Mother and baby Macaque monkeys © Sally Anderson

Sally Anderson, President of the Society, gave her President’s Evening Lecture to members at the last meeting.

Sally commenced with images of Thailand, a country she has visited on several occasions. Photographs included The Grand Palace, The Reclining Buddha, visits to the hill tribes at Chang Mai, the night markets of Bangkok, the flora and fauna of Thailand and Jim Thompson’s House in Bangkok city centre. Dolphin Bay in the south of Thailand was illustrated with images of fishermen in long tail boats and of the local landscape.

Sally’s interest in Thailand began when her daughter, Nicola, founded 1Step2Step in 2006, a charity supporting children with disability in a government-run orphanage in Bangkok. Nicola works as a volunteer, to develop the physical, social and emotional skill of the children.

The charity has sent containers of donated specialist equipment to the orphanages. They have also organised two Disability Awareness Tours for Thai staff to come to UK and to see and discuss provision for children with disabilities here.

They are currently fundraising to send a team to Thailand to help Nicola take a group of children on a special holiday to the beach. The evening raised £47 from a book sale and donations.

Caldbeck Church Stained Glass Window © Sally Anderson

Part two of the presentation was entitled ‘Church Photography – My Personal journey’.

Clumber Park Church © Sally Anderson

Sally had visited 174 churches in many counties and showed projected images of church architecture including Norwich Cathedral, St. David’s Cathedral in Wales and Coxwold Church in Yorkshire with its unusual octagonal tower. Photographs of many other churches included the landscape and the setting. Her attention was drawn to celebrity gravestones and crosses, these included John Peel at Caldbeck in Cumbria and Grace Darling at Bamburgh in Northumberland. Church interiors provided a wealth of photographic interest and this was well illustrated with photographs of stained glass windows, fonts and gargoyles.

Mike Atkinson thanked Sally with a well earned vote of thanks for a most interesting and informative evening.

1Step2Step are currently raising money to take six children with disabilities on holiday. If you would like to help please make a donation.