Photographer’s focus on helping bombing survivor
A traumatised 12-year-old who survived the Manchester bombing has had the smile put back on her face, thanks to a Maidstone photographer.
Concert-goer Amelia Thompson screamed so much the night she got swept up in the terror attack, in May, that she damaged her vocal cords.
She escaped the blast itself uninjured, but saw the dead and wounded in the aftermath and has been struggling to come to terms with what happened ever since.
After hearing about her ordeal, award-winning portrait photographer Imelda Bell offered Amelia the chance to feel like a carefree little girl again, with a session at her studio in Charlesford Avenue, Kingswood.
She was the first to benefit from the 47-year-old businesswoman’s Every Child Is Beautiful project, where she provides a free shoot each month to a youngster who has been through trauma.
Mrs Bell, who broke new ground when she achieved Guild of Photographers craftsmen status in two genres, said: “My most fulfilling work as a photographer has been through the joy I see in a child’s eyes when they spend time in my studio, especially if that child has had a tough time.”
As part of the project, inspired by the impact of bullying on her daughter’s self confidence, Mrs Bell wants to help bring the children out of their shells, creating portraits so they can see themselves in a new light.
For the shoot she wanted to pay tribute to the victims of the attack, and Amelia was pictured holding a lantern, surrounded by 22 candles, one for each person who lost their life at Manchester Arena.
The Sheffield schoolgirl had gone to the Ariana Grande concert with mum Lisa Newton, who nominated her.
She said “Since the bombing Amelia has struggled on a daily basic and has become very isolated, lost weight and day to day normal activities are a task.
“The shoot itself was so good for Amelia, to see her having fun and smiling like a normal 12-year-old girl should be, was beautiful. She forgot all her anxieties and had a fantastic time.”