Charity snaps jolly side of families in lockdown
ACHARITY supporting children with learning disabilities and their families has marked the highs and lows of life in lockdown with a special photography project.
Jolly Josh provides support for children with complex medical needs and additional needs as well as support to their families, in memory of Joshua Kelly, who passed away of a mitochondrial disease in August 2017 aged just 15 months.
His mum Carole, founder and trustee of Jolly Josh, said she was inspired by the Duchess of Cambridge’s ‘Hold Still’ photography project capturing insights into everyday life in lockdown.
Carole said: “I thought it was an incredible idea and I got to thinking, how could we adapt it to our families and our charity?
“I thought it would be beneficial to our families to let them feel special and have those treasured memories, and so many have said what an incredible experience it was for them.”
She added: “We’ve received great feedback from our families with regards to the photoshoot, it really helped to lift spirits.”
The images were taken by award winning professional photographer Asia Burrill who Carole, from Wardle, got to know when she photographed her and husband James’ wedding in 2017.
Asia’s pictures, focussing on a different family supported by Jolly Josh every day, were posted on the charity’s Facebook page and website over a period of four weeks, sometimes alongside personal stories and experiences from lockdown.
Carole said: “Lockdown has been a huge challenge for our families, it’s been a cause of great anxiety.
“We were thankful to be able to provide a support workshop delivered by Beyond Psychology, in addition to collaborating with the Rochdale Soup Kitchen to deliver weekly food parcels for our families.
“Our families now continue to face great anxiety as they make difficult decisions in relation to coming out of lockdown with their vulnerable children.”
Despite the challenges of lockdown, the photo series captures a range of emotions, showing key workers - like Jolly Josh trustees
Anna Oddy, who was Joshua’s palliative care nurse, and Alex Laidler, who was Joshua’s health visitor both at work on the frontline against Covid-19 and relaxing with their families.
The photographs also capture medical procedures and daily care routines for the charity’s families, something which Carole hopes will be of comfort to families coming to terms with a recent diagnosis.