Using photography to create a lasting experience for 30 disadvantaged people around Liverpool & Sefton Clinics

In 2022, BBGI collaborated with Liverpool & Sefton Clinics to fund and provide space at the Kensington Health Centre for the ‘Liverpool Through Our Lens’ photography programme, which enabled vulnerable and disadvantaged people to enjoy specially adapted photography lessons.

The programme was delivered in partnership with Community Integrated Care (CIC), which is one of UK’s largest and most successful social care charities, and Liverpool’s Open Eye Gallery, a recognised expert on socially engaged photography. The participants of the programme were volunteers with some of the biggest health and social issues from CIC’s Inclusive Volunteering Programme, each supported by a carer/worker to ensure their individual needs were met.

The photography programme ran from October to early November 2022, coinciding with the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool. This programme enabled volunteers to engage socially, access and explore their community, and learn new life skills and passions. The participants created photographs of the city that were displayed at a professional gallery in the Fan Zone at the Championships, attended by approximately 50,000 people. Participants also had the opportunity to see the games, meet gymnasts, manage the gallery display, and participate in a wider supplementary programme of inclusive activities at the World Gymnastics Championships.

The photographs were also exhibited to approximately 5,000 people at the Rugby League World Cup and will be permanently displayed at the Kensington Health Centre. The programme made a lasting positive impact on the lives of 30 people in need, giving them new skills and inspiring them to be more active and engaged.

John Hughes, Director of Partnerships and Communities at CIC, commented:

Much more than learning how to use a camera, the project inspires independence, encouraging people to go out and visit their city and share their photography experiences with the group and carrying this skill on for the rest of their lives.

Nuria Rovira Terradas, Assistant Creative Producer at Open Eye Gallery, said:

It’s been great to see the volunteers grow in their confidence as they learn more skills and share their photographs and experiences with other people. Every photograph tells a powerful story, but it’s the stories behind the lens that have the greatest impact.

Ian Tayler, Director at BBGI, said:

Based on the success of this amazing programme, it will progress throughout 2023, building on the positive impact provided to this group of volunteers. We are also continuing to explore how we can deliver similar community initiatives based out of our other health centres.