North End photographer captures images of families on doorsteps to raise hundreds for Aurora New Dawn
SMILES from families in lockdown have been collected by a North End photographer capturing special moments to raise hundreds for charity.
Sophia Benham, with help from three of her sons, has been taking doorstep documentary photographs across her area as part of her #atourfrontdoor project to raise funds for domestic abuse charity Aurora New Dawn.
The family has raised £560 so far, with images of more than 60 families taken and shared on her project’s Facebook group to the delight of subjects including family members, friends and strangers.
Sophia, 45, who runs Beside the Seaside Photography, said: ‘The thing for me was I was starting to feel a little bit low. This made sense because we were going out for our daily walks anyway and it lifted our spirits a little bit.
‘It was really nice to get the reactions from people - I think for some people it was an excuse to get their hair washed and get dressed.
‘It’s more than a keepsake, it’s a photograph from this time which we will hopefully never have to experience again. It has been a really lovely project.’
Her young helpers Rex, six, Kit, 10, and 11-year-old Beau have enjoyed the walks to capture the photos, and haven’t moaned once.
Sophia said: ‘We’ll definitely have some memories to look back on and it feels like a big accomplishment. It has made the weeks go really quickly, I’ve probably been the least bored parent in lockdown.
‘The fact that we have raised so much money has been quite unreal. We have smashed our target and I’m really pleased about it.’
Shonagh Dillon, Aurora New Dawn’s chief executive, said: ‘When Sophia approached us we were really impressed by the creativity of her project, it is simple yet so different and special.
‘We have seen a 67 per cent increase since we launched the domestic abuse helpline in response to the Covid-19 pandemic and we are preparing for a further influx of victims coming forward across all our services as lockdown eases.’
To donate, visit justgiving.com/fundraising/atourfrontdoor. If you are in the PO2 area and want to get involved, email [email protected].
For Aurora New Dawn’s 24/7 helpline, phone (023) 9421 6816.
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