalise their experience to include memories that are particularly strong for them.

Memories are prompted in the app with a mixture of audio, video and images of historical items. Key sections for people to explore include Wales during the war, lifestyles of Welsh Communities, industry, memories of childhood, technology, transport and much more.

Representative of everyday life in Wales, objects range from the common family items found around homes, to life events such as the 1984 Miners’ Strike. These memory prompts were curated and collected from existing Welsh museum collections, to create an app that celebrates the culture of Wales, both old and new.

House of Memories Cymru is available through National Museums Liverpool’s My House of Memories app and created by their award-w  inning House of Memories team.

Carol Rogers, director of National Museums Liverpool, said: “We are thrilled to launch House of Memories Cymru and add a bespoke Welsh package to our international House of Memories programme. The country of Wales has a rich and diverse cultural heritage that has had a huge influence on Liverpool, and it is a privilege to work in partnership with museum colleagues across Wales, to support the Welsh dementia community.

“We hope the programme will not only help improve the lives of people living with dementia, but also be the catalyst for meaningful connections between them and their families or carers.”

Museums across Wales have supported and contributed to the project to create a selection of 700 memory prompts. The museums involved are: Aura Leisure & Libraries, Ceredigion Museum, Conwy Culture Centre, Llŷn Maritime Museum, MonLife Heritage and Learning, Museum of Cardiff, Oriel Môn, Penmaenmawr Museum, Radnorshire Museum, Royal Welch Fusiliers Museum, Swansea Museum Services, Winding House and Y Gaer Museum. Museums Wales has also joined the partnership with support from the National Lottery Community Fund.

With the House of Memories Cymru app package, users can search through a live museum of Welsh items and personalise their experience to include memories that are particularly strong for them.

Memories are prompted in the app through a mixture of audio, video and images of historical items. Wales during the war, lifestyles of Welsh Communities, industry, memories of childhood, technology and transport all featuring as key sections in the app.

Welsh Government Deputy Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, Dawn Bowden, said: “I’m delighted that we’ve been able to support House of Memories Cymru which celebrates Welsh culture and invaluable role Welsh museums play in supporting older people and those living with dementia. Bilingual resources like House of Memories Cymru are important as it enables our communities in Wales and beyond to engage with our heritage in the language of their choosing across the globe. They will be able to connect with their community even if they are hundreds of miles away. I’d like to thank all the museums which have been involved in this collaboration which I’m sure will make difference to those living with dementia and their families. ”

House of Memories Cymru will now roll out across Wales to help support Welsh communities, with training and workshops starting around the country and the first workshop taking place in Swansea on Wednesday 25 October.

For more information on the project, workshops and to find out how you can download the app, visit: www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/house-of-memories.