Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Stunning pictures raise thousands for city’s homeless
Hobby helps fund cash for rough sleepers
Ralph Lombart’s eye-catching photographs of Canterbury and the surrounding area have long impressed visitors to the city’s social media pages.
But his hobby is also providing a vital source of funding for a charity which helps the homeless.
In recent years, donations from the sale of his pictures have raised almost £5,000 for Catching Lives, based in Station Road West.
That includes a cheque for £2,272 just last week which was gratefully accepted by charity managers whose service is under huge demand from rough sleepers at this time of year.
Mauritius-born Ralph, 70, who lives with his wife Jeanne, a special needs teacher, in Lower Hardres, ran a small office supplies business before taking up photography in his retirement about five years ago.
Now he is a regular sight out and about armed with his Sony
SLR camera, or more often his iphone 11 Pro Max, a gift from Jeanne, at the ready to capture images on his walks.
“I enjoy walking and always have my mobile phone with me which has a decent camera, “he said.
“I just look for interesting compositions and angles and light, often of quite familiar locations.”
Ralph was moved to support Catching Lives after seeing homeless people on the city’s streets and discovering the vital work of the charity.
“It is an amazing charity which saves the lives of people who are at rock bottom and desperately need support,” he said.
Ralph once volunteered at the centre at the charity at Christmas but admits he became so distraught at seeing the despair on the faces of those struggling to cope, that he had to leave.
“It broke my heart and I just had to get away for a bit,” he said.
He has also raised funds for Clic Sargent and the Kent MS Therapy Centre through organising concerts.
Ralph has hundreds of followers of his Instagram page where he posts most of his pictures. Many ask for copies, which he provides in return for a donation to Catching Lives and some have sold as far away as America and Australia.
“People ask me why I don’t make money for myself, but although I only have a small pension, I’m not really interested in that, “he said.
“I’d rather see it go to a charity like Catching Lives which needs it more than me.”