“Virginia sensitively handled my enquiry and was flexible in finding a time to come and speak to my Mother, talk her through the process and understand what it was she wanted to get across. During the interview she was careful to give my Mother time to recount the stories from her life she wanted to cover, and just gave her gentle prompting from time to time. She also spent time chatting with my Mum to get to know her, editing the final piece so that it best reflected her. She even used one of her favourite pieces of music in the recording – which my Mum was delighted with. It is great to listen to the final audio now, but I know that in the future it will become incredibly precious.“ Lilly

“Recording with My Own Words was a truly special experience. From the moment we began, Virginia was warm, professional, and gently reassuring, immediately putting me at ease. I had been a little nervous beforehand, but Virginia’s calm presence and thoughtful questions made the process feel completely natural, like catching up with an old friend over coffee.

I chose eight songs that have marked different moments in my life, and we talked through the stories, memories, and emotions each one evoked. It was a joyful and surprisingly moving process, like taking a walk through the soundtrack of my life. There was laughter, a few tears, and a real sense of connection to the moments that shaped me.

The quality of the recording is excellent, thanks to great equipment and care in editing. Listening back, it brought so many memories, and my family said they’ve learned things they never knew. It’s a beautiful keepsake that I know will be cherished more and more over time.

I’d highly recommend My Own Words to anyone, especially if you have a loved one who might be starting to forget the meaningful moments of their life. This is a gentle, thoughtful way to preserve those memories before they fade, because they deserve to be remembered.” Esme

“Virginia is a good listener and quickly put our mother [Jackie] at ease. Soon Mum was talking about the past and the key events in her life from as far back as the 1930's. The sound quality of the recording is excellent so now we have a record of Mum's past in her own words that we can keep and can be shared easily amongst friends and family.” Clive

"My husband and I were a bit uncertain and nervous about making an oral history recording, unsure as to how to begin. However Virginia put us at ease and led us easily into the start. She was very relaxed and consequently so were we. It was good to go through our memories. We enjoyed doing so, and we found one memory would lead into another. If needed, she would give us a gentle prompt.

We are delighted to have made this recording of our memories so that should they begin to fade, we will not have lost them forever. Also, along with photographs, our children and grandchildren will have audio memories of us when we are no longer with them.

I would advise anyone who is thinking about it, to go ahead. I am sure they will be very glad to have done it.” C. Guthrie

“My father in law is a brilliant storyteller and it was a precious and intimate experience to record him recounting memories, some familiar and some new and surprising. Virginia was a gentle, unobtrusive but strengthening and creative presence and the interview worked well with informal, conversational questions. I know from a voice recording of my mum, made only weeks before she died, how special these personal and expressive moments become.” Yo

This is not a testimonial but a quote reminding us of our own unique voices. .

“Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with deeper meaning.”
― Maya Angelou