‘PARTY LIKE IT’S 1953’

Friends Reunited users share personal images and stories of street parties in honour of the Queen’s 60th year on the throne

It is a snapshot of Britain 60-years ago when millions of neighbours, parents and children gathered together in their streets across the country to celebrate Elizabeth II becoming Queen.

Following the nationwide support and festivities of the Golden Jubilee, Friends Reunited asked its users to share their cherished images and memories ahead of the 60th anniversary of the Coronation on 2nd June 2013.

The collection of pictures showcases the community spirit in neighbourhoods up and down the country as sandwiches were made and lemonade drinks handed out. From Dorset to Middlesbrough the streets were lined with regal-coloured bunting and children in fancy dress can be seen enjoying all the treats on offer.

Those that sent the pictures into Friends Reunited remembered neighbours getting together to make sure there were enough tables for the children, organising food and drink as well as games and competitions.

Matt Bushby, Head of Friends Reunited, said: “With the entire country in celebratory mood we thought it would be great to remember an iconic moment in British history, as we look ahead to create new memories to save and share with   our friends and family on Friends Reunited.

“It is really interesting to see the depth of community spirit and how everyone got together to celebrate the occasion. Often there were only a few televisions in each street so dozens of people would be crowded into living rooms around one black and white set.”

 ENDS

For more information, please contact:

Alice Harper / Kamran Haider

Mission PR

T: 0207 845 7800 

Email: friendsreunited@thisismission.com

Notes to editors

About Friends Reunited

Friends Reunited is the original social network with over 24 million members. Launched in 2000 as a back-bedroom hobby to put old school friends back in touch, it swiftly became a British media phenomenon. Today, the site has evolved to celebrate every blast from the past, becoming a central part of the Brightsolid mission to safeguard the nation’s history.

‘MEMORY IN A BOTTLE’

Friends Reunited create three limited edition fragrances encapsulating the nation’s memories of the 70s, 80s and 90s 

They were the decades that saw the introduction of disco and white-suited, medallion-wearing Travolta wannabes, the rise of Yuppies and the decline of the coal industry, and the musical dominance of the Spice Girls and Britpop. Now these iconic events have been ‘bottled’ to create three limited edition scents designed to capture the nation’s favourite memories of the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.

The ‘Scents of a Decade’ were put together by Friends Reunited after thousands of its users uploaded their own memories of each decade and a perfumer used them as inspiration to create Night Fever (70s), Vice (80s) and Take Spice (90s).

For those looking for an unusual Valentine’s Day gift, Friends Reunited has produced a limited supply of the ‘Scents of a Decade’ to give away to its members who can apply to win the fragrances via our Facebook page.

The genuine glitter flakes in Night Fever brings back the sparkle of the disco era. Its musky and seductive smell evokes the tropical heat and thunder of Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier’s legendary boxing battle, the Thriller in Manila while Liverpool FC’s European Cup glory era is represented by the hint of menthol recreating the lingering smell of deep heat in the team’s changing rooms.

Designed for those who still hanker to live the life of a Gordon Gekko-style ‘yuppie’, Vice contains actual particles of shredded £50 notes. This decadence is balanced with essence of coal to represent the dramatic impact Thatcherism had on the UK coal mining industry. Nuances of leather and hints of Miami sea air brings Don Johnson’s pastel wearing, crime fighting era in Miami Vice to life. A slight acidic edge presents the smell of perming lotion and hair crimpers which were so popular at the time. 

A combination of fragrant and heady spices in Take Spice celebrates the individuality of the Spice Girls. Britpop’s iconic battle between Blur and Oasis is brought to life with the addition of hay celebrating Blur chart victory with Country House, and essence of coconut creates a fresh breezy aroma taking us back to the shores of Baywatch and David Hasselhoff’s red shorts and sun block-wearing hey day. 

Professor Tim Jacob, an expert in olfaction [the study of smell] at Cardiff University, commented on how smells can evoke memories. He said: “Smell is unique among the senses in that it recalls the emotions surrounding the memory. The regions of the brain handling smell and memory are next door to each other and many connections run between them but, uniquely, smell also connects with the centres of the brain dealing with emotion. 

“Strong memories are formed when an ambient odour accompanies an experience with strong emotional content, such as childhood Christmases, or meeting your first serious boyfriend or girlfriend. These are sometimes called “autobiographical” memories because they relate to significant events or people in our life.”

