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Museum and has been archived for future generations to look back at the district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:
December 24th, 2000
Location: Various Locations
Photographer's Diary
25th December Christmas Day
At 7 AM the phone went, I had asked some neighbours to call me when their kids
woke. I rushed downstairs grabbed my camera bag and headed off to their house,
where the kids had been locked out the front room where all the treasure lay
waiting for that strange photographer man. I got there and they rushed in. Soon
unaware of my presence they opened the huge pile of packages in front of them
and screamed with delight. The parents just sat, still dressed to sleep, and
smoking a cigarette. The children were wonderful and made me feel warm.
Arriving home, the phone was ringing, this time it was the Yates' . By the time
I arrived most of the presents were open with paper strewn in every direction.
I had a coffee and watched them play with the new toys, again clearly happy
at the prospect of a day to play.
Getting home it was now my turn and as always, Maggie had worked hard to ensure
my pile of goodies was no smaller than the children I had visited. I woke the
three boys (we picked an extra foster son up Christmas Eve) and we tucked in
no different to the excited children I had photographed.
The rest of the day moved slowly. A game of football, followed by a visit to
the Homeless Centre set up for Christmas at St Thomas' Church. I had volunteered
to take a picture for the paper the day before in return for some pictures of
the Christmas lunch. Tony, the man in charge, had given me the wrong time for
the lunch, so instead I waited for Santa.
My lunch was spent at Anne and Ian (brother and sister in law) with many others
in the family. I continued to shoot pictures but gave up after lunch.