I am a Carnforth girl born and bred (well actually I was born at the RLI and lived in Over Kellet until I was 8 years old), but after that, Carnforth all the way...apart from my four years in Newcastle.
The important thing is, I am back now and I love it.
Now I have a family of my own, I appreciate it even more; its size, amenities and of course the people and sense of community. And the location is incredible. There can't be many places that can boast the 'city, coast and countryside' within such easy reach.
When I was asked by Julia Grisenthwaite if I would take on a special commission to 'capture Carnforth' in a selection of photographs which would be presented to visitors from our twinned town, Sailly-sur-la-Lys, I felt honoured. The gift would also mark the 15th anniversary of the twinning.
But how to go about capturing our town in only a few pictures?
It took several walks and many conversations about the best bits of our town. Of course, the weather is variable too and I wanted to capture a range of vistas and at different times of year. It enabled me to see my home town with fresh eyes and renewed appreciation of it's rich history.
I took a LOT of images but thankfully I didn't have to decide on the final '9' as these were chosen by the twinning committee. Here is the final selection of images:
The project was especially poignant for me as my mum died in April 2018, just prior to the visit. But she got to see the finished work and knew that it would hang in a Town Hall in France, the country in which she lived for a year of her life as she studied her French and Linguistics Degree. It feels like another important connection to her.
Here are the details included in the press release following the visit in May 2018:
It is 15 years since Carnforth was twinned with Sailly-Sur-La-Lys in Northern France.
Members of the French party arrived for this year's visit on Wednesday 9 May to spend a few days with their English friends.They were greeted by the outgoing Mayor of Carnforth, Councillor Pat Woof. Lesley Simon, President of the Carnforth and District Twinning Association presented her counterpart from Sailly, Rachida
Bounoua, together with the Mayor of Sailly, Jean-Claude Thorez, with a commemorative framed picture depicting scenes of Carnforth. The photos were taken by local photographer, Ginny Koppenhol.
This year's activities included a guided tour of historic Lancaster and trips to Salmesbury Hall, Hoghton Tower and Windermere. The visit concluded with a wonderful Scottish themed evening of haggis, whisky, singing and dancing. During the visit to Lancaster, the group attended an illustrated talk on the King's
Own Royal Lancaster Regiment by Peter Donnelly at Lancaster Museum, where they were greeted by the outgoing Mayor of Lancaster, Councillor Roger Mace and his wife. This was Councillor Mace's last official function as Mayor of Lancaster.
After the presentation, it was touching to receive this email:
Hello Ginny
Our Président, Rachida BOUNOUA, would like to express her thanks for the picture which you realized ; this picture is really very attractive.
We appreciated this present and the welcome of our English friends during every visit to Carnforth
We had a very pleasant stay with our friends of the twinning association of Carnforth.
Thanks again.
Kind regards.
Rachida BOUNOUA
Président twinning association of Sailly sur la Lys