A COMPETITION to find the best photos documenting Westbury during this census year is in the pipeline, 20 years after a book was published portraying the town during the millennium year.
The town’s Rotary Club wants to run the contest to provide a visual record of Westbury and its people for posterity.
Two decades ago, Eli Mannaseh, a then resident and councillor, published his book Westbury in the Year 2000, to mark and document the town at the millennium. It incorporated a photo for every day of the year depicting people and places.
The photos were of familiar scenes and faces, and in the intervening years, as Westbury has changed, with buildings demolished and built, firms closed, people aged or left, the value of Eli’s document has grown enormously.
Now the Rotary Club is holding a photographic competition to document Westbury over the course of the next year, with a view to producing a book along similar lines to Eli’s which endeavours to capture the town in a series of photos.
Large prints of the winning entries in the various categories would also be produced and exhibited initially in a public building, pending their permanent display on the walls of public buildings in the town.
“This should be a fantastic record of the town during this census year in what is a momentous time,” said Rotarian Julian Sandoe, pictured. “We’re hoping as many people as possible will send photographs in and help us produce what will be a really fascinating piece of social history.”
Proceeds from the book will go to the local children’s hospice, Julia’s House.
The competition will be open to everyone. There will be a locals category for those living and working in Westbury and Westbury villages; an open category for non-locals, an under 10s category, a 10 – 13 year olds’ category and a 14-18 year olds’ category to encourage youngsters to contribute to the project too.
Themes will be: People; Landscapes; Buildings; In the Street; The Seasons; Flora and Fauna; Sports & Leisure; At Work; Education; Worship; Military; and Contemporary.
Depending upon the level of interest shown, the Rotary Club will also consider producing signed limited addition prints for sale. The club also intends to produce a DVD which contains all of the entries received, to more fully capture Westbury at this time. Again proceeds will go to Julia’s House.
Photos will be submitted on the basis that photographers consent to their images being used for these declared purposes, but otherwise will retain Copyright to all submitted images. It is intended that the photos will be judged by a small panel of experienced judges and local lay people so that a balance of photographic skill and local interest is assessed.
Westbury is clearly the underlying theme, and to avoid disappointment the relevant part of Westbury should be readily identifiable in all submitted images, with the exception that photos of Westbury people need not have somewhere in Westbury as an identifiable backdrop.
For example, a photo of daffodils in All Saints Churchyard with The Church identifiable in the background fits the theme, but photos of the same daffodils without a readily identifiable backdrop, would not. Similarly, photos of Westbury United playing should be identifiable as they’re playing at their Meadow Lane ground, etc.
Digital (J-Peg) files (sizes to be confirmed) will be required, although assistance can be provided to scan film negatives. Images should be taken between now and 31st March 2022.
The competition will run until 31st March 2022 to enable a full year to be captured. Entrants will be required to submit a maximum of 10 images over 5 chosen categories.
It would be useful if entrants could register their intention to sandoes@aol.com so that the Rotary Club have some idea as to the volume of entrants that there are likely to be, and the number of images that will need to be judged.
White Horse News will be fully engaged in this project and will also print some of the winning images in due course.
Fuller details of the competition and entry dates and how to submit images will be issued in due course, but in the interim, if anyone might want to enter some photos then please get snapping, and good luck!
