Photography exhibition gives a snapshot of hospice impact

A collection of images taken by a local photographer have been used to highlight the impact of a Northamptonshire hospice.

Nick Freeman, of Nick Freeman Photography, was originally commissioned by Cransley Hospice Trust to take photographs of the team for a new website earlier this year. However, when the Cransley Hospice team were thinking of ways to mark Hospice Care Week in October, they realised they could use the striking images to highlight the different emotions felt by staff who worked at or for the hospice.

Speaking at the official opening of the ‘Because Every Moment Matters’ photography exhibition, Jenine Rees, marketing manager at Cransley Hospice Trust, said: “Events like this are so important for raising awareness of the hospice and what it does. There are so many good causes all doing great things and we needed to do something different to break through the noise.

“We used Nick’s images in colour on our website but realised just how striking they were in black and white. Each face tells a story and showing them helped us to tell our stories of working in palliative care.”

Nick chose a collection of 25 black and portraits of nurses, volunteers, therapists, consultants, doctors and support staff. These were whittled down to the final 12 displayed at the exhibition, which took place at the Rooftop Arts Centre in Corby from 9-19 October.

Nick said: “I was really flattered when the Cransley Hospice team reached out and told me their plans to use the images I had taken in a photographic exhibition.

“After more than 30 years of being a photographer, I am used to telling stories through photos and capturing candid facial expressions and body language. It has been an enormous privilege to use this exhibition as an opportunity to lift the lid on the realities of hospice and palliative care through raw, dramatic portraits of tired doctors, friendly volunteers and the smiles of the vital support staff.”

For more information on Nick Freeman and his photography, visit nickfreemanphotography.co.uk.

To find out more about the work of Cransley Hospice Trust, see www.cransleyhospicetrust.org.uk

Pictured: Nick Freeman at the Every Moment Matters exhibition