Kent women feature in 'powerful' new photo series

Joshua AskewSouth East
News imageAnita Corbin Two women - one very eldely - laugh as they make a puzzle. The old woman is missing teeth. Anita Corbin
Life does not stop when you need care, said photographer Anita Corbin

Two Kent women have featured in a "powerful" new photography series celebrating the "unseen sides of women's lives".

Photographer Anita Corbin said the portraits in Circle of Care "turn the spotlight on what may be one of society's last taboos - women in later life, besides the carers and loved ones that support them".

"I've always been drawn to the stories we don't tell about women," she said.

"There's incredible beauty, depth and dignity in later life."

She added: "Life doesn't stop when you need care; it simply changes shape."

News imageAnita Corbin An elderly woman in a wheelchair holds up a fork. She is in a pretty garden with pots and bushes. Anita Corbin
The women are photographed doing their favourite activities, such as "gardening and puzzling"

Among those photographed is Lesley Rogers, 75, who appears alongside her carers and family in her Ashford home.

Also featured in the series is a 98-year-old woman from Sevenoaks as she does her favourite activities, such as "gardening and puzzling".

"Care isn't just something women give," said Ms Corbin.

"It's a space where they remain themselves, visible, valued, and still very much alive."

News imageAnita Corbin Two women sit on a sofa. One has a make-up brush and seems like she is about to use it on the other. The room is well-lit. They are laughing. Anita Corbin
The project was all about "visibility", acccording to one organisation

Live-in care and nursing provider Consultus Care and Nursing, which partnered with Ms Corbin to create the series, said the project was "all about visibility".

"We want these photos to show that with the right support, people can live joyfully and independently in their own homes, and that care can be something that enriches, not diminishes, life," said chief executive Peter Seldon.

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