A PHOTOGRAPHER who has worked on the front line throughout the pandemic in Abingdon captured working on the ward in a series of pictures.
Oxford Mail Camera Club member Becca Collacott, an emergency nursing assistant from the Abingdon Emergency Multidisciplinary Unit (EMU) used her passion for photography to document some evocative and historic moments.
Ms Collacott's photos tell the story of the pandemic since March 23, 2020 and the challenges that she and her colleagues have faced throughout.
The photographs are now on display at the Abbey Cinema in Abingdon until December 19.
Anyone can pop down to the cinema to see images of working and nursing life of staff in Abingdon’s EMU over the last 18 months.
The Abingdon photographer feels the exhibition will show a piece of history that the nurses can keep forever.
She said: “I’m pleased to announce that My NHS Photography Exhibition ‘Capturing Moments of Working Life Whilst Working in a Pandemic’ is now being shown in The Abbey Cinema in Abingdon now until mid-December."
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The exhibition will also feature some snaps of a very quiet Abingdon during the first lockdown, with pictures of the town centre, the river and local wildlife.
The photographer added: “Pop along and take a look at working like in a pandemic at Abingdon EMU. Photos include staff photos as well as a selection of photos I took during my daily exercise walks in Abingdon. As well as a few of my diary entries I wrote as a teenager.
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“I’m also looking forward to starting my part two project too, so keep your eyes peeled. Abingdon Community Hospital isn’t as small as you may think, there’s lots to see and I hope to share with you all in the near future. This is a part of Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust history captured in photos.”
The exhibition photographs of pandemic life are in black and white and have a relaxed feel despite being taken in a tense time.
Ms Collacott says she did this to illustrate their team work and not make the photographs too intense. She also chose black and white so the images would focus on the NHS workers' faces and not the background.
She said: “It was an experience none of us ever expected to be going through. Having this in photos now means we can look back in years to come and reflect on this historical moment."
This exhibition comes after her display at at The Cosener's House in Abingdon in September which raised funds for Abingdon EMU.
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