I'm a Leeds wedding, event and corporate photographer who lives in Adel. Along with weddings I enjoy photographing anything that's beautiful - so brides, flowers, countryside, chocolates and prestige cars all fit the bill!
In December 2010 we had a lot of snow and my car was snowed in on the drive for a month. During that time the only places I could take photographs were those within walking distance, so I had many trips down the garden and to Adel St John the Baptist Church. On the way to the church I pass York Gate, the garden owned by Perennial, the charity that supports horticulturists in need.
One of the photos I took over the gate was particularly pretty, so I emailed it to Perennial to see if they would like to use it. This was the accidental start of the York Gate Project! Perennial loved the photo and so I offered to keep going back every few weeks during 2011 so that we could build up a catalogue of the flowers and scenes that make up York Gate. The garden is planted with layers of bulbs and plants, so that as one plant declines the one next to it is in flower. It's different every time I go. Sometimes, I go on consecutive days and still find something new each time.
Jennifer, the administrator of York Gate, laughs at my very poor knowledge of the plant species involved and has been reduced to instructing me to "photograph the purple one"! (please scroll down)
As the collection of photographs built up, I realised that there may be scope to sell them to raise funds for Perennial and pay towards the substantial maintenance costs of York Gate. My online gallery is one of the outlets for them and proceeds from sales here go to the charity. Photographs can also be ordered from York Gate and paid for by cheque or cash.
If you would like to visit York Gate please check their website for details of the opening days and times.
You can access the main York Gate album by clicking here
There is a second album containing exclusive photos that is password protected. The password is available from York Gate staff so please ask for it during your visit or at Adel Association meetings. Click here to access the 2nd album if you have the password.
