A group of teens have worked together to lift the lid on the fascinating lives of just some of the elderly people living in care homes across London.
The Year 12 A-level drama and acting diploma students created it as part of their intergenerational oral history project, calling it Who Cares?, interviewing residents from six different care homes about their lives post-pandemic.
The result is 12 illuminating audio portraits that weave together life experiences, music and reflections from family, carers or friends and can be listened to as podcasts on Spotify and Apple.
Behind the project, which has been stored for posterity in the Bishopsgate Institute’s oral history archive and the archive of the Wandsworth Heritage Service, is Tooting Arts Club, a community that celebrates the dramatic arts in South London.
‘We have been delighted and amazed by the incredible breadth of memories shared by our participants,’ Rachel Edwards, director of Tooting Arts Club, tells Metro.co.uk.
‘Fleeing India during Partition, growing up in a coal mining family and witnessing the Battle of Cable Street at nine years old – the people whose life stories we are proud to represent have generously shared a fascinating and diverse range of experiences.’
Here, we take a peak into some of the stories shared and meet the people behind them.
Born and bred in south London, Iris spoke to her interviewer about living through the Blitz. She says: ‘I remember that all right. The bombs dropping, oh and the noise. You never knew it if it was going to hit your house. Terrible times. It’s unbelievable ain’t it? You don’t want them days back again.’ (Picture: Sasha Neal)
Dr John Parker, a professor of architecture is 90 this year. He worked for the Greater London Council, overseeing the development of the capital, re-designing Piccadilly Circus and Kings Cross and choosing the site of the British Library. He also has a strange talent for predicting things that are about to happen, once catching a lady in church before she knew she was going to fall over. (Picture: Emmi Leppanen)
Debby Lee, daughter of Freda Lee (pictured), says: ‘It is also a wonderful legacy for our family as we are very accepting Mum is at the last stages of a full and happy life and to have this content available for a time beyond her years with us, is something we will treasure. I can’t explain how special this is for us.’ (Picture: Sasha Neal )
Siddiqa fled the Partition of India and the Iranian revolution of 1979 and led a long and successful career in medicine. Michelle Qureshi, daughter of care home participant Siddiqa, says: ‘This project really gave my mum a focus and a sense of accomplishment by cementing her life journey in this podcast.’ (Picture: Vaness Balogun-Palmer)
Kyra told interviewers: ‘My name is Kyra Greenway. I’m a very old lady. I was born in Hammersmith and I was a twin. We don’t look alike or anything. We were never very close. I don’t know why.’ She says her biggest vice is smoking, music is her passion and that patanjali yoga and meditation helped her find spiritual bliss. (Picture: Rachel Edwards)
One of the very first celebrity photographers, Marc’s favourite subject was Marilyn Monroe, who he described as ‘lovely and quite intelligent’. He tells interviewers about taking pictures for Princess Anne and how Tatler magazine commissioned him to take a portrait series of stars with their dogs. (Picture: Sofia Bryan Compton)
101-year-old Bobbie loves life in the care home. She first came to stay on respite, but when she went back to her flat in Hove she felt isolated and decided she wanted to live at Nightingale House Care Home in south London. She says: There’s always somebody to talk to there. I’m very happy here anyway. I don’t get lonely.’ (Picture: Rachel Edwards)
Once known as the oldest DJ in London, Jo’s life has been rich in music, dancing and travel. She speaks about how she set up the Original Tea Dance and became a stalwart of Soho’s gay scene. Oral histories like Jo’s provide first-hand evidence of the past and form a key part of our national heritage, the club says. (Picture: Kyla Brathwaite)
Year 12s on the acting diploma interviewed Sue about her career and her hairdressing career and her long marriage to the love of her life. One of the students said: ‘You just gain a different outlook when you speak to people who are 95 years old and you are 18. It really means something.’ (Picture: Mireille Kouassi-Assale)
100-year-old Lilian describes growing up in poverty in the 1930s and looks back on her long and happy life. Jacqui Beyer, activities co-ordinator at the Nightingale House Care Home, says: ‘In gathering the life stories from our residents, the students gave their time which has the biggest impact on our residents: they feel valued. Seeing young people linking stories from the past to their experiences brought everyone together.’ (Picture: Rachel Edwards)
