“I have witnessed the joy these recordings bring to loved ones and also seen first-hand the therapeutic value of telling your life story, and I am now determined to let more people benefit.”
Barbara Altounyan,
Founder and Trustee of Stories for Life
A film about Dr Roger Altounyan, starring David Suchet.
HOW OUR STORY BEGAN
Our story started when TV Exec Barbara Altounyan, our founder, recorded her own father’s life story when he was end of life.
Her father Dr Roger Altounyan discovered the first ever anti asthma drug and spinhaler in Britain during the 1960’s saving many people’s lives around the world.
As a child her father also featured as Ship’s Boy Roger, a fictional character in Arthur Ransome’s classic book Swallows & Amazons.
Our charity is dedicated to his memory
After seeing first-hand the therapeutic benefits for her father, Barbara was determined to help others to record their life stories too.
She became a part time Biographer at Princess Alice Hospice in Esher and later officially launched The Hospice Biographers charity in November 2017, training well over a 100 volunteers in some 60 hospices across Britain, till 2020.
When Covid struck, our charity seized the opportunity to broaden its remit and change its name to Stories for Life. This enabled us to include Storytellers in the twilight years of their lives, regardless of where they are being cared for.
We’d love to hear from you
If you’re from a
hospice
If you’re
from an
organisation
If you’re a family
member
If you’d like
to tell
your story
If you’re from a
charity
If you’d
like to
volunteer