Photo competition to celebrate town

The We Are Whitchurch community clean-up group has teamed up with Homefolk store to celebrate the wonderful in Whitchurch and raise awareness about keeping a tidy town.

Lucy Young of Homefolk in Whitchurch said: "The competition is about celebrating the town we live in, whilst raising awareness of the great work that We Are Whitchurch are doing in tackling some of the problem areas

in and around the town.”

We Are Whitchurch started in October 20 as a community clean-up group made up of volunteers that tackles areas of neglect in Whitchurch. Members give up their time on a Sunday morning to help look after and clear up the areas that need a bit of care including cutting back hedges and clearing abandoned or disused areas.

Adele Jackson of We Are Whitchurch said: "We Are Whitchurch came together to help improve our local area, tackling areas that were neglected making them easier and safer to use yet it has become so much more. It has bought people of all ages together as a community, creating a real sense of pride and ownership in their town.’’

"Our volunteers have said that it has really improved their mental health during the pandemic by enabling them to meet new people safely outside in the fresh air and giving them a real sense of achievement when a project is completed. We have had so much support from the local residents and businesses and are really grateful to Homefolk for creating this photo competition which will capture another part of our beautiful town in print."

Lucy has already had two of her photographs of the town turned into illustrated prints - the High Street and the Whitchurch Arm of the Llangollen Canal. Homefolk donates £3.50 from every print sold to We Are Whitchurch. The style of the prints was influenced by Lucy’s love of vintage travel posters, and postcards she has collected during her holidays and work travels.

Lucy and her mum, Marie Burness who own Homefolk said: "We Are Whitchurch have done a brilliant job using grassroots ideas and unlocking the power of community spirit to take action. They really are inspiring with their pro-active approach, and the work they are doing goes a long way towards promoting the town.’’

The photo competition invites people capture what they see when they look or think of Whitchurch, encouraging them to look beyond the obvious. It might be a local landmark but equally it could be an unsung attraction, a town scene or an area that amuses you or makes you smile or raises an eyebrow.

Lucy said: "It’s not necessarily about being a pro photographer and getting the perfect shot, it’s much more about capturing what makes Whitchurch unique and a great place to be, whilst celebrating the town we live in and raising awareness of this within our own community.”

“It’s also a great opportunity to see Whitchurch viewed through someone else’s eyes and seeing what makes it special to them. We’ve had such great feedback so far, including a really cool suggestion of having a gallery showing with all the entries displayed for everyone to see."

The winning photograph will be drawn up in the same style as the Whitchurch Landmarks range and will be available as prints and postcards from Homefolk with £3.50 from every print sale donated to We Are Whitchurch.