News and Updates

Changes to the Stories for Life Board

Board Celebrates Success and Passes the Baton - 29 November 2024

Stories for Life announces the departure of three trustees. David Smith, Claire Cater (Chair) and Sunil Sheth who were founding members of the Board. They have supported the charity since its inception as The Hospice Biographers. Over the last seven years, they have guided the organisation through start up, growth and its evolution to Stories for Life, including its resilience during the challenges of COVID-19. Now with a network of trained Hospice biographers and dedicated biographers who record precious stories in numerous care and residential retirement homes, hospices, multi faith and community settings including most recently the Chelsea Pensioners.

Chair Claire Cater shared:

"Stories for Life is now in a strong position with exceptional support and a growing list of partners and precious stories captured. It has been incredibly rewarding to be part of such a life affirming and important mission—capturing the precious voices and stories of ‘storytellers’ for their families and loved ones to share for generations to come. Like every good board, it’s important to follow best practice and know when it’s time to refresh the team. Having nurtured the charity to this point over the last seven years and with our wonderful network of life biographers and growing partnerships, we’ve made the bold and right decision to pass the baton to a new board for the next chapter. The new Board has our heartfelt best wishes as they take on their important roles.”

Barbara Altounyan, founder and trustee, who will remain closely involved.

"Claire, David, and Sunil have been exceptional in their commitment to our vision. Their leadership has set important foundations for the future of our unique nationwide charity. We are the only charity within the UK and indeed anywhere in the world to offer, free of charge, our professional audio recording services to those whose memories should always be remembered, regardless of where they live or are being treated. I am deeply grateful for their dedication, skills and support from day 1 to where we are today.“

With change comes opportunity, and Stories for Life remains committed to its mission to connect generations through storytelling. As the charity looks forward, we are delighted to welcome two new trustees: Yos Noor and John Greenwood.

Yos Noor is a senior technology analyst specialist with Amazon. Yos will help our charity collate vital performance data for future grant funders and philanthropists and to expand our future business partnerships within the global tech industry.

John Greenwood is a long-standing Patron of our charity, and also a fundraiser and practicing Hospice Biographer in the East End of London. As Trustee, his ambition will be to find innovative new ways to expand our services for hospice storytellers across the UK.

We were delighted to hold an interactive event in London to celebrate the launch of our expanded mission to offer our services to anyone in the UK in end of life care.

How I Became…Robert Peston

A huge thank you from Stories for Life

Our huge thanks to Robert Peston and Dorothy Byrne who on 5th May helped us to celebrate our history as The Hospice Biographers with the launch of our new expanded service as Stories for Life. Our grateful thanks too, to our audience for supporting the event and for participating in such a heart warming evening. Particularly Shelagh Musoke who movingly remembered her mother who was recently recorded by one of our biographers.

Dorothy took questions from our audience to discover more about Robert’s life story and how he became one of Britain’s foremost political journalists of today. We were delighted to have Ed Balls, former politician, pose some questions and to be joined by some of our biographers, supporters and donors who have enabled our charity to train in hospices throughout the UK. We are now determined to raise more funds to expand our service and record many more men and women in the last chapter of their lives in care homes, hospitals and under community care.

Gin and Jazz fundraiser – June 2022

We were delighted to host our Stories for Life Gin and Jazz garden party in June. Tommy Walsh ran the auction and our gin palace was a huge success with all proceeds going towards funding the recordings of precious life stories and memories.

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“The human voice can be so nostalgic. I wish my own children and I could hear the voices of my own mother and father who died years ago.”

Jon Snow
journalist and television presenter.

Radio 4

Our launch story was announced on the Today programme when Radio 4 interviewed our founder Barbara Altounyan and Robert Peston. Amol Rajan was so taken with our service that Today ran their own version of life storytelling over the course of the next few weeks. Listeners found the concept profoundly engaging and sent in their own versions of their life stories.

“Recording this biography has given me a chance to say all the important things to my loved ones - so they can hear them whenever they want to”

Sue Ryder
Wheatfields

BBC’S Good Morning Programme

Our service was also recently referenced in BBC’s Good Morning Programme with a slot on Myton Hospice in Coventry who trained their volunteers with Stories for Life.