Student captures ‘Hidden Anglesey’ at popular National Trust location

A college student is carving out a path for himself in photography as he showcases ten ‘Hidden Anglesey’ outdoor prints providing a behind the scenes glimpse of moments the volunteers get to see at Anglesey Abbey as they volunteer as part of the college Green Team.

Jack is 27 years old and settled within the Green Team, a course which enables adults with special educational needs to continue their learning under the tutorship of Green Team leader, Andrew Fountain, and is flourishing in ways he never thought possible. The course and his newfound passion for the great outdoors has seen him be able to work at Anglesey Abbey, amongst other locations around Cambridgeshire, where he and the rest of the Green Team volunteer twice a week to undertake general horticultural duties alongside the National Trust team to maintain and re-develop the 125-acre site, through the college with his peers.

On a whim in 2022, Jack decided to buy a camera and started to capture outdoor settings and the varied wildlife present at the abbey. Before long, his work was attracting the attention of his tutors and a National Trust photographer who declared, ‘I would hang those on my own walls at home.’ Jack continued to hone his craft, capturing images from around the abbey, which have now been brought together in a must-see exhibition of ‘Hidden Anglesey’ that highlights his ability to capture breath-taking moments in time.

Jack says, ‘I finally feel happy with what lays ahead for me at college and in my career later on. It took some time to get here but I wouldn’t change how it happened. Through the partnership between the National Trust location and the college, opportunities are provided for individuals to gain real-life work experience, alongside their college-based learning, to prepare them for employment, and I have gained invaluable life-long knowledge, and it has revealed skills I never knew I possessed!’.

Jack takes inspiration from the seasons and loves the interplay between colour and light as it shifts throughout the year, with the vibrant colours which explode during spring and summer so expressive of hope, joy and life. He seeks inspiration in this every day and is now filled with joy and hope about his own future as a very promising photographer.