Video clips of lockdown walks wanted for new Memory Walks project

Make sure you have your phone with you next time you go for one of your lockdown walks, to record a short video for our new Memory Walks project.

The project was the brainwave of Michelle Murphy, Manager for our Norfolk Community Health and Care Volunteer Services, who recognised that many patients in hospital missed the places they enjoyed visiting when they were more active and had a nostalgia for places they visited in the past.

‘We would like to compile a playlist of Memory Walks for patients and which will be displayed on big screens on NCH&C wards, with all videos submitted by members of the public featuring places they are walking during lockdown.’ explains Michelle. ‘The playlist will be designed to encourage dementia and stroke patients to remember local experiences and places and provide a window to the outside world and provoke conversation and shared experiences when patients and their families are likely to be spending much more time apart and indoors.

‘Our patients will have lived in or visited towns and villages across Norfolk, so we are keen to capture sights and memories from across the county. Perhaps during your daily exercise you walk down the local high street, or pass a significant local history site. Maybe your daily walk is an opportunity to appreciate the natural world around us, a short clip of your local park or outdoor space might invoke memories of a patient’s outdoor adventures.’ adds Michelle.

How to take part in our Memory Walk project

  • We are looking for short videos, ideally between 30 seconds and 2 minutes long.
  • The videos do not need to be of professional quality and can be filmed on most smartphones.
  • All videos should be anonymous. By this we mean that no individual should be identifiable, this includes you. Do not film your home address; any children; car registrations etc. This is to safeguard and protect you and those who might be captured in your video.
  • All videos will be reviewed to ensure that the content is appropriate.
  • Please ensure you are abiding by current Covid-19 guidelines in your area.

Once you have recorded your video the next step is to send it to us. The easiest way to do this is using a free service called WeTransfer.  We Transfer is easy to use and you don’t need to create an account; just upload your file, and when prompted send the file to volunteering@nchc.nhs.uk. Add your email address and a short message with your name, location of the video and date the video was recorded.

Further details from: volunteering@nchc.nhs.uk