Ice cream and amusements at the seaside

Since childhood, photographer Jon Pountney has been drawn to the Welsh coast. A new exhibition brings together his photographs from the past decade.

Pountney's work focuses on the details of a visit to the seaside - discarded food cartons, an ice-cream van parked up waiting for the Sun to shine, an empty cafe with the light filtering through the windows.

"Across the coastline of Wales is a dizzying mix of natural beauty, coastal war defences, wastelands and towns and villages," Pountney says.

"Some are set up as resorts. Others are sleepy, quaint places without the touchstones that we apply to places like Barry Island, Rhyl, or Tenby. I am pulled into this nostalgic confection, which reminds me of growing up near Filey and Scarborough in the 80s and 90s."

"Seen from our family Mini in the early 1980s, the view of the derelict Filey Butlins holiday park, with its empty pools and faded Art Deco grandeur, left an indelible mark on my imagination, as did the excitement of the colours and sounds of local amusement arcades.

"I've had lots of memorable chats and encounters with people, all around the coast. People are great - and they make a project like this come to life."

"I'd say my favourite picture from the project so far is the one of Barry Island in the storm.

"It was a total fluke in that I was the only person on the beach and as the rain really started to pour, a single sunbeam travelled over the sand and caught me.

"I stood with the camera ready focused in the hope it would happen."

Wales at the Seaside can be seen at Ten, in Cardiff, Wednesday to Saturday, 25 June until 30 July. More of Pountney's can be seen on his website.