hidden No More: Young carers in Focus exhibition

At the end of 2018 I was asked by Dr Feylyn Lewis (Carers Centre trustee) if I would like to provide a set of photographic portraits of Young Carers for an exhibition at Brighton Station in March 2019. There wasn’t much time to pull it all together but with the help of many people at the Carers Centre and a willingness to be involved by the Young Carers and the patrons of the charity,  it all soon came together.  I went to several activities,  drop-in sessions and home visits during January and early February and we soon had the 22 portraits we needed to put the exhibition together.  The timings were nearly all after school hours so always after sunset and having to be quick and creative with different types of lighting,  often under flourescent lights at the Young People’s Centre,  indirect flash,  and improvising with various techniques.  Below are some of the portraits and some images of the exhibition at Brighton Station including some of the participants at the press launch. The show is up throughout March 2019.

A few comments from twitter;

• “Popped over to see the very moving Young Carers in Focus exhibition at Brighton Station last night” Care4thecarers
• “Powerful photos by @jimpix  show young carers in the midst of their daily lives.” Dr Feylyn Lewis
• “So overwhelmed to see the beautiful pictures of youngcarers  that I work with at Brighton Station. Gorgeous work by @jimpix”  Ruth Sullivan Young Carers Team manager.

Young carers all have a role at home for a parent or sibling with a disability.  This can be a long term or life limiting illness, a mental health condition or a substance mis-use issue. There are an estimated 800,000 young carers in the UK which is about 1 in 5 11-18 year olds.

Having a caring role does have an impact on their life in many ways and the Carers Centre supports young carers by reducing their caring role and the impact of caring on their emotional, social and educational development. By providing a range of activities and support to make friends and build confidence.  To find out more visit thecarerscentre.org

Working as a photographer takes you into people’s lives in unexpected ways and working with the Carers Centre and the young carers has been one of my most rewarding pieces of work to be involved with,  and I’m very thankful to have had this opportunity.