A businessman is launching a new product to help families capture their histories through the spoken word.

John Royle has come up with a new idea of the Memory Box, linking new technology with old, to allow families to collect memories and attach them to the time and place with printed photographs.

He and his main business, Chronicle Digital Storytelling, will launch the product at the Alzheimer's Show in London in June.

Mr Royle said: "My grandfather died almost 40 years ago so when I discovered an old cassette tape with a recording of him wishing my grandmother a Happy Birthday. I was bowled over to hear his voice again.

"For a brief moment I got to share a smile with him again after all these years. My own children also now know what their great grandfather sounded like.

Ipswich Star: The Chronicle Memory Box allows people to bring printed photographs to life, by adding a voice or audio recording to them. Picture: DAVID VINCENTThe Chronicle Memory Box allows people to bring printed photographs to life, by adding a voice or audio recording to them. Picture: DAVID VINCENT (Image: Archant)

"Chronicle is all about helping people to record their memories, so creating the Memory Box was a natural product for us."

Photograph prints are given an electronic sticker and by tapping the box, it is ready to record a person's thoughts and memories.

They are then stored to retrieve later.

"It could be good for family history," he said. "Or perhaps you could use it for weddings or funerals when people get together.

"And it could be useful getting older people with dementia, but who have good memories of earlier times, to share them."