A FORMER journalist has created a service to help others keep the memories of loved ones alive.

Ange Takats, a Longparish resident, has launched her new project, Before We Forget.

The service will look to help Hampshire families capture their stories, creating books, videos and songs to preserve the memories of loved ones.

Ange said: “So many of us have boxes of old black and white photos sitting under the stairs or in the cupboard.

“Sometimes there is a date or name written on the back — but that information will mean nothing to future generations which is why I am so passionate about documenting the stories behind the images.”

Ange's inspiration comes from a place close to home.

As an ex-journalist, she has interviewed people from all walks of life — politicians, movie stars, rebel leaders and refugees. But one of her greatest regrets is that she didn’t sit down with her own grandparents and write down the triumphs and tragedies of their lives.

“Those stories are now gone, forever,” she said.

“I know that my grandmother was a ballerina and that her dancing allowed her to escape Austria before things started to get really bad under Hitler but there are so many questions I would ask her if she were alive today.

“There’s so much more to her story that I will never know.”

Find out more about the project at beforeweforget.co.uk.