General Information

During the year 2000 D J Clark built a visual record of the Lancaster & Morecambe district using photographs and information submitted by those that feature in the pictures. The project was conducted in association with Lancaster Museum and has been archived for future generations to look back at the district at the turn of the new Millennium. For more information on the project visit the information page. If you find a caption is wrong or there is a fault with the page please e-mail D J Clark.

Date: November 3rd, 2000
Location: Beaumont College, Slyne Road

Photographer's Diary

Friday 3rd November - Beaumont College

It is difficult to point a camera in the street at someone in a wheel chair, or demonstrating some other clear physical disability. In public you feel like you are picking them out of a crowd because of their condition. Hence the project does not reflect the proportion of people with disabilities I have encountered while undertaking the photography. This was an opportunity to make up.
I was familiar with the college from various fleeting meetings in the past. A game of football, or an invitation to an exhibition. One group came from the college to undertake an access review at Folly Gallery when I was first setting it up. This day was dedicated to photographing the activities of what was becoming well known as a thriving further education college.

I met the head teacher and Diane Sammons in the hall way. I was given a coffee, on a tray with the milk and sugar in separate containers. Diane gave me a quick tour of the complex, I was soon lost but was understanding the complexity of the job they had to undertake. A staff room full of teaching staff greeted me, I was then told there are also three shifts of care staff. This was one massive operation.
I started in a communications lesson. The young people all introduced themselves using electronic communication pads. Diane later explained these devices were owned by the college, there was no right to those that used them to own one. I said hello back and told them my name. The young woman in charge soon won my heart, she was firm but had a subtle compassion for those she taught. I moved on to the art room and then kept moving to try and find activity. In a cooking class one young man became abusive "he's trying to show off to you" one of the support staff told me. I moved on.
Break time left me with a coffee in a cold staff room, the smoking room I had just photographed seemed much happier- though there was no students. Over lunch I met up with Diane again. I had come from a Drama session where the vivacious teacher had set up a horse race, possibly in part for the camera. All was great until he tuned the lights off for effect. I think he was trying to help me but actually killed the possibility of natural images. Diane talked politics. "We need to petition the government to allow these people to have a right to a voice", I agreed, I must have sounded sympathetic as she later handed me a wad of videos and paperwork to read.

After lunch I moved outside in the hope of catching the garden session. They were planting seeds in a dimly lit shed. I got a picture but found myself attracted to the music session. "Sign and Sing" it was called and here I found joyous students signing the words to the latest hits. It was a fun session I found hard to capture on film. You needed the music. After this my time was up and I went home. It had been a good day.

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