REAL LIFE RECORDINGS
"I have been recording life stories since 1999, mostly in Britain but also in other countries. The interviewees have ranged in age from fifty to 100 and have come from a wide variety of backgrounds, with a number from other European countries.
"I am an experienced broadcast researcher and producer and have worked on a number of local and national radio programmes. These have included the BBC Radio 4's current affairs series Any Questions? and the documentary series Down Your Way, as well as many other popular programmes. I have also researched and interviewed contributors for the BBC's Millennium Oral History series of programmes on local radio: The Century Speaks. This was the largest project of its kind in the country. The thousands of hours of unedited life story recordings can now be heard at the National Sound Archive in the British Library.
"I am also very keen to encourage others to capture peoples' memories. I train oral history students and local oral history volunteers to record life stories. For those interested in setting up their own oral history recording business, I offer practical advice in an introductory pack."
My Uncle Frank is the babe in arms (my father's elder brother), the first of four children born to James and Edna in St Columb Major, Cornwall. His mother, Edna; grandmother, Betsy; and great-grandmother, Anna are the women in the picture. Anna's husband was a wool comber in St Columb in the early 19th century and she had five children. My only regret is that I did not record Uncle Frank before it was too late.
Why not have the memories of your grandmother recorded in her own words? Then generations to come will be able to hear her own personal life story through her voice. Her character, too, will be preserved as she reminisces in conversation.
I will sympathetically help her to stir the memories of past experiences and enjoy remembering the details. Forgotten stories will be revived, adventures relived and characters recalled.
To book a recording, go to the Contact and Booking Details page. I look forward to hearing from you."
Lorna Baker, Real Life Recordings