Final Covid19 Response Images

The final small set of images from my time with Age UK Camden documenting their Covid19 response.

A real pleasure to work with such a passionate, motivated & really great bunch of people, who have given a lot to their community.

#commuinty #covid19 #response #camden #london #ageukcamden #charity

AgeUK Camden – Covid19 Response 2020

AgeUK Camden – Covid19 Response 2020

AgeUK Camden – Covid19 Response 2020

AgeUK Camden – Covid19 Response 2020

AgeUK Camden – Covid19 Response 2020

Community Response in London

Around two months ago, I spent a couple of days with the inspirational & hardworking staff of Age UK Camden – documenting their proactive, community response to the #Covid19 crisis.

I’ve previously posted a couple of portraits, here is a collection of some of the other images shot whilst in Camden, during the difficult period in May 2020.

#AGEUKCAMDEN #London #Response #pandemic #documentary

AgeUK Camden – Covid19 Response 2020

AgeUK Camden – Covid19 Response 2020

AgeUK Camden – Covid19 Response 2020

AgeUK Camden – Covid19 Response 2020

AgeUK Camden – Covid19 Response 2020

AgeUK Camden – Covid19 Response 2020

Our Labrador

I’m not normally one to share pictures of ‘family’ but I simply couldn’t resist posting this beautiful photo of the boy – shot last weekend, in the late evening light.

#Labrador #pet #dogpicture

Simon – The charismatic owner of Risi Bici

Simon – The charismatic owner of Risi Bici

Part of my on going portrait project

“I grew up in Stamford in Lincolnshire with my grandparents Margarita & Petro. They were from the south of Italy, borrowing money to come to England following the Battle of Monte Cassino which saw their region reduced to rubble and cost the lives of an estimated 75000.

Despite my age I had a 1950’s upbringing with chickens, home grown vegetables and wooden outhouses which were converted into a distillery in which there were 100’s of litres of red wine fermenting.

Different nationalities bring their cultures and it seemed my destiny to either become a builder, chef, ice cream man, cobbler or barber. I’d like to add I wanted to be a pop star at this point not an ice cream man. It’s hard to describe the level of importance that food plays in an Italian household but I suppose this belief shaped my 20 year career in Italian delis in the U.K. The long story short is Norfolk offered me an opportunity via time spent in London & Norway studying to teach music and media. As time went by I built up a commercial recording studio here which I ran successfully for 10 years.

In 2012 I moved to Great Yarmouth where I live to this day. As the years rolled by I began to reassess my upbringing which inevitably brought me back to Italian food. There is a link between food and memory and through my cooking. My grandparents lives are remembered and celebrated”

#Norfolk #risibici #cafe #greatyarmouth #norfolk #food #portraiture #portrait #italian #healthy #livestories

Inspirational Story for #Suffolkday

As #Suffolkday is around the corner, I wanted to share an inspirational portrait and an incredible story from someone I met in 2019 and photographed as part of the Water, Mills and Marshes: the Broads Landscape Partnership funded portraiture project.

Ivan Humble
Ex English Defence League Regional Organiser

“I’ve been a Lowestoft lad all my life. I had the usual upbringing, to be fair it was pretty good compared to most on my estate.

I suffered with Mental health issues and had a craving to be normal. I started smoking cannabis, which helped in a way, but then I was spending a lot of time indoors, reading stuff, browsing the internet and stuff like that. I guess it all really changed in 2009.
Our troops had a homecoming parade in Luton and I remember seeing the abuse the troops were getting from some of the Luton residents. It was a real concern for me and I felt disgruntled.

I put a paragraph on Facebook, ranting about what had happened. Within minutes, someone got in contact and it felt like someone was interested in me and we talked for hours. He mentioned about a street protest and to be honest, you got to remember my life was shit at the time. It was a tough time. Suddenly I felt part of something. Within four months we went to a protest and it kicked off, people started to notice me and I was becoming something. I was becoming something in the EDL, it was like a football awayday. I felt like a man again.
I guess things began to change a little after a demo in Peterborough. We caused a lot of problems.
A couple of weeks later, the mosque we harassed invited us (regional EDL) back for a cup of tea and cake. I couldn’t get my head around it. But that stuck with me for a year or so.
Life changed when I was in Norwich a year later. Two Muslim women passed me; they were at a religious meeting in the forum, so I followed them. I was angry, knocking on the windows. A man came out, an awkward silence followed, I had adopted a stance, ready in case something happened. I then said I’m EDL.. he moved towards me and hugged me, saying he had wanted to meet with the EDL for some time.
Over time we started talking weekly, monthly and gradually life began to change. It took a long time and was a slow process, but was really productive. I started talking to a former Jihadist in Ipswich and we understood each other. I learnt a lot from him and a bond was formed.
I now work with intervention charities and put something back into the community. Labels are dangerous, I’ve learnt that”

#suffolk #lowestoft #mentalhealth #lifechanging #access #portraiture

I

A Portrait of Paul

Another one of the important front line key workers of Age UK Camden – Shot at the beginning of May while the Covid19 pandemic was in ‘full swing’

Spending hours each day on the phone, organising meal deliveries, food parcels and support for the residents of Camden.
Truly astonishing and hugely valued work.

