Community Story Hub CIC has announced a new partnership with Age UK Wigan Borough to pilot a six-week community storytelling programme designed to help older people share memories, strengthen connection and preserve local lived experience.
The pilot will be delivered through Memory Makers, one of Community Story Hub’s core storytelling initiatives, and will use the StoryHub app to support gentle, guided conversations with older people across the borough.
Running under the project title Every Natter Matters, the pilot will bring the Memory Makers initiative into four Age UK Wigan Borough groups over a six-week period. Through themed conversations, simple prompts and supported story sessions, participants will be invited to share memories, reflections and everyday stories in a relaxed and meaningful way.
The partnership builds on shared values around identity, connection and reducing loneliness, with both organisations focused on creating opportunities for older people to feel heard, valued and included.
The pilot will be led by Community Story Hub, with Age UK Wigan Borough volunteers observing and supporting sessions as part of an early Story Guide development element. This will help explore how the model could be sustained, adapted or developed further in future across Age UK Wigan Borough’s community work.
Unlike a formal interview, Every Natter Matters is based around light-touch, natural conversation. The StoryHub app provides gentle prompts and simple story pathways, helping facilitators guide conversations without making participants feel put on the spot.
The pilot will explore how storytelling can be used across different parts of Age UK Wigan Borough’s work, including friendship groups, lunch clubs and dementia-friendly settings. It will also look at the potential for family and legacy story capture, helping individuals and families preserve memories, voices and personal stories in a dignified and accessible way.
As well as capturing memories of the past, the project will also encourage present-day reflections on belonging, identity, community and what matters now. In doing so, the pilot aims to build a richer picture of local life across Wigan Borough, told through the voices of the people who have lived it.
Founder of Community Story Hub, Gareth Williams, said: “This partnership feels like a very natural fit. Age UK Wigan Borough does so much to support identity, connection and community, and the Memory Makers initiative is built around exactly that – giving people the space to talk, reflect and be heard.
“Every Natter Matters is not about putting people on the spot or creating polished content. It is about gentle prompts, proper listening and capturing the small moments that often carry the real story of a person, a family or a place.
“Through the StoryHub app, we can support those conversations in a simple, structured way, while still keeping the human connection at the heart of everything. Over the six weeks, we want to learn what works, what people respond to and how this kind of storytelling can support wellbeing, belonging and connection in a really practical way.”
David Germain, CEO & Charity Lead at Age UK Wigan Borough, added: “There is a real alignment between Community Story Hub and the work we do at Age UK Wigan Borough. Much of our focus is on reducing loneliness, supporting older people to remain connected to their communities, and ensuring people feel valued and heard as they age.
“We know conversations matter. Often, behind every older person is a lifetime of experiences, resilience and stories that have helped shape Wigan Borough as we know it today. Those stories are not always captured in official records; they live within our communities and deserve to be heard.
“Initiatives like Every Natter Matters create opportunities not only to preserve local history, but to build confidence, connection, and purpose in the present. If we are serious about tackling loneliness and promoting wellbeing, creating spaces where people can share experiences and feel listened to has real value. I’m pleased Age UK Wigan Borough can be part of a pilot that brings together storytelling, community connection, and healthier ageing.”
The six-week pilot began in May, with more than 100 Age UK Wigan Borough community members expected to take part in the programme.
For more information about Community Story Hub, visit memory-makers.org or to learn more about Age UK Wigan Borough, visit www.ageuk.org.uk/wiganborough/.
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