For people living with dementia, familiar music, photographs, films and memories can provide powerful opportunities for conversation, connection and emotional engagement.

The Jolly Trolley® brings these experiences together in one portable, easy-to-use system that can become part of everyday life within a care home.

Residents can enjoy familiar songs, reminiscence content, photographs, videos, karaoke, quizzes, games and personalised media, allowing activities to be adapted to different interests, abilities and moods.

Its mobility is also a key part of the design.

Care teams can move the Jolly Trolley® from room to room, taking activities directly to residents rather than relying solely on organised group sessions or dedicated activity spaces. This allows it to support one-to-one engagement, small groups and larger communal activities throughout the day.

For a resident, it might mean hearing a favourite song from their younger years, watching footage of a familiar place, looking through family photographs or joining others for a sing-along.

These everyday moments can help stimulate memories, encourage conversation and create opportunities for residents, relatives and care staff to connect.

The Jolly Trolley® was designed to be much more than an entertainment system. It was created as a practical tool that care teams could use regularly to support activity provision, reminiscence and wellbeing.

Winning the Design in Mental Health Award in 2019 was an important recognition of Little Islands’ commitment to creating environments and products that put the individual at the centre of the design process.

For Little Islands, good design within dementia care should never simply be about how something looks. It should have a purpose.

It should encourage interaction, help create familiarity, support staff and, most importantly, contribute towards a positive everyday experience for the people using it.

The Jolly Trolley® continues to embody that approach — combining technology, reminiscence and activity within a simple, mobile format that can be incorporated into the daily life of a care home.

The award also reflected Little Islands’ wider approach to dementia-friendly design: creating stimulating, interactive environments that encourage participation rather than simply providing spaces for people to occupy.

Whether through specialist interiors, reminiscence environments or interactive products such as the Jolly Trolley®, Little Islands aims to create opportunities for people to engage, communicate, remember and enjoy meaningful moments.

The 2019 Design in Mental Health Award remains an important milestone for Little Islands and recognition of the thinking behind the Jolly Trolley® — demonstrating how a carefully designed activity tool can support both residents and the people caring for them.

Today, the Jolly Trolley® continues to bring music, reminiscence, activities and shared experiences directly to residents, helping care teams turn ordinary moments into opportunities for engagement and connection.