YourTour: your very own 'Who Do You Think You Are?' experience

Let’s be honest, whilst we enjoy the challenge of research, we’d all love our own Who Do You Think You Are? experience. That’s the simple concept behind YourTour.

‘You and your family can gather round the laptop at an agreed time and receive an hour of pre-prepared material as a live online archive tour,’ explains James Hooper, Director of Historic Productions, the heritage company behind YourTour (sponsors of this post).

‘It's designed to be ultra-convenient for the customer (requiring only minimal time on their part) and a bonding opportunity for families who can dial in from anywhere.’

The power of family stories

The concept of YourTour came from James’ experience working in the heritage sector.

‘Bringing families together is a huge challenge in our busy world,’ he says. ‘I'd worked in the heritage sector for almost 20 years and appreciated the power and meaning that family history can have.

The problem was that not everyone can engage with family history research in the same way, so we wanted to create a new route to discovering and sharing these important and impactful stories: as guided conversations – literally “your tours”.’

How YourTour works

The innovative service allows families to discover stories together, in a simple, entertaining way.

‘More traditional forms of research typically involve either substantial work on the consumer’s side or the production of a lot of material by a professional genealogist which then has to be waded through by the customer,’ James says.

‘Our focus is on the delivery of a superbly researched one-hour live session and a 15-20 page report that follows. The emphasis is on conversation, presentation and meaningful entertainment for the whole family to engage with in real time.’

Each professional genealogist undergoes a thorough audition and training process to ensure the highest quality of research, and James is excited to share news of a new student placement scheme with the University of Strathclyde. Guides are also trained to handle unexpected discoveries and guests can choose whether or not to include sensitive information in the session and report.

What if I've already done lots of family history research?

The YourTour service is not a substitute for the research so many of us enjoy.

As James explains, it often adds a layer of understanding to the existing work. ‘We’ve found that some of our most impactful sessions have been with people (and their families) who are seasoned researchers,’ he says.

‘Often it is confirming their work but also confirming to their own families what an excellent job they’ve done – which seems to resonate!’

James truly recognised how YourTour can benefit even seasoned researchers when historian Tom Holland (of The Rest Is History podcast) participated.

‘It made us realise that even professional historians who “could” do this kind of research get a huge uplift from having the service provided for them in a time-bound and super-convenient framework,’ James says. You can view clips of Tom’s experience at www.yourtour.live.

Helping your own family history research

For the experienced genealogist, the service can also break down research brick walls, thanks to the way the results are presented. ‘The conversation and the live presentation is a very different process of discovery from the independent research,’ James confirms. 

The experience often inspires further research too. Indeed, that’s the whole point, James says. ‘We want to galvanise people, empower them to start or continue their family history journey, and do this as a family. Our motto is: Reveal, Heal, Reconnect and Keep.’

Whether you’re just starting to explore your roots or have been growing your family tree for years, this motto will surely ring true. 

Find out more about YourTour at: www.yourtour.live