Tony puts good deeds on display (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Tony puts good deeds on display

9:48am Thursday 4th June 2009 in

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Over the past year, Bradford photographer Tony O’Connell has turned his camera on ordinary people doing extraordinary acts of kindness.

He has photographed, among many others, disabled youngsters enjoying a trip to Disneyland Paris, thanks to a team of volunteers who take them and their families on holiday; volunteers serving up meals for the homeless, and offering them a bed for the night in their own homes.

There are also debt counsellors; churchgoers who send shoeboxes full of gifts to children in Eastern Europe; members of a charity which has built schools in Gambia; volunteers driving cancer patients to appointments; and members of a mosque who regularly set about cleaning up their neighbourhood.

Tony has photographed a wide cross-section of people, from teenagers to pensioners, involved in such fields as social and health care, sport, teaching and drama who are doing their bit to help others, both in the Bradford district and on an international level.

Over recent months, the T&A has been highlighting some of Tony’s photographs with a series of features, and this weekend the photographs are going on display in a major exhibition at St Peter’s House in Bradford.

Hosted by South Asian arts organisation Kala Sangam, it celebrates the 25th anniversary of National Volunteers Week. The exhibition will be launched on Saturday at an event organised by Volunteering Bradford, Bradford Cathedral and Kala Sangam.

Opened by the Lord Mayor of Bradford, Councillor John Godwood, the event will be an opportunity for voluntary, community, statutory and faith-based organisations to showcase the value that volunteers contribute to their organisations and to the life of the district. Events will include arts and cultural activities and exhibitions, entertainment, information stands, stalls and refreshment.

Lynne Kent, manager of Volunteering Bradford, says: “We hope members of the public will come along, join in the celebration, and learn more about the vast range of volunteering opportunities that are available in Bradford. People of all ages and backgrounds volunteer – the important thing is that they get the chance to do something which suits them and their reasons for getting involved.” Tony’s impressive photographic project began with Hope 2008, a national initiative promoting community work, aiming to highlight a million acts of kindness nationwide. After hearing about the project, Tony contacted Hope Bradford, which was focusing on 50,000 acts of kindness locally, and was commissioned to photograph a selection of them.

He hopes his exhibition will highlight the positive actions of Bradfordians, and inspire others to follow their lead. “Viewers are encouraged to think about acts of kindness without returns, the need for such acts of kindness, and a place without acts of kindness,” says Tony. “I wanted to emphasise the volunteering aspect because so many acts of kindness involve volunteers. The exhibition is part of a celebration of volunteering.

“I’ve done some volunteering myself, working with refugees and asylum seekers, and some of the people I’ve photographed work in this field.”

He describes his assignment as a “life-affirming experience” and hopes his photographs will remind us, in these challenging times, of the positive aspects of life.

“I’m a Bradford lad. The city has its problems, but there are good things happening out there,” he says. “This has been an extraordinary, positive experience. I have photographed such a wide spectrum of people, from a group of schoolchildren offering their services at fundraising events to charities building schools in Africa, to a volunteering team of two sisters, one of whom has cancer, helping out at the RSPCA.”

Saturday’s event will include a performance by harpist Fiona Katie Roberts who has built her own quadruple harp out of scrap materials. Tony photographed Katie as part of his Acts of Kindness project when she played for various charities.

The Acts of Kindness exhibition and Volunteer Week event is at St Peter’s House, Forster Square, Bradford, on Saturday from 2pm to 6pm. The exhibition runs throughout the summer. For more information about the exhibition, or to organise views by private appointment, contact Tony O’Connell on 07887 885011, e-mail tonyoc1@btinternet.com, or ring Kala Sangam on (01274) 303340.

For more information about Volunteering Bradford, ring (01274) 588233, e-mail info@volunteeringbradford.org, or visit volunteersweek.org.uk.