#ageukcamden #london #camden #covid19 #keyworker #charity #sector #portrait

AgeUK Camden – Covid19 Response 2020

Salima & Musimlwia at their Norwich home

Last year I met Salima & Musimlwia at their Norwich home, enjoying a wonderful chat, with some great coffee and a moving story.

I was fortunate enough to hear their story and photograph them, as part of the #portrait project with Water, Mills and Marshes: the Broads Landscape Partnership

Spoken in their own words.

“All we need in DRC is Peace”

“We have been in the UK for 10 years, a long time, but our English is still a little broken.
My Family is from DRC Congo. With the politics they do some bad things, some terrible things. They are not in reality”
“We come from Bukavu, near Kivu Lake, between Rwanda and Congo. We have many lakes and forests. We came to the UK to escape the War with Rwanda and Uganda. I will never return. I still have Family in Congo, in Africa we have big families, not like the UK.
I miss the Congo, but we need the peace of England. I don’t need anything, I just need health and peace. In the Congo our people have everything we need, just like here, but they just need protection, without this we cannot do anything. There is danger that this protection will never come because of the minerals.
Living in Norwich compared to other Cities I have lived, like Sheffield, it is very clear, I can breathe good air, it is safe. English people are different to African people. People have to know you to talk to you. It is very difficult to learn the English language as people do not contact you. I have 4 children, all children were born in England, it was only my wife and I that came over from Congo”

Terrific Inspiring work Age UK Camden. An organisation truly “Walking alongside you”

Pictured is one of the many amazing staff that turn up, day in, day out during the Covid19 Pandemic at one of the centres, which is run for the residents of Camden by Age UK Camden.
These staff & volunteers have worked tirelessly during the lockdown, packing food parcels, talking to residents, cooking fresh healthy meals, providing a crucial service in terms of goods but also offering a moment of social interaction for many of the isolated and vulnerable in our society, which is crucial to positive mental health.

Terrific Inspiring work Age UK Camden. An organisation truly “Walking alongside you”

AgeUK Camden – Covid19 Response 2020

AgeUK Camden – Always Walking Alongside

Beginning of May, I was fortunate enough to spend a little time with the amazing staff and volunteers at Age UK Camden, documenting their quite astonishing response to the Covid19 pandemic, and the help they have provided to the residents of Camden.

Incredible work all of you!

“Age UK Camden: Always Walking Alongside

On the 6/March we held our wonderful literary festival, on the 13/March we moved as many people to work remotely as was possible and we delivered our first emergency food parcel. On the 15/March we launched our emergency appeal which has raised over £35,000, on the 19/March we closed our shop and made the difficult decision to close our day services provision from our hubs and on the 23/March we were in lockdown and working out of our hubs at Great Croft and Henderson Court. Since then we have delivered over 5000 emergency food parcels, delivered over 1000 food parcels for Ramadan, set up a telefriending service and set up a hospital discharge support service across the borough. This is all in addition to providing our core services remotely; I&A, Counselling, Good Neighbours Service, Care Navigation, Dementia Wellbeing/Befriending, Day Care Services, Internet Shopping, Digital Inclusion and our ABC project.

To capture this moment in time we’ve produced a video to share with our wider community. It shows some of what we’ve achieved. Please share the video on their social platforms so that we can provide a mexican wave over the internet! #ageukcamden #ageuk

Film: Julian Claxton
Music: Gabriel Angel Moreno”

#Charity #London #Camden #Covid19 #Film #Response

Portrait | Nicholls Fish Stall Great Yarmouth

From the series Portrait.

 

Darren & Christine. Nicholls Fish Stall Great Yarmouth – spoken in their own words.

 

“Crabs are a big seller these days. When we first started, we had stacks of jellied eels with bread, in fact the bread would often run out and we would have to run to the baker, getting extra loaves to satisfy demand.

My Granddad started the business in 1946, he had to buy the recipe for the jellied eels off someone locally to start the business, it has been a family business, passed through the generations.

Dad used to catch the eels,, he would put the pots out at night and leave them twenty four hours, returning to collect them. I remember as a little girl seeing hundreds of eels biting on the river surface. He would have an old Austin van and would shout “Legs up” as the buckets fell over and eels would be swirling around inside.

As time moved on and tastes changed, the demands for things like jellied eels changed, so they started to introduce a bigger variety. Dad moved with the times, he introduced cockles, whelks and the like. When Darren and I took over and the market went undercover, we introduced wet fish to the market, coming from in from Lowestoft, Kings Lynn and Cromer.

I love the town, I hate it when people run the town down, it’s a lovely place to live. People honestly don’t realise how lucky they are, The beach, the Broads, what more could you want?”

 

#Greatyarmouth #fishing #markets #market #norfolk #portrait

#fishmongers