In a world where every moment is captured on a mobile phone and uploaded to social media, a unique writing course in Dorset is helping people to put their memories down on paper.

The ‘Start your Memoirs’ course was created by published author Sheena Dearness of Weymouth.

The former business studies and law lecturer has been running writing courses ever since moving to Dorset more than a decade ago.

Her latest course, though, has been helping people to capture their memories outside of the digital world.

“I say write about your life, we live in an interesting time, that is what the focus of the course is about,” she explains.

“I was a teacher and lecturer for years, writing courses being delivered in colleges in business studies and law.

“When I retired, I decided to spend time writing and couldn’t find a course so I started one.”

Sheena originally started creative writing in Crossways, which has been running for 11 years but is now focused on her memoir courses.

“It’s about passing it on to people who are going to read your memoirs, like your children and grandchildren,” she added.

The ten week course provides people with different skills and techniques in capturing their memories and helps trigger people’s recollections of holidays, friendships or of family.

One of the people to have undertaken Sheena’s course, Andy Nineham, spoke about how the course helped to invoke memories of a childhood Christmas.

He said: "I’ve just completed a ten-session course on writing my memoirs, something I promised myself to do once I retired.

“My earliest recollection of Christmas was during the mid to late 50s when I was nearly 5 years old.”

Andy recounts intricate details about that Christmas, including a spiderweb of creche paper, a locally bought Christmas tree and problems with the lights if a bulb blew.

He added: “Mum would add silver tinsel (angel hair), hanging it over the crepe paper spider web and on the tree, holly would be placed on the top of all the hanging pictures and cotton wool ‘snow’ would be carefully placed on the tree and holly.

"When we came down in the morning it seemed as if something magical had happened overnight.”

Not only has the course been used to help invoke memories that people can pass down to their families, but it has helped people learn how to trace their family trees, unearthing some unusual facts in some cases.

Another course participant, Charlie Owen, said: “The sessions on how to build a family tree and how to obtain long missing birth, marriage and death certificates were invaluable.

"Indeed, it threw up the revelation that my great-uncle's marriage to my aunt was bigamous - something the family was completely unaware of."

The next series of fortnightly sessions start in Weymouth at the Mission Hall in Sutton Poyntz on the afternoon of Tuesday, February 27.

To book a place or to find out more about other sessions Sheena offers contact her via email at sheenadearness51@gmail.com