Fleetwood: How an 'amazing community' shaped an artist's work

Linda Townend, who has owned Pablo's restaurant for 20 years, was one of those who shared memories

The seaside towns of England's North West are places steeped in nostalgia for many, filled with echoes of childhood trips, ice creams and bracing walks along the prom.

Photographer Hannah O'Hara was no different when she was commissioned to create work that reflected Fleetwood's "people, places and heritage".

However, she says spending a year "immersing" herself in the Lancashire fishing port has also given her a new perspective.

And the driving force for that was, she says, a simple one.

"People are much more talkative than in the South."

O'Hara, who features in the exhibition herself, says she "met and worked with so many kind individuals" in the town

Chef Craig Whitbread told O'Hara that he enjoyed the peacefulness and quieter pace of life in the town

O'Hara is based in Sussex, but her father lived in Blackpool when she was a child and she has "fond memories" of trips to Fleetwood.

So she jumped at the chance to return there for a year, thanks to a commission from photography charity Photoworks and Fleetwood High Street Heritage Action Zone's cultural programme, which was funded by Historic England.

And while she admits that immersing herself in the culture of the town, which included taking photography walks with residents and visiting care homes to speak to residents, "triggered nostalgic memories", it also allowed her to embrace Fleetwood's "amazing community".

Carol Rooney told the artist she was "living her dream" in working as a seamstress at the market

O'Hara also documented the town's buildings, such as the radar tower built in the 1960s

"People are so friendly," she says.

"I have met and worked with so many kind individuals who have helped me develop this project and given their time freely and told their stories openly.

"It has been a privilege as an artist to hear their memories."

The resulting exhibition, From Nothing to Now, shares the stories and images she has gathered and explores the themes that run through all her work - temporality, place and memory.

It includes both her own images and some of those taken by residents on their photography walks and is being shown across the town, in its museum, library and bustling market.

O'Hara also led locals, such as Alan (above), on photography walks and some of their work features in the exhibition

The artist visited care homes in the town to talk to and photograph residents like Jean (above)

The wider cultural programme's arts engagement co-ordinator Angelica Vanasse says O'Hara's "dedication" to the work and "getting to know the people in Fleetwood has helped to create opportunities for connection to shape the stories... in ways that are meaningful to people in the present".

"Hannah has gotten to know people... across the high street and its businesses, in cultural organisations, care homes and in community environments," she says.

"The exhibition... reflects their heritage, stories, memories and connection to place in ways that are rooted deeply in the present and being proud of the place they call home."

Photoworks curator Julia Bunnemann says the strength of it is the result of the "strong connections" O'Hara has made with people "across all ages and backgrounds... from a diverse range of local communities"

"It has been brilliant to witness the genuine connections that have emerged as a result of her artistic exploration," she adds.

From Nothing to Now is at Fleetwood Museum, Fleetwood Library and Fleetwood Market until 28 November.

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