Life Legacy Stories

We met up with local writer, Natalie Baldwin, to hear more about her new venture, Life Legacy, turning your loved ones memories into beautiful prose and poems.

We recently met up with local writer, Natalie Baldwin, to find out more about her new venture, Life Legacy.

For many years, Natalie has been writing eulogies and wedding speeches. More recently it dawned on her, that whilst we can create moving, heartfelt speeches to read at our loved ones funerals, wouldn’t it be even better if we could read that beautiful speech and have that person there, listening? So often we think only too late of the words we want to share, so Natalie has started a service where these thoughts and love can be put into prose, poems and letters and be heard by your loved one either at a special occasion, like an anniversary, birthday or family get together, or just sent in a letter.

Natalie sends the questionnaire she has created, with great questions such as, “who was your best friend at school?” to the client. This method, she believes is the best way to harvest her information, giving the person completing the questionnaire unlimited time to think and reminisce. As you complete the questionnaire, you will be amazed by the forgotten memories that are prompted, ready to have life breathed back into them and preserved into a crafted piece that is completely bespoke and unique. ‘Life Legacy’ clients have often commented that the process of populating the questionnaire is a cathartic journey of nostalgia and is as rewarding as the final product.

Her work is a great opportunity to celebrate the people who are special to you by recalling humorous anecdotes, recognising them for their achievements and expressing just how much they mean to you. It’s the most genuine way to honour someone or even a couple together. Or you could even create your own ‘Life Legacy’ – you have lived through challenges and successes of which you should be proud – share your stories with the world!

You may want a speech or poem to read aloud at a milestone birthday party – if so, Natalie can also provide an audio file to support you on how the text is intended to be expressed. Rhythm and pace can make a huge difference to the success of your delivery, so Natalie will guide you with an audio example of the intended presentation.

‘Life Legacy’ can condense life-stories into rhyming verse – you can choose whether you wish to read this aloud to the recipient, or simply slip into a birthday card or frame it for all to see.

Perhaps you are looking for a more discreet and personal gift? ‘Life Legacy’ provides a service of producing Memoir Letters and Reconciliation Letters perhaps for someone you have lost touch with. A Memoir Letter is a beautiful product that can be filed away with your will, marked for the attention of the intended recipient after your passing, or shared at your funeral ceremony.

‘Life Legacy’ will provide a questionnaire to be populated with all the content you would like to include in your written piece. Your final product will be delivered to you by email usually within ten working days and – whatever format you choose – once the words have been written, they will provide a legacy so that you or your loved-one will not only be remembered but will be known by generations to come….

Natalie is a lovely, approachable person who is super creative in her work. She would be only too happy to talk if you’d like to discuss your ideas around creating one of her memorable pieces, so if you’d like to get in touch with Natalie, go to her website Life Legacy (lifelegacylines.com)

We also asked Natalie to tell us about her business in the form of one of her poems, to get a taster of her work…enjoy!

When you’re with them and the thought occurs, it’s not easy to state it –

You want to tell them how you feel, but it’s hard to articulate it.

You make small talk over cups of tea, briefly before you go

Meaningful words are left unspoken, so they may never know….

All the memories you hold dear – all the moments that made you laugh!

How – if it hadn’t been for them – your life may have trod different path.

The things they do that make you smile; your favourite thing they said;

The colourful way their life and stories take up room in your head.

‘Life Legacy’ sends a questionnaire for you to populate;

An opportunity to take some time, reminisce and ruminate.

Breathe life into those memories that haven’t been dusted for years;