Our Day Out

Potts, Sue; Bradley, Ian

http://hdl.handle.net/10400.8/4396

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Authors

Potts, Sue

Bradley, Ian

Abstract(s)

This paper presents the findings of the Our Day Out project which engaged older peoples’ groups across Merseyside in collecting and sharing memories of days out to the British seaside. Central to project design was the use of images from the Keith Medley Archive, held by Liverpool John Moores University’s Special Collections. The project aimed to add context and meaning to a selection of Medley images which documented day trippers during the 1960s to New Brighton, a popular pre and post Second World War day trip destination for communities around Merseyside. The photographs were used to instigate discussions within memory workshops, which were recorded and shared on the website http://www.our-day-out.co.uk/. The selected Medley images were from a special place that took its visitors out of their everyday environment and presented opportunities for fun and recreation. The memory workshops conducted for Our Day Out took participants back in time to a place that involved escapism and amusement. This study found that the images acted as an effective point of departure for building an online collection of stories about social practices at the British Seaside in the 1960s. Furthermore, the study found that older peoples’ well -being benefitted from discussing times when they were free of physical restriction and from when they held fond and happy memories. This paper discusses the value of archived photographs as instigators for creating digital stories with and by older people. Also considered is the role of nostalgia in reminiscence and memory work.