On the blog today, Chris Andrews, owner of Oxford based indie business Chris Andrews Publications, shares the poignant story behind the Memory Calendar for World Alzheimer’s Day 2021. Over to Chris >>
This blog is about a simple little product, that helps those living with Alzheimer’s, or having to cope with other forms of dementia and cognitive or visual difficulties. Its not the usual photographic calendar that we, at Chris Andrews Publications produce, but there is a moving short film on the ‘Memory Calendar’ that explains its genesis here:
Our business sells between 10 – 15,000 calendars a year with images of Oxford, the Cotswolds, the Channel Islands, and others, featuring my photography.
But this was different.
A phone call from a long established customer came with a question – could I create a calendar that would help his wife, and others in the early stages of Alzheimers, who simply didn’t want the complications of pictures, special dates that might mean nothing to them and that had enough clear space to note events that were important to that individual?
We set to, a tiny bit of altruism in the commercial world. A year of design development followed, a sample was produced, reviewed, amended. A small print run commissioned and trialed by Derbyshire Alzheimer’s Society (where Keith and Val Horncastle, my customers, came from). Feedback noted, further amends made and now the product you see.
Every year now we produce the Memory Calendar in addition to all our others. It helps people and every year we make a donation to The Alzheimer’s Society as well as to the other charity our business support (SANDS, the Stillbirth and Neonatal Death charity).
Val Horncastle sadly died before she could see the success of her simple idea, but Keith continues to promote the calendar and is immensely encouraged that his late wife’s inspiration helps others. We produce and promote it, the wider the audience, the more people it helps, and the more we can donate to the two causes. If you, or anyone you know might find this useful, you can buy, and find out more about the Memory Calendar 2022 here.
Chris publishes photographic books, gifts and souvenirs, including calendars, postcards, playing cards, fridge magnets, souvenir books, coffee table books and guide books.
