The winning photograph from Time To Change Wales
A photography exhibition showing how volunteers are ‘a vital part of the national workforce’ in Wales is about to go on display in Swansea and Llanelli.
The annual members’ photography competition held by third sector umbrella body Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA) attracted entries from groups as diverse as Keep Wales Tidy and St David’s Hospice.
The top 15 selected will be exhibited at the National Waterfront Museum in Swansea from Saturday 14 June to Sunday 13 July, and at WCVA’s stand at the National Eisteddfod in Llanelli from 2-9 August.
The competition captured the imagination of organisations ranging from large charities with hundreds of volunteers to small community groups.
‘We wanted our members to snap their volunteers doing what they do best – improving the lives of others,’ said WCVA Acting Chief Executive Phil Jarrold.
The winning entry was taken by Kieran Ridley for Time to Change Wales (TTCW), a national campaign aimed at ending the discrimination faced by people with a mental health problem, and delivered by a partnership of mental health charities Gofal, Hafal and Mind Cymru.
Entitled You don’t need to be a superhero, it shows Dai, who lives with schizophrenia, and his friend Peter taking part in TTCW’s ‘Be Extraordinary’ campaign, which conveys that you don’t need to be a superhero to talk about mental health problems – you just need to be there.
Time to Change Wales Programme Manager Antony Metcalfe said: ‘We’re delighted to have won this award. Sharing the experiences of people living with mental health problems is at the heart of everything we do, so it’s wonderful to get this recognition for our Champion Dai and his friend Pete, who are the stars of the photo – and for all the other Champions who posed for photos and shared their stories to show that anyone can be “extraordinary” by being a friend when someone has a mental health problem.’
Second prize went to The SAFE Foundation, a Cardiff-based charity that helps provide poverty relief in developing countries. The photo, Long distance learning, shows one of SAFE’s youngest volunteers, Liam O’Brien, with students in Sierra Leone. Liam teaches them topics such as nutrition and gender equality.
The SAFE Foundation’s Hannah Fitt said: ‘Liam took part in our NEET project (Not in Employment, Education or Training) in Sierra Leone. He was the youngest volunteer to come along – 17 years old – and was one of 11 selected to go as he was disengaged from education. The volunteers were involved in teaching primary aged children from Sierra Leone lessons on things like sexual health, HIV/AIDS, nutrition and gender equality but they also got to experience the challenges that people face when living in extreme poverty. We are so proud of Liam and his journey, and love the reflective look on his face in the photo.’
The National Waterfront Museum is part of Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales, has free entry and is open seven days a week, from 10am-5pm.
Exhibitions and Programmes Officer Andrew Deathe said: ‘The National Waterfront Museum is really proud to be hosting the WCVA photographic competition once again.
‘As someone who started my career as a volunteer in a museum, I know that volunteering is a fulfilling and rewarding experience and these great photographs show that. Our museum is all about the work that Welsh people have done for the last three centuries and we’re really happy to show that volunteers are a vital part of the national workforce.’
The first prize winner will receive £100, a certificate for a photography training course from WEA Cymru, and a copy of Corel PaintShop Pro X6 Ultimate, a professional-quality photo editing software and design tool from WCVA sponsor Pugh Computers, and the runner-up will receive £25.
The other groups featured in the exhibition are: Age Connects Cardiff and the Vale, Keep Wales Tidy, Pembrokeshire 21C Community Association, Western Valleys Communities First, Tenovus, Vale CVS, St David’s Hospice, ValePlus, Antur Waunfawr, Port Talbot and Afan Women’s Aid, RCT People First, Flintshire and Wrexham Watch Association and Stroke.
You can see the photos that make up the exhibition at www.flickr.com/photos/walescva/sets/72157644758928324.
