Calendar to support ‘wonderful’ hospice
Wooburn: Photographer raising funds in memory of late wife
A photographer based in Wooburn has released a calendar full of his favourite shots to raise money for an 'astonishing' hospice which cared for his late wife.
Phil Laybourne regularly posts his pictures online and is well-known for snapping landscape images of different landmarks in the area.
In his next venture, Phil has decided to compile his own 2022 calendar, packed with colourful shots from around Wooburn and Bourne End.
Priced at £10, all money raised will go straight to Thames Hospice, a Bray-based charity which looked after Phil's late wife Gail before her passing in May 2020 from a rare illness.
“They knew little to nothing
about it [the illness], so they did the best they could, which was frankly astonishing,” Phil said.
“They were wonderful people, very caring, their attention to detail was phenomenal. They went above and beyond the call of duty. And I thought I would like to give something back.”
Phil already had a website set up where he would sell his pictures, but decided to hire Bourne End-based business the TeeTree Group to help him design the site and attract more attention.
Phil added: “People have said to me that you should make a calendar of your pictures.
“I put out a general appeal for sponsorship, and Bourne End and Cookham Rotary
Club came forward because they had already done some work with the hospice.”
Another Bourne End-based firm, ALS Presentation, approached Phil to help with sponsorship and offer their services in printing the calendars.
The graphic-design side of things was dealt with by Miles Jackson, also from Bourne End.
Since it went live less than a week ago, Phil has sold more than 200 copies, and has set himself a target to raise £4,000 through calendar sales by Christmas.
“It is actually quite humbling that so many people who have followed what I have been doing are buying them,” he said.
“It is astonishing. A lot of people recognise the pictures too, and I think that helps with the sales.”
Phil hopes to sell more calendars when the monthly Bourne End Community Market returns to the village on Saturday, August 14 – and added that he has ordered more calendars in with interest in his creation growing.
For more information on Phil's work and to buy the calendar, visit bit.ly/2WS73C4