Didsbury 100

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Students from The Manchester College’s photography and digital imaging foundation degree course are working with local photographer Len Grant to photograph 100 residents of Didsbury aged 1-100 for the Didsbury 100 project. The photographs will be made into a montage that will be permanently displayed at the new Sure Start Centre at the college’s refurbished Fielden Campus in West Didsbury.

The project Didsbury 100 has been commissioned by The Manchester College to celebrate the launch of their partnership with the new West Didsbury Sure Start Centre. The idea behind this multi-generational piece is to acknowledge that early support in a child’s development leads to lifelong benefits.

The six students working with Len are currently studying at the Shena Simon Campus in the city centre and are very excited to be moving to the newly opened Fielden Campus in September. The Manchester College’s Fielden Campus has undergone a £9 million renovation, modernising existing buildings and providing new facilities. The renovated campus features a wide range of specialist vocational facilities such as a training restaurant, facilities management training areas, and IT and media suites. In addition to the building modifications, there has also been the creation of green open spaces, including a pleasant tree lined path and a conservation area leading down to the banks of the river Mersey. The Fielden Campus will be opening in September and there is an Open Day on Wednesday 1st September.

Alison Hoyes, photography student at The Manchester College and Didsbury resident, said: ‘This is a great opportunity to work with a professional photographer; we have learnt a lot from Len about photography and the business side of photography. Our tutor told us about this project and we jumped at the opportunity to volunteer. During the photo shoots we will be setting up the studio, welcoming the residents and taking pictures.’

Len Grant, freelance photographer, said: ‘When I was asked to produce an artwork for the campus I knew I wanted to do something based on portraiture that would reflect the idea that education gives a life-long solid foundation. The Didsbury 100 will do just that. ‘It’s been great working with the students; I’ve been surprised by their enthusiasm and initiative. I normally work on my own so it has been refreshing to have the students around to challenge my preconceptions of the project and to bounce ideas off.’

Didsbury residents are invited to take part in the project. There will be two photo shoots in July; local residents are welcome to come along and (if their age has not already been photographed) they will be included in the project.

The photography sessions are taking place:

  • Wednesday 21st July 2010, Fielden Campus, Barlow Moor Road, Didsbury, M20 2PQ, 11am-4pm
  • Saturday 24th July 2010, The Emmanuel Church, Barlow Moor Road, Didsbury, M20 6TR, 10am-4pm

There will be free refreshments and all participants will receive a commemorative poster of the Didsbury 100.