Former homeless man nominated for BBC award

An older white man looks directly into the camera. He has a serious expression. He has white hair, a white beard, and blue eyes. Two small tattoos on his neck can just be seen. He is wearing a blue woolly hat and a blue and white sports shirt with a 'Halifax Panthers' logo. He also has a black roll-neck. The background is blurred but still visible - the seafront can be seen. JESS LORD/BBC NEWS

Kev Oldfield has been nominated for a BBC Radio Humberside Make A Difference Award

Jess Lord
BBC NewsBridlington

A man from Bridlington who has experienced homelessness has been nominated for a BBC award for his photography.

By 2016, Kev Oldfield, 62, originally from Halifax, had been rough sleeping for five years and had been in and out of prison several times.

Mr Oldfield started taking photos in 2019 and then went on to post them into the Facebook group Beautiful Bridlington. They regularly get hundreds of interactions.

He is one of four finalists in the Great Neighbour category of the BBC Radio Humberside Make a Difference Awards. The winner will be announced in Scunthorpe on 17 September.

An older man is taking a photo of the beach. He is using an Android phone to do so. He is wearing navy tracksuit bottoms, a blue and white sports shirt (Halifax Panthers) and a navy blue woolly hat. He has a large dark blue rucksack on his back. The majority of the image is of the beach - sand, sea and a sky covered in white and grey clouds. The background is blurred but still visible - the seafront can be seen. JESS LORD/BBC NEWS

Mr Oldfield says his favourite place to take photos is on Bridlington seafront

As well as being homeless, Mr Oldfield was sent to prison nine times, stepping out for the last time in August 1993.

He said: "I'm not proud of what I did. It taught me a valuable lesson - not to do it again. I realised there was more to life."

Mr Oldfield was seven years old when he was sent to a children's home where he admits he "got into the wrong crowd".

He described homelessness as "a choice".

Mr Oldfield said: "I did it because I liked it. I'm an outdoor person. Sometimes being inside, it gets too much, because your walls start closing in on you."

On 4 November 2016, he walking past the Emmanuel Church in Bridlington and, on the spur of the moment, decided to go inside.

"They've been a great help to me, they've changed my life," he said.

"I've got a lot of people to thank and they know who they are."

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  1. A photograph of a canon overlooking the sea, the placement of the sun is at the end of the canon. The sky is a mix of golden orange and dusty blues. The sea looks dark blue and calm.
    Kev Oldfield

Mr Oldfield discovered he had a talent for photography in 2019 when he captured a fisherman at sunrise on Bridlington seafront.

He said: "I took it and then went to the shop, got it printed and framed, and then gave it to him. It's in his hallway so when he goes out his Mrs knows where he is."

Samantha Briggs nominated Mr Oldfield for the award because his photographs "connect everybody".

She said: "Everyday, when I go on Facebook, I see these gorgeous pictures of the beautiful town of Bridlington.

"It's brilliant how it just connects everybody who either lives here or has moved away."

'Kev's photos of Bridlington connect everyone'

Reflecting on being named a finalist in the BBC Make A Difference Awards, Mr Oldfield said: "It's blown my head, getting recognised and it makes it worthwhile getting up in the morning.

"It's not just for me. It's for every homeless man."

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