The podcast keeping memories of loved ones alive

Katri Ray was 100-years-old when she recorded her life story in podcast format

As podcasts become a more popular medium, families are turning to the format to remember lost loved ones.

According to data from YouGov, 40% of people polled listen to podcasts for more than an hour a week.

Several businesses in the UK now offer to record long audio interviews with a relative to create a keepsake for future generations.

Those who have explored this new medium have explained how the technology has helped them.

'He's in the room with me again'

Bill Berry's daughter, Joanne, wants to pass his recording to future generations

When she's driving alone Joanne Berry listens to her dad tell stories of the birth of his children, his days in national services and when he saw a plane being shot down during the Battle Of Britain.

Bill Berry, from Kettering, Northamptonshire, was born in 1933. He recorded his podcast when he was 83 and died in 2020.

She said: "I love listening to my dad's voice, it's like he is in the room with me again, telling us his funny stories.

"Hearing my dad's voice now that he has passed, is precious because it brings his story to life.

"It's dad. It's real. My sister mentioned how special it was to hear that her birth was the best day of his life.

Bill Berry on his wedding day

Ms Berry feels she now has something to pass on to future generations, like her granddaughter.

"We talk about my dad to her, and she sees him in pictures but to have his story recorded really brings him to life .

She will get to know his sense of humour. I look forward to having future conversations about him."

'Mum's memory was fading'

When Sylvia Richardson recorded her memories it was not known she was suffering from Alzheimer's

Syliva Richardson, from Walkern, Hertfordshire, was born at Brocket Hall in 1940, while the stately home was used as a maternity hospital during World War Two.

That is among the stories she told when the then 79-year-old recorded her story.

Her daughter, Julie Lucas, 56, from Stevenage, admitted she did not know how important the recording was at the time.

She said: "I knew mum's memory was fading, but she had not been diagnosed with Alzheimer's until six months later.

"I heard stories I had not heard before. I knew she had a donkey, but she started to come out with memories of being picked up from school on this donkey."

Julie Lucas (right) enjoys being able to hear her mum's (left) voice again

It was recorded in August 2019, and she passed away in March 2021.

The finished product includes some of her favourite music, such as Sergei Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf.

"Having access to those little stories and just being able to put that on and hear her voice again, you don't realise what a great keepsake it is until you've lost that person.

"To go back and hear her voice is so powerful to me, and for my children, too."

100 years of stories

Katri Hay recorded a century worth of memories in her podcast

For her 100th birthday, Katri Hay from Brentwood, Essex, was given a unique present. She had the chance to record her life story as a podcast.

Born in 1919, she recounted memories of the first commercial flights and gave advice gained from a century of experiences.

Patrick Hay, who now lives in France, admitted he does not listen to the recordings as he prefers his memory of her as a younger woman, but the value for him is for future generations.

He said: "I think this is a new type of family history document, one that will be important to generations that come long after my mother, me, and even her grandchildren.

"I see it as more for those who never had the opportunity to know her."

'Celebrities, but never our loved ones'

Dave Creasey encourages everyone to record their loved ones if they can

One company offering to record the memories of loved ones is Life Story Recordings, based in Hertfordshire, but working across the UK.

Founder Dave Creasey was working as a radio producer when someone he knew told him how she listened to her son's answerphone message for comfort after he died.

He said: "I think audio is the most powerful and intimate medium there is. The sound of a laugh, the mispronouncing of a word, the really subtle, but incredibly important details that make up a person."

He explained people are more comfortable and speak more naturally when not faced with a camera, which is why the podcast format worked better.