Every family has stories

it never wants to lose 

What happens to the stories we never think to ask about? Those meaningful moments that stitched together capture a person’s life.

We help people tell the story of their lives in their own voice, through engaging, structured conversations that become a beautifully written and designed book, for their family to treasure, share and revisit for years to come.

Lorna’s life story: “I want my grandchildren to know who I am.”

Your story so far

We think we know the broad outlines of our family history. 

We might know where people grew up, who they married, the jobs they did, and the places they lived.

But the broad outlines are not the whole story

It’s the friendships that shaped them, the adventures they took, and the pivotal moments that changed everything. It’s the challenges they overcame, the people who influenced them, and the surprise photos captured along the way. Above all, it’s the memories that still make us smile, years later.

We remember people through stories,  the moments that bring a life to life.

Unless someone takes the time to ask, many of these stories remain untold and disappear forever.

This is not about writing the final word on a life. 

It's about capturing your story so far.

Each life story is different, but the process is engaging and simple, collaborative and built around you.

The conversations are only the beginning. Between them, we listen back, find the threads that matter, write, edit and refine each chapter before the words and pictures come together.

1. Discovery

We begin by understanding why you want to tell your story, who it is for and what matters most to you. Together we agree where to begin and the stories you most want your book to capture.

2. Conversations

Through a series of relaxed, recorded conversations we explore the memories, people and experiences that have shaped your life. There is no fixed script: we ask questions and follow the stories wherever they lead.

3. Writing

We turn what we have heard into a clear, engaging narrative that sounds unmistakably like you. Memories become chapters, and the book begins to take shape.

4. Review

You remain in control throughout, with opportunities to refine or clarify each chapter before we move on.

5. Design

We bring the writing with carefully chosen photographs, captions and family material, to create a book that feels personal, attractive and easy to read. We will ask you to provide up to 100 photos to illustrate your life at the beginning of the process, these also act as brilliant conversation prompts and will be returned to you at the end of the process.

6. Delivery

You receive a finished, print-ready version of your life story. If you wish, we can arrange professionally-printed hardback copies for family and friends.

From start to finish, we would expect each book to take three months to complete.

We will keep one copy of the finished book for record, in case you need a reprint - and so that we can return to it to add new chapters.

How it works

We believe in being transparent about the cost of writing. A Golden Thread life story starts at £2,700 which covers 40-50 hours of work that goes into each book from the first conversation to the finished product. 

That typically includes:

A Discovery conversation where you identify key focuses of your life, along with the initial document this will help provide chapter headings and a framework. 

After Discovery we book up to eight recorded interview conversations with the subject of around an hour/90 mins each, either face to face or online* usually over a 6 week period. We use the following three weeks to write, edit, and layout the design of a finished story of around 12,000 words, or about 60 pages. This fee includes structured conversation, writing, editing, design layouts (including cover) and approvals. 

Some stories need more time and more room. If we think yours will, or if you do, we’ll talk it through with you and agree a fee before we begin.

Professionally printed hardback copies can also be arranged and are priced separately.

*We understand that not everyone is digitally proficient, if online calls are challenging and if it’s possible, we can interview in person but travel costs may be incurred. 

How much is it?

Who We Are

Golden Thread began with a simple shared belief: every life contains stories worth preserving.

Our own families have shown us that the opportunity to hear those stories can disappear sooner than we imagine. And we’re always surprised when they do.

We believe the best stories are discovered through curiosity, careful listening and thoughtful conversation, not by simply recording dates and events.

Sophie is a communications professional with more than 20 years’ experience in the television and creative industries. During her career, she has helped people and organisations find what matters and express it with clarity and sensitivity.

Tom is a writer, storyteller and editor. Throughout his 30-year career in brand communications, he has helped make complicated things easier to understand – finding the thread at the heart of an idea and telling it in a way that people enjoy reading.

Questions you may have

  • You'd be surprised. What makes a life interesting is not dramatic fame, international recognition or extraordinary achievements, but the experiences, relationships and moments, big and small, that made you who you are, and that capture you best. Those are often the stories your family will value most, because they are unique to you. 

  • Ha! We love this question, and the answer is not at all. This is your story so far, not the final word on your life. Your book can stand as it is, or you can return to it anytime and add new chapters. You can see it as a stand-alone, or a first volume of a trilogy/library.

  • You don’t need to, because we can’t narrate every single second of a life, but we can capture a life through big and small moments and tell those stories in your voice . It’s one of the reasons why we champion conversations as a way of finding out about our clients. A thoughtful question, an old photograph, or just the mention of a place or a name can prompt memories you haven’t thought about for years. We’re not trying to record every detail, but to capture who you are and to tell stories about your life that illustrate how you became you. 

  • At the beginning. We know that the process can be quite daunting, even just to consider writing your life down in a coherent order can feel quite overwhelming, which is why conversation is central. We follow a process and have a set of questions and discussion topics that will gently help prompt recall.

  • This is your story, and you decide what belongs in it. You don’t have to discuss anything you’d rather keep private, and nothing will be included without your agreement. The reason Tom and I see conversation as such an important part of the process is to capture your voice. This book is what you want to say about your life, and you will have approval before printing.

  • Most of our life stories take around three months to produce, from the first conversation to the finished version of your book. We agree a pace that suits you, with time between conversations to write and review each chapter.

  • Yes, this is true. And anyone can be an expert with enough training and application. We know plenty of people who’ve had this intention, but far fewer who followed through. Despite all the journaling tools available, either physically or online, writing your life story is quite overwhelming - where to start, where to stop, what to keep and what to drop.

    Golden Thread makes this an enjoyable experience. Reviewing one’s life can be daunting, but it should be fun, but being guided by Sophie and Tom at Golden Thread means you’re in safe, human hands. We love stories, we love people and we love writing, and we can’t wait to tell your story

Every life story begins with a conversation. If you’re thinking about telling your own story, or helping someone in your family tell theirs, we’d love to hear from you.

Email or give us a ring.

Sophie Edwards
sophie@goldenthreadstories.co.uk or 07931 785151

Tom Barton
tom@goldenthreadstories.co.uk or 07957 143730

Let’s talk