Mike Nowill: Man on a mission to record region's unsung heroes

OVER the years, photographers and film makers have captured the rich seam of Yorkshire life for posterity.

Now portrait photographer Mike Nowill has launched a project to photograph the region's unsung heroes, good samaritans and wacky eccentrics in order to create a snapshot of Yorkshire in the 21st-century.

Nowill, who runs Mike Nowill Photography, set up the Yorkshire Folk project as a way of celebrating these ordinary lives. "We all know there are unsung heroes in our midst, be it the lollipop lady who has stood on the corner, rain or shine, for 30 years, helping to keep children safe, to the person that raised thousands of pounds for charity by sitting in a bath of beans in the town square," he says.

Nowill is calling on the public to nominate people to be photographed. Those who take part could then be chosen for a series of photographic exhibitions starting on August 1, Yorkshire Day. So far he's received 35 nominations but hopes to have about 80 by the start of the summer. He also plans to use the best photographs in a 2011 calendar, with the proceeds going to the Variety Club.

"I'm passionate about Yorkshire and I'm interested in anyone who has a good story to tell," Nowill explains.

The Ripon Hornblower is among those he's already photographed. The blowing of the horn is one of the oldest rituals in England dating back to Saxon times and has been carried out nightly at 9pm for more than a thousand years. "The guy who's doing it now is 73 years old, he gets 5 a day, but he's out there every single night no matter what the weather. Even during the recent cold spell when the temperatures dropped to –10, he still made sure he blew his horn.

"It's a custom that's helped put Ripon on the tourist map and it's a tradition that's important to people in the town and something I think should be celebrated," he says.

"I photographed an Iraq veteran who was injured by shrapnel and now has mobility problems. But even though he's suffered this trauma, he feels that his family have had to contend with more by supporting him. So he's been trying to raise awareness and support for families of serviceman because he feels they're often forgotten about. Meeting selfless people like that and listening to their stories is really quite humbling."

He hopes the Yorkshire Folk project will highlight the remarkable people who live among us. "It will put a spotlight on what's happening in different communities that we don't know about and by doing a specific photograph of someone it gives them the recognition they deserve.

"Because I think a lollipop lady deserves as much recognition as someone who gets a century batting for Yorkshire."

For more information or to make a nomination visit www.yorkshirefolk.com or call 07843 012 629.