Edinburgh

The photograph is of my good friend Matt Thompson. We cannot go to each other's houses this Christmas time and so I took this picture of him looking out of through his kitchen window, looking a little glum. Rudolph is slightly askew as if to say, everything has gone a bit pear shaped this year. The photograph still gives me hope that next year we'll be celebrating a happier Christmas and it reminds me that the most important thing this year is to do what we can to help keep all our loved ones safe.

Story
I moved to Edinburgh from Yorkshire to be a mature student after getting made redundant from my job in tourism. At 57 years old it was scary to take on this new challenge. Then I had to cope with learning during a pandemic. My HND in photography classes at Edinburgh College were all on zoom. But I’ve really enjoyed learning a new skill, my classmates have all been so supportive and the green open spaces of the city have helped me keep a positive mind

Vision
We can all stop and smell the roses, help one another and be kinder to our planet. Borders are just imaginary lines; the spread of the pandemic showed us this and so let’s take the positive from this, embrace the cultures of our neighbours and simply love one another more.