Local Photographer, Tina Stobbs, has been using her daily exercise over the past few weeks in Lockdown to capture historic doorstep family photos in Whitley Bay, whilst raising money for NHS Charities.
Tina says: “Right now we are creating social history that will be studied by our children’s grandchildren. It’s always been my passion to help families capture moments in time to remember in years to come. This time in lockdown is huge in terms of making history and my passion for capturing memories is bigger than ever.
“I felt quite helpless not being able to contribute to the massive effort the NHS has been making, so this project has allowed me to raise money for them and capture history in the making.”
Tina has made sure to adhere to social distancing measures by capturing families around North Whitley Bay on their doorsteps. She uses her long lens and remains beyond the fences of the homes she visits, to capture their family portrait during Lockdown 2020. She then communicates via social media to find out each family’s worst, best and most memorable moments of lockdown as a marker in history, to go with the photographs.
Tina is on course to raise £500 for the NHS and has been overwhelmed by the response. She has offered the service to families that live within a mile of her home so she can take the photographs as part of her government-mandated daily exercise.
Helen Bowman, who was one of the first to take up the offer, says: “When Tina told me about her idea for Lockdown diaries, I jumped at the chance to take part. She’s a fantastic photographer and I love the idea of having a treasured family photo to remember this time in years to come. Adding our little stories will enhance the memories too and make it a special thing to keep for future generations.”
Each unique family unit is sharing their story, which will be put together in a time capsule coffee table book to commit all the rich social data to the history books.
“There have been some really common themes in the stories, such as missing family, slowing down, quality time together, the joy of rainbows, community spirit and the phenomenal support for the NHS with Thursday night claps,” explains Tina.
“I’ve met Key Workers, single parent families, three generations in the same home, shielded families, families with newborns, students who have missed GCSEs and other exams, lots of young families, and even a chicken! The diversity and spirit of the Whitley Bay community is alive and well – and will now be captured for all time.”