MEET RICHARD & KRIS
Meet Richard & Kris
Storykeepers is a new service run by us, Rich and Kris Clapp.
It began close to home, with a box of family photographs, familiar faces, handwritten notes and stories we didn’t want to lose.
The moment Storykeepers began to take shape.
The idea began close to home.
Kris lost both of her parents over a decade ago, and during a recent loft declutter we came across a box of family photographs documenting their lives — from their early years through to her Dad’s 90th birthday.
Inside that box were more than pictures. There were people, places, handwritten notes, familiar faces, half-remembered moments and stories we didn’t want to lose.
That was the moment Storykeepers began to take shape.
With Rich’s background in photography, image restoration and print, we knew we could help preserve the photographs themselves. But just as importantly, we understood how precious the stories around them can be — and how easily they can disappear if no one takes the time to save them.
Storykeepers was created to help other families do the same: preserve the photographs that matter, restore the ones that need care, and turn family memories into something that can be seen, shared and passed on.
WHY IT MATTERS
Why old photographs matter to us
Old photographs matter to us because we know what they can hold — and how easily those stories can disappear.
Between us, we have both lost parents. Kris has lost both of hers, and Rich has lost his father. Like many families, we have children and grandchildren who will only know some of those people through the photographs, stories and details we choose to pass on.
That became very real to us when we started looking properly through our own family photographs.
Kris’s family history reaches back through generations: grandparents and great-grandparents living in the same harbourside terrace, in the same house passed down through the family; a father who grew up during the Blitz and served as a pilot in the Second World War.
Rich’s family has its own history too — including a grandfather who was a sailor in the Second World War and survived a sinking, and many people, places and stories that could easily have faded or been forgotten if they had not been held in old albums, handwritten notes and photographs carefully kept over the years.
Some stories survive because someone wrote a name on the back of a print. Some survive because an album was organised and kept safe. Some survive because a photograph prompted a conversation.
That is why Storykeepers matters to us.
We know not every child or grandchild will be interested straight away. But one day, someone may be. Someone may want to know where they came from, who their grandparents were, where they lived, what they did, and what stories shaped them.
When that moment comes, the photographs matter.
Storykeepers exists because we believe those images are worth preserving — not only for the people who remember them now, but for the generations who may come looking later.
A NOTE FROM RICH
Photography, print and the value of a finished piece.
For me, Storykeepers brings together so much of what I care about: photography, print, restoration, design and the emotional value of a finished piece.
I have always believed that photographs are at their most powerful when they are printed, held, framed, displayed or shared — not just stored somewhere and forgotten.
There is something very special about taking an old image that has been faded, marked or hidden away for years, and helping it become visible again.
Sometimes that means carefully restoring a damaged photograph. Sometimes it means preparing an image for print. Sometimes it means helping shape a collection into a book or keepsake that a family can actually use and enjoy.
The technical side matters, of course. But the reason behind it matters more.
These are people’s families. Their memories. Their history. That deserves care.
A NOTE FROM KRIS
You start with the box, and the stories follow.
For me, Storykeepers began with that box of photographs from my parents’ lives.
Finding them brought back so many memories, but it also made me realise how easily these stories can disappear. There were faces, places and moments I recognised, and others I wished I had asked more about while I still could.
That is one of the reasons this work feels so important.
Old photographs can help people remember, talk and feel connected. They can bring comfort after someone has gone. They can help families share stories across generations. They can also mean a great deal to someone living with memory loss, when familiar faces and places may still spark recognition or conversation.
I know how personal these collections can be.
That is why I want Storykeepers to feel gentle, thoughtful and human — a service where people feel comfortable saying, “I have this box of photographs, but I don’t really know where to start.”
Because that is often all it takes. You start with the box, and the stories follow.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR PHOTOGRAPHS
Start with what you have.
Whether you have one special photograph, a fragile family album, a box from the loft or a collection inherited from someone you love, we would be happy to help you understand what is possible.
You do not need to have everything organised. You do not need to know exactly what you want. You do not need to have all the answers.
Just tell us what you have, and we’ll guide you from there.