The first Easter Bank Holiday without any restrictions in three years is behind us, and families throughout the UK were finally able to reminisce on time together in person again. With the influx of family photos and stories being shared throughout social media, it’s clear that this time together isn’t likely to be taken for granted any time soon, and people are keen to document every moment they can.

The importance of documenting our experiences is becoming ever more important, demonstrated through a nationally representative survey conducted by the nation’s leading biographer – StoryTerrace – who found that over a million Brits feel that by the age of 40 they will have experienced enough to write a biography. Each day we are contributing to the telling of our own narrative, through the people we meet, the small acts of kindness, or that one opportunity that you said ‘yes’ to which redefined your journey. Despite how immense the task may seem, we as a collective document our lives daily. Whether that be through an Instagram post, Twitter update, or never deleting our previous conversations with our friends, the data is all there. But what if instead we were to capture and preserve these experiences by producing our very own memoir?

Key stats:

Over half of Brits (51%) wish they could tell their younger self to document their family’s life story, as they feel most of it has been forgotten
71% say they wish they knew more about their grandparents’ life stories, as they only know vague accounts about their experiences
62% said they value and prioritise the relationship now more than ever between their parents and their grandchildren because of how little they were able to see each other in the past two years

Rutger Bruining, Founder and CEO of StoryTerrace, comments on how the stories that leave the largest impact can’t always be found in store:

“In my experience, the stories that have left the biggest impact on me are ones that I hear from my family. Most profoundly, the stories my grandfather used to tell me when I was younger which have resonated with me since I was young. It’s easy to get caught up with the lives of other people, most commonly, the celebrities in the media, but sometimes you needn’t look so far to hear about someone’s incredible story. Often the most touching experiences we hear about are from our grandparents, or people we know.

“It is easy to forget the minor but significant details which happen to us in our everyday lives. From the wins to the drawbacks, we are all navigating our life story as it plays out. The beauty of StoryTerrace is that we get the privilege of gaining that extra insight into the lives of people all over the world – embracing and documenting diversity and individuality in its best form.”