Matt Bushby, Head of Friends Reunited, said: “ Friends Reunited now helps you remember all of your most cherished moments so we thought it would be really fun to see if we could evoke a sense of nostalgia amongst the British public by attempting to bottle the nation’s memories of the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.

“We took the ‘Scents of a Decade’ onto the streets and talked to people about their memories of those times. They all got a really positive reaction, so we’re now considering putting the fragrances into full production.”

To see the public’s reactions to the scents and to share your own memories of these decades please visit Friends Reunited and join the conversation on Twitter #Scentsofadecade.

ENDS

For more information, please contact:

Kamran Haider / Alice Harper

Mission PR

T: 0207 845 7800 

Email: friendsreunited@thisismission.com

Notes to editors 

About Friends Reunited

Friends Reunited is the original social network with over 24 million members. Launched in 2000 as a back-bedroom hobby to put old school friends back in touch, it swiftly became a British media phenomenon. Today, the site has evolved to celebrate every blast from the past, becoming a central part of the Brightsolid mission to safeguard the nation’s history.

FRIENDS REUNITED CELEBRATES THE ROLLING STONES’ 50TH ANNIVERSARY WITH EXCLUSIVE IMAGES

Never before seen images of the band taken by renowned photographer Denis O’Regan

Friends Reunited is honouring the launch of the Stones’ greatest hits album and upcoming anniversary tours by sharing exclusive up close and personal images of the band.

Working exclusively with Denis O’Regan, who has been official photographer to numerous rock bands for over 30 years, Friends Reunited has curated a gallery of images that give an intimate insight to life with the band through unique moments captured on camera.

The legendary rockers performed their first ever gig at the Marquee Club in London back in 1962. Having spent many years with the artists on the road, Denis shares his anecdotes and unique memories on Friends Reunited.

The new Friends Reunited is for sharing those ‘Remember When?’ moments, so in addition to the online gallery, it is inviting everyone to share their own special memories of The Rolling Stones as part of a photography competition to a festival next year.

Denis O’Regan said: “I have so many memories and photos in my collection that I’ve never had a chance to share. I’m really excited by the Friends Reunited campaign as it gives me a great platform to share the context and story behind the moment, which makes the images so special. As a fan myself I hope my photographs will encourage other fans to share their own, especially with the upcoming anniversary concerts.”

Upload your images and stories of The Rolling Stones; anything from being in the audience at their first tour, watching them live at the Bigger Bang Tour, meeting the band members or hearing their debut single ‘Come On’ for the very first time.

Matt Bushby, head of Friends Reunited, said: “Denis’ photographs showcase moments in history and offer a snapshot of life on tour for one of the biggest bands in the world. The new Friends Reunited is about capturing memories and sharing the personal stories and experiences behind them, so we thought what better way to celebrate The Rolling Stones’ amazing career than by giving fans a special insight into an unseen collection of images.”

Enjoy the specially created gallery of The Rolling Stones’ career spanning 50 years and share what you remember

  

ENDS

 For further information, please contact:

Alice Harper / Kamran Haider

Mission PR

0207 845 7800

friendsreunited@themission.com

OR

Carolynne Bull-Edwards

brightsolid

cbull-edwards@brightsolid.com

Mobile: 07932723866

About Friends Reunited

Friends Reunited is the original social network with over 24 million members. Launched in 2000 as a back-bedroom hobby to put old school friends back in touch, it swiftly became a British media phenomenon. Today, the site has evolved to celebrate every blast from the past, becoming a central part of the brightsolid mission to safeguard the nation’s history.

About brightsolid

brightsolid began life in 1995 as Scotland Online.  It now has two divisions; brightsolid online publishing and brightsolid online technology. brightsolid online technology is a leading UK independent provider of online IT business services.  brightsolid online publishing has a number of innovative online businesses around people and places including Friends Reunited and leading family history brands Genes Reunited, ScotlandsPeople and the findmypast global network.

The family history sites deliver access to over a billion records dating as far back as 1200. Family historians can search for their ancestors among global collections, relating primarily to people with UK and Irish ancestry, of military records, census, migration, occupation directories, and current electoral roll data, as well as birth, marriage and death records.

brightsolid was awarded The National Archives’ contract to digitize and publish online the 1911 census for England and Wales, which it launched in January 2009. Most recently, in November 2011, the online innovation group launched the British Newspaper Archive in partnership with the British Library, to digitize up to 40 million pages of historic newspapers over the next 10 years, providing a unique insight into major events and key periods of historical international interest.

