Dacorum Heritage Invites Ovaltine Workers to Share Memories of Factory Life
Dacorum Heritage will hold a reminiscence event for former employees of the Ovaltine factory in Kings Langley on Saturday 26 October 2024.
This is an opportunity to see some of the Ovaltine objects that Dacorum Heritage cares for at its museum store. Former workers can recall their time working at the factory, using the objects as a spark for long-forgotten memories. Those who are willing can also have their reminiscences preserved in audio-visual form by taking part in a professionally filmed interview.
Lauren Wilson, Dacorum Heritage’s Ovaltine project assistant, explains, ‘You might have worked for Ovaltine for a year, for twenty years, on the production line or in the offices – we would love for you to come to this special, one-off event, and see some of our objects and talk about your time working in the factory.
‘Sharing your memories will help us to build up a picture of what it was like to work for Ovaltine, better understand the objects in our collection, and the impact of Ovaltine in Dacorum.’
Dacorum Heritage has stored the Ovaltine archive from Kings Langley for almost twenty years. It is an archive that spans the opening of the factory in 1913 to its closure in 2002. Objects range from packaging and office documents to advertising art-work and films, and LPs of the Ovaltiney radio show. Dacorum Heritage is now engaged in a project to increase engagement and digitisation of this archive that is normally inaccessible to the public, thanks to funding from the Garfield Weston Foundation and Arts Council England.
Ovaltine: a reminiscence event for former employees is a free event on Saturday 26 October, 2.30-4.30pm at Christ Church Baptist, The Nap, Kings Langley. Pre-registration required at the link below:
www.tickettailor.com/events/dacorumheritage/1375126
Or for queries, contact Dacorum Heritage’s Ovaltine Project Assistant, Lauren Wilson on LaurenWilson@dacorumheritage.org.uk/ 01442 879525.
Photo: Ovaltine products made at the factory in Kings Langley. Image courtesy of Dacorum Heritage © Associated British Foods.