HEALTH & WELLBEING THROUGH THE LENS

November 2023

“I keep forgetting to take pictures, It’s just so nice to be here.”

Context

Barking and Dagenham (B&D for short) is one of the greenest boroughs in London. From small local parks in hamlet-like corners of the borough, to sprawling hilly country parks which are home to beautifully diverse natural eco systems, there is a seemingly endless variety of outdoor hotspots to explore.

Unfortunately, many local residents have very limited opportunities to connect with and benefit from these free, accessible and wholesome local resources.

As a consequence of many socio-economic and socio-political factors, resourcing for crucial parts of the local social infrastructure in B&D has experienced very notable reductions which limit the extent to which local government has been able to adequately respond to the needs of local residents.

The result is that there is a gap between the resources available locally, and the needs of local residents.

So….what can we do about that?

Project

In 2023 I partnered with Joseph who is the founder of JayBright Studios based in Barking. As photographers, we came together to design and host local photography walks in and around the green spaces available to us locally.

Although these semi-regular Friday morning sessions allow residents to explore and practice photography; our primary goal has been to create a gentle and welcoming opportunity that supports residents as they reconnect with nature and each other.

In November of 2023, we set out to host our first collaboratively designed and hosted local photography walk as the Eastbrookend Country Park.

Challenges

As the purpose of this project has been to specifically respond to the need of B&D residents, it has been a challenge to retain session spaces for local residents at times. We are currently exploring methods which can expand our capacity as opposed to tightening restrictions. We recognise that many neighbouring boroughs are experiencing many of the same issues we experience here and are understanding of this.

Outcomes

As we enter August 2024, we are coming to the end of the second series of free photography walks.

In 2024, we have been able to host an average of at least one Photography walk each month, with an average attendance of 5 residents per walk.

Sessions spaces continue to be limited by the unfunded status of this project. We are exploring opportunities to increase resources which will allow us to host more residents per session.