The Metal Box of Memory When Bridget lost her grandmother and great aunt just two days apart in May 2020 each passing in different countries, the grief was compounded by the silence that followed. Both women had been pillars in her life: wise, warm, and always ready with advice. Their absence left a deep void, prompting Bridget to reflect on how their teachings could live on. To honour their memory, Bridget wrote a letter to herself titled Living Well, documenting the words and wisdom they had shared with her over the years. It became a personal archive, a letter filled with quotes like her grandmother’s reminder: "Love others, especially those who are difficult to love” , & her great aunt “smile back at a stranger as you never know if that’s the only positive contact they’ll have all day. " That letter now rests in a small metal box in Bridget’s living room. More than a keepsake, it became a source of strength during tough moments, especially as she witnessed friends experiencing similar losses of grandparents and elders. A pattern began to emerge, one that revealed a generational shift: the elders were leaving, and with them, their stories. Bridget began to ask: Who do we go to for wisdom now? She realised that her generation once the children of the village had become its question-askers and storykeepers. From that realisation came action. At family celebrations, she started encouraging her nieces and nephews to ask meaningful questions to their parents and grandparents. At one such event, her nine-year-old nephew asked her dad "Why did you choose to come to England?" It was a simple but powerful question that sparked deep reflection. Moved by these exchanges, Bridget has now launched Wisdom of the Village, a multimedia storytelling project that seeks to collect, co-create, and share personal, family, and community stories that honour the rich diversity of Black life and heritage. Starting in June, the project will focus on recording interviews with elders about their life journeys. Topics include migration, family traditions, career choices, experiences of racism, and lessons on love and celebration. The interviews will then be transformed into letters to the grandchildren, preserving their wisdom for future generations and creating their own metal box of wisdom.