PRESS RELEASE: Relative Poverty exhibition set for launch at Cast Doncaster
Letting photos tell their story
Les Monaghan, leading the Relative Poverty project, spent time with families that would be defined as destitute, taking photographs along the way over 10 days to challenge practice around issues of agency, public engagement and fairness of representation.
There will be an opening showing on Friday 28 April 2017 at Cast Doncaster from 11am-1.30pm.
Healthwatch involvement
Healthwatch Doncaster, alongside donations through a crowdfunding campaign, decided to support this project to raise awareness of how local people can share their experiences of health and care services in Doncaster with their local Healthwatch.
Healthwatch Doncaster became aware of the Relative Poverty project in the Autumn of 2016 and recognised that it would be an opportunity to capture and document the experiences of local people in relation to how they access local health and care services in Doncaster with a view to encouraging discussion and debate.
Andrew Goodall, Chief Operating Officer at Healthwatch Doncaster, said:
“Healthwatch Doncaster is focussed on engaging with local people, communities and organisations to gather a range of stories and experiences that can be used to inform and influence both providers and commissioners of health and care services in Doncaster.
“The Board of Healthwatch Doncaster saw this as an innovative opportunity to get involved in and support Les in his work. It has generated powerful images that will encourage local discussion and debate. More importantly, Relative Poverty will offer an insight into how individuals’ lives affect their access to health and care services."
Public exhibitions confirmed
The culmination of four months’ work will result in two initial exhibitions at Askern and Balby Community Libraries with the intention to tour the work across all 25 libraries starting in May 2017.
Les said: “It was fantastic to see the crowdfunding donations come in to support the Relative Poverty project and Healthwatch Doncaster’s assistance and support has been greatly appreciated.”
Healthwatch Doncaster will be working closely with Les at the community exhibitions to support local conversations and debate along with supporting local people to share their experiences of health and care services in Doncaster through a range of different media – conversations, video, photos, social media.
To keep updated with the project, you can visit the Relative Poverty project website at
http://www.relativepoverty.org/
NOTES TO EDITORS
Healthwatch Doncaster is a Community Interest Company as of 1 July 2016, to continue its work across Doncaster supporting the improvement of health and care services through engagement, involvement and influence.
This entails engagement work throughout the community, signposting people to the right service and providing NHS Advocacy support.
Press release contact:
Chief Operating Officer Andrew Goodall
01302 965454 or mobile: 07834 686855
