New VR Project Revisits England's World Cup Glory

As the World Cup kicks off in Russia this June, UK fans will be hoping for a repeat of 30 July 1966, when the England squad triumphed in the tournament. And thanks to a pioneering VR film, sufferers of dementia and Alzheimer’s could be taking a virtual trip down memory lane to that very day.

The new film - which is currently being Kickstarted for £60,000 - will be the second offering from The Wayback, a free-to-download app which uses VR to spark memories and trigger conversations by fully immersing viewers in the sights and sounds of positive moments from the past, that have been recreated and filmed using the latest virtual reality technology.

The Wayback: the story so far

It follows on from the success of last year's inaugural experience, which brought the Queen’s 1953 Coronation celebrations to life in vivid colour through a street party, fancy dress competitions, games and sing-a-longs and placed viewers right in the heart of the action.

The inaugual Wayback film explored the 1953 Coronation celebrations

Originally conceived by Grey London creatives Dan Cole, Andy Garnett and Howard Green after members of their own families were diagnosed with dementia, The Wayback collective - which now includes director Kevin Thomas and producers Emma Fasson, Trent Simpson and Philippa Thomas of Thomas Thomas Films; 750mph; The Quarry and PR agency Harvard - provides its time and services for free to support the project.

“When we started The Wayback we wanted to help people relive positive memories in the hope it would connect them to the present day too," explains Grey's Cole. "Seeing the positive reaction to the Queen’s Coronation films, we want to do the same around the summer of 1966 – and England’s World Cup win. It’s another chance to relive a moment of genuine celebration and happiness for millions of people."

The deadline for raising the funds is 2 May 2018, with the team hoping to release the films in time for this year’s World Cup finals.