Photographers offer doorstep portraits during lockdown to raise funds for Harrogate Hospital

The Doorstep Portrait Project for Harrogate Hospital was started by Stacey Evans, owner of Stacey J Evans Photography, after she saw a similar thing taking place in America.

She recruited help from other photographers across town - Nicole Wilcox, Lianne Price, Rachael Fawcett, Sarah Warne and Charlotte Hedgecock- so they could cover Starbeck, Hookstone, Bilton, Jennyfields, Shaw Mills and Knaresborough as well as Harrogate.

The photographers are offering the portraits of people on their doorsteps, taken from a safe distance and during their daily exercise, to give residents something fun to do as a family and mark this extremely unique period in their lives.

Stacey said: "I wanted to be able to raise money to show support to Harrogate Hospital and its staff, give something for the community to get involved in, put smiles on people's faces and also document this moment in history."

The money raised is in aid of Harrogate Hospital and Community Charity which funds specialist equipment, training and services to improve treatment and staff facilities for all departments at the hospital.

Stacey added: "It feels great to be able to do what we love whilst raising money for a great cause as well as giving people the opportunity to have a keepsake of these times. It is also great for people to be able to say hello to someone who they are not isolating with - albeit from a distance - which is great for people's mental health in a time which is so uncertain.

"Everyone will have days where they feel low and I’m hoping this also will give them a little something to look forward to and take focus away from their everyday life in lockdown, even if it is just for a couple of minutes."

The group are hoping to display the images somewhere public and get people together to view them when the restrictions are lifted.

They already have more than 25 bookings for this weekend alone - and have been given the go ahead from North Yorkshire Police providing they stick to the social-distancing rules.

In a joint statement, the photographers said: "This is our way of giving something back, showing our support and saying a huge thank you to the incredibly brave and heroic NHS staff that are putting their lives on the line to take care of us and our families as well as putting smiles on the faces of the people whose doorsteps we visit.

"Thank you to all NHS staff and all key workers. You are all heroes."

To find out more or book a portrait, visit The Harrogate Doorstep Portraits for Harrogate Hospital on Facebook, contact any of the photographers on their Facebook page or email [email protected]