The Royal Mint Museum recently reached out to Hunters Down Care Home in Huntingdon, Cambridge regarding their 50th anniversary in partnership with Panasonic.
As part of their 50th anniversary celebrations, the Royal Mint Museum created a boxed experience to recount the memories of people who lived through decimalisation. This box was made extra special with the inclusion of a Panasonic Toughbook, full of even more fun and stimulating activities.
The Royal Mint Museum sent the home a Museum in a Box, which included replicas and original coins from the era. Each object was fitted with a special microchip in it which, when placed on the box, played an informative audio clip. Everyone loved this feature and found it exciting how the box would spring to life with information.
The people living at Hunters Down really enjoyed being able to touch the coins and listen to the history behind them. They thought it was a really fun and unique way to learn about the coins.
Most of the people taking part were able to pick up the coins and easily identify which ones they were. Dennis, one of the people living at Hunters Down, spoke of the days when the sixpence was also called the tanner, and the half-crown was known as 2 & 6. Residents even took time to explain decimalisation to members of the team, helping them understand it in more detail.
The coins brought back fond memories of days in their youth, and they had fun sharing these with the group. There were smiles and laughs across the group as everyone enjoyed the videos, audio tracks, and the quizzes that the Toughbook provided. The most popular feature was the collection of songs about money. Everyone had a good sing and dance as they listened to them, and this led to a larger discussion about the best money themed songs. Final suggestions featured ‘She works hard for the money’ by Donna Summers and ‘Brother can you spare a dime’ by Bing Crosby.
The Museum in a Box was the perfect afternoon activity, and everyone really enjoyed having the museum come to life in front of them. Hunters Down would like to thank the Royal Mint Museum for involving them; it was wonderful to help celebrate their 50th anniversary!
