Alzheimer’s Society Turns England’s 1966 World Cup Glory Into ‘Lost Memorybilia’

Alzheimer’s Society has launched Lost Memorybilia through New Commercial Arts, a print and online campaign marking 60 years since England’s 1966 legendary World Cup victory.

The campaign spotlights three unique and handcrafted pieces of memorabilia that cruelly forget seemingly unforgettable moments from the iconic match. This includes a hand-woven scarf that forgets England’s opponents in the final, a rosette misremembering the stadium of the last match, and a collectable-style coin. One side can’t recall hat-trick hero Sir Geoff Hurst’s name, the other struggles to recall the iconic 4-2 scoreline against West Germany.

Whilst marking 60 years since England lifted the Jules Rimet trophy, the campaign serves as a vital reminder that dementia continues to steal the very core memories we all assume will be with us for life. Lost Memorybilia coincides with an in-colour rerun of the final on Channel 4 raising funds for Alzheimer’s Society. The work will run across national press and online media.

The pieces, hand-made and crafted by Ben Millar and Liz Putland, a team of world class model-makers, were photographed by acclaimed photographer and director Sam Nicklin, who said:

“It means a lot to be a part of this campaign, not only because I love the game, but also have a deep respect and personal connection to the work Alzheimer’s Society does with my father having Frontotemporal Dementia. I grew up hearing stories about my Grandad and Great Grandad playing football with their army regiment through my dad, and now with his diagnosis, these stories bring me even closer to him and mean more to me than ever before. Football brings so many people together through collective memories and stories, which is what I love so much about the sport. This campaign has allowed me to use my photographic practice to honour those memories."

​Alex Hyde-Smith, chief marketing officer at Alzheimer’s Society, said, “England’s historic 1966 triumph should be etched into the memories of those who witnessed it, but for around one million people living with dementia, the UK’s biggest killer, this is sadly not the case. This unique and creative campaign brings home the unflinching reality of dementia and reinforces why our mission to end its devastation is needed now more than ever.”

​Dan Seager and Steve Hall, ECDs, New Commercial Arts said, “Subverting football memorabilia to tell the story of memory loss is a powerful and poignant idea. This campaign uses an iconic moment in culture to highlight the devastating impact dementia has on people’s most treasured memories.”