Headquartered in Dundee, the company is owned by the publishers D.C. Thomson, and also has operations in Edinburgh, London, Dublin, Sydney and Los Angeles.

FRIENDS REUNITED LAUNCHES MOBILE APP TO HELP SAVE YOUR MEMORIES

  • ‘My Keepsafe’ app offers an easy way to scan, back-up and share photos
  • Simple privacy settings put members in control
  • Available on Android and iPhone

The new Friends Reunited, which launched earlier this year as the place to celebrate those ‘Remember when?’ moments, has launched a new mobile app to help people turn their old photos, tickets, letters and memorabilia into lasting memories. ‘My Keepsafe’ is available now, and for free, on Android and iPhones.

Continue Reading

THE PHOTOS YOUR PARTNER WON’T BE SHOWING YOU

  • 43 per cent of Brits keep photographs of former partners

Friends Reunited reveals that 21.6 million Brits have kept photographs of former partners as a reminder of special times or because they still have feelings for their exes.

The latest findings from Friends Reunited highlight that men may be hiding more from their partners than their other halves realise. One in five men (20%), in a current relationship who have photos of their ex partners, say they have kept photos of their ex hidden as they don’t think their new partner would approve, compared to only nine per cent of women.

Interestingly men seem to have more weighing on their conscience, as 17 per cent said they ‘sometimes feel guilty about keeping photos of their ex partners’, compared to just 11 per cent of their female counterparts. Although they may have good reason for feeling a secret guilt about the photos as more than one in ten men who keep photos of their ex partners (12%) admit they still have feelings for their ex, compared to only five percent of women!

Continue Reading

BRITS PROUD OF THE POUND

…ALONG WITH OUR MORE TRADITIONAL ASSETS

  • Over two thirds of Brits (68%) would rate their ‘Britishness’ at seven out of ten or higher 
  • Cynical Londoners and Scots least likely to feel like true Brits 
  • Americans still associate Britain with tea, Wimbledon and cricket 
  • Sir David Attenborough tops list of top Brits’ celebrities, while those in the US opt for national treasure Dame Judi Dench

As Britain starts its summer of celebrations with the Jubilee this weekend, quickly followed by the Olympics, a new cross Atlantic study by Friends Reunited reveals that patriotic Brits are feeling extremely positive about their national identity, with over two thirds of Brits (68%) currently ranking their feelings of ‘Britishness’ as seven out of ten or higher.

Continue reading »

BRING BACK PENNY SWEETS

BRING BACK PENNY SWEETS AND ‘DANDELION AND BURDOCK’ CALL NOSTALGIA CRAVING BRITS

  • 22% of Brits want to put penny sweets back on the shelves
  • Smith’s Salt and Shake crisps top the comeback list for men
  • A quarter (25%) of over 55’s want to see a return of Spangles Sweets

Penny sweets and ‘Dandelion and Burdock’ soft drink have topped a poll of the food and drink people would most like to see revived. Friends Reunited asked Brits which food and drink products they miss the most from their past, either because it had completely disappeared, or was less available than it once was.

Continue reading »

IT’S NOT JUST OLD SCHOOL:

FRIENDS REUNITED TO LAUNCH NEW SITE TO CELEBRATE EVERY BLAST FROM YOUR PAST

  • Members will be able to access over 10 million “memories” on the site
  • Owner brightsolid has signed deals with The Press Association and photographic archive company The Francis Frith Collection to provide iconic nostalgic images
  • Simple privacy settings put members firmly in control

brightsolid, the online publishing group, announced the launch of the new Friends Reunited today, as the place to celebrate those ‘Remember when?’ moments. The beta site will go live on Tuesday 27 March 2012.

Continue reading »

TRADE: FRIENDS REUNITED TO LAUNCH NEW SITE TO CELEBRATE EVERY BLAST FROM YOUR PAST

  • Members will be able to access over 10 million “memories” on the site 
  • Owner brightsolid has signed deals with The Press Association and photographic archive company The Francis Frith Collection to provide iconic nostalgic images
  • Opportunity for brands to store and showcase their heritage

brightsolid, the online publishing group, is about to launch  the new Friends Reunited, as the place to celebrate those ‘Remember when?’ moments.  The beta site will go live on Tuesday 27 March 2012.

Continue reading »