Time to rewind – Hampshire’s history celebrated with ‘100 Days of Film’
Hampshire County Council’s Wessex Film and Sound Archive launched ‘100 days of film’ in April – an online project enabling people, including those with dementia, to enjoy local film archive footage spanning from the 1910s to the 1970s

The County Council’s Executive Member for Recreation and Heritage, Councillor Seán Woodward, said: “At a time when many are staying at home, Wessex Film and Sound Archive has curated a fantastic, free collection of local film footage, revealing how residents lived their lives across the last century.
Among these are clips made available to help those living with dementia, as we know that interaction with film, photographs, treasured objects and favourite songs can all help stimulate fond thoughts of the past, and allow individuals to recall their own histories. Now everyone can enjoy them from the comfort of their own home through their computers, tablets and smart phones.”

Starting from 2 April 2020, film clips were shared at 9am daily via the Wessex Film & Sounds Archive’s YouTube Channel and also on the Hampshire Record Office Facebook page and @HantsArchives Twitter feed.

Councillor Woodward continued: “While Hampshire Record Office is currently closed during the coronavirus outbreak, we are striving to make sure that residents and visitors can still access the brilliant material we have on Hampshire’s heritage and history. I would encourage everyone to follow ‘100 Days of Film’ – it’s a remarkable project which, even though many of us are physically apart, connects all of us online in an exciting new way.”

Wessex Film and Sound Archive is keen to add to its cataloguing – so if people noticed something that is not captured in the description, they were encourage to leave a comment on the post itself so records could be updated.