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Project exhibits ordinary residents' local pride

Tom MacDougallNorth East & Cumbria
Young at Heart An elderly man with white hair and glasses who is wearing a flat cap, using a smartphone to take a close-up photo of red berries on a branch.Young at Heart
Middlesbrough residents have been learning new photograhy techniques at the Window to my World workshops

A project teaching ordinary people new photography techniques to celebrate their hometown is exhibiting their results.

The Window to my World workshops have seen residents in Middlesbrough using smartphones and digital cameras, as well as camera-less and pin-hole photography methods, to capture the area.

The results of the free project are now on display at the Young at Heart community hub in the town centre and will be shown at the Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art later this month.

Director Rachel Stark said the images were "striking" and the photographers had "looked at Middlesbrough through different eyes".

She said the participants had given "excellent feedback" and felt "inspired to be part of a community".

Young at Heart A woman using her phone to capture graffiti on a wall, where two people appear to have played noughts and crosses with a red spray can. Crosses seems to have won, although the finishing move is drawn in what looks like pen - rather than the red paint used during the rest of the game.Young at Heart
The sessions, led by non-profit Young at Heart, aimed to help locals capture their connection to the area

Karen Campbell, 60, said she started attending the sessions because she wanted to "learn something new", adding: "I love my town, I've lived here all my life.

"It was fantastic meeting people from all walks of life, we all learned something from each other."

She said the workshops had also given her new appreciation for the town.

"We all go round with our blinkers on and don't always see what's literally in front of us," she said, adding: "It has opened my eyes."

Karen Campbell A cupcake in a yellow paper case with white icing and a small chocolate flake sticking out the top, held in front of the entrance to Middlesbrough FC's Riverside Stadium, which is flanked by two large, red pillars.Karen Campbell
Participant Karen Campbell said this photo was a tribute to her son James, who died aged 16

One of the photos she submitted for the final exhibition was a tribute to her son James, who died aged 16 in 2013.

It features a cupcake, which she said reminded her of a lemon-top ice cream, in front of the gates to Middlesbrough's Riverside Stadium.

She took it during a visit to the Boro Brick Road near the stadium's reception, where an inscribed brick is dedicated to her son's memory alongside tributes to thousands of other supporters as well as former stars and managers.

"He loved the Boro and the stadium was one of his favourite places, it brings people together, and he loved lemon tops - that's special to us," Karen said.

Of the finished display, she said: "Looking at the wall, I think 'we did that', and I'm dead proud."

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