Reminiscence sessions
In February 1971 Britain adopted a decimal currency. This was a momentous event for the whole country, with every man, woman and child having to change the way they used money. Handling and chatting about pre-decimal coins can be a positive and nostalgic experience for people who lived through the changeover so, as part of the 50th anniversary celebrations, the Royal Mint Museum developed reminiscence sessions.
The reminiscence session took the form of a ‘Museum in a Box’, containing replicas and original objects from the time for people to handle. Each object was fitted with a special micro-chip which, when placed on the box, played audio clips specific to that object. This was a fun and stimulating activity, giving people who lived through the changeover an opportunity to talk about their memories.
We worked with care homes to run these sessions and those who are interested had the opportunity to loan the boxes completely free of charge, with the boxes being quarantined and thoroughly disinfected between each loan.
Care home map
A map of the locations of care homes participating in the Museum reminiscence project.