Swindon Museum and Art Gallery launches project to store lockdown memories

The team at Swindon Museum and Art Gallery have launched a new project aimed at capturing people’s memories during the coronavirus pandemic.

Your Memory Box is something the whole family can get involved in, providing a permanent reminder in the years to come of the lockdown period.

A memory box is a ‘time capsule’ that connects an individual or a family with the past through the items contained within the box.

Memory boxes can be used in a range of ways and anyone can make one using almost any sized box or container (or even a scrapbook). They are simple to make and can be a great way for individuals or a family to reminisce over this particular time in history.

Anything can be stored in memory box – photographs, letters, objects, a diary, a treasure map. Anything that people feel will prompt a memory of this time.

Swindon Museum and Art Gallery staff have come up with a few ideas to get people started and the team are encouraging individuals to take a picture of their memory box or scrapbook and send them in to: [email protected] or share on the museum and art gallery’s social media pages.

Councillor Dale Heenan, Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for the Town Centre, Culture and Heritage, said: “Your Memory Box is a modern version of a time capsule. Whether it is a poster created in support of the NHS, a photograph taken during a daily walk, or something random like the prized hippopotamus that was knitted to keep yourself occupied over the last three months of lockdown.

“We want to encourage people to help us to mark this extraordinary period in our history. Help us create a lasting reminder for your family. I will be creating my own memory box and I hope as many local residents as possible also take part in the project. We can bring all these memories together, and share them with grandchildren and future generations.”