Geostories: Community Cohesion through Collaboration

At the beginning of this year, Digital Voice set out a new strategy to work with partners and organisations over a longer period, with the intention of deepening engagement and allowing the people who participate to practice their new skills. Over the next few months we’ll be reporting on the results of our new approach; first up we’re off to Peterlee where some brilliant people have been involved in our latest Geostories project.

Residents at the Bannatyne Lodge Care Home in Peterlee have been taking a special trip down memory lane. This Geostories project, commissioned by The Story (a heritage archive and visitor attraction in Durham) was set up to capture stories about life in Peterlee and preserve them for future generations, and it seemed fitting to enlist the help of those future generations. Year 5 pupils from nearby Dene House Primary School came to the care home to talk to residents about their experiences of growing up, working life and wartime. 

The pupils were tasked with coming up with questions, interviewing and then editing the footage. Residents, together with the young interviewers, collated photos from their personal collections to be included in the film. 

As you might imagine, it has been an enriching experience for all involved.


“Residents got so much out of this project. Working in collaboration with the children was priceless.  The video outcomes were phenomenal. Intergenerational interaction is so important.”

- Julie Armstrong, Home Manager at Bannatyne Lodge Care Home


“It was so interesting to talk to the residents and hear about their lives. My favourite was when Florence talked about what it was like during the war. And how they didn’t have bathrooms or toilets in their houses.”

- Ebony, Year 5 pupil


“I loved the film. What a lovely group of children they are. It was very nice to talk about working as a gas fitter in Hartlepool. They really listened and asked good questions.”

- Derek, Resident


Our Managing Director, Julie Nicholson, reflects on why this is such an important process:


“This project is preserving local history, the personality of this place, so it’s important that we take our time. It’s fantastic to see the impact of this type of intergenerational work. The older people were delighted to see their stories brought to life, and the children really enjoyed meeting them and developing the skills needed to be creative with those stories.”


You can watch the films here.

To work with us on a Geostories project in your area, please get in touch. 

We’d love to hear from you

Have a look at our other programmes

Chanise Armstrong