Congratulations to Kirsty Summers, who submitted the winning photo of a moss rose entitled “Lean on Me”. The judges also awarded a highly commended place to Alex Davey for her snapshot of her children who are sibling carers, helping their parents look after their brother who has complex needs. Tesco Extra Musselburgh kindly donated a goody bag and vouchers as prizes (you are our community champions!)
Thank you to our judging panel who had the unenviable task of selecting only one winner:
David Binnie, chair of Carers of East Lothian
Jane Ogden-Smith, communications manager, East Lothian Health and Social Care Partnership
Jim White, carer and photography enthusiast
Thank you also to all the competition entrants who shared their images and experiences with us – we were deeply touched by your stories and your generosity in sharing them.
And finally thank, you to all unpaid carers for the work you do every day, which is essential but so often invisible to the society in which we all live.
[WINNER] This is a photograph of a moss rose that, if it could talk, could tell stories going back about sixty years, possibly even more. It’s called a moss rose as it doesn’t have thorns like a modern rose bush. It also looks like the stems are covered in moss. I remember when I was little that this rose bush used to grow in my Gran’s garden, that would be around 1963. When she died my Dad dug it up and planted it in his garden. Since then it has ‘moved house’ another four times! My mother moved in with me permanently when she could no longer look after herself. That was four years ago and the rose moved with her. Although very fragile, I have managed to keep it alive in a pot and it has produced a few flowers each year. Mum and I would look out of the window together to see how it was growing. I was so pleased in the Spring when new shoots appeared. Again Mum and I would talk about it but this year she rarely saw it as her health deteriorated further. At the end of May she moved into a Care Home. This year the rose bush has thirteen flower buds on it. I’ve named the photograph ‘Lean On Me’ for several reasons: Because the stems of the rose are so brittle I have let the stems lean over a water feature for support. As we age we will probably need to lean on someone else for support. And, as a former Carer I was fortunate enough to be able to lean on CoEL for support and advice. At last I am able to visit my Mum, all be it at a distance, and we’ll certainly be talking about and looking at my photographs of the moss rose that could tell a tale or too!
[Highly Commended] There were so many images I could have chosen! I wish I could send more than one. I finally settled on this one, because I think it sums up the hidden role of sibling carers, particularly during the covid lockdown when parents may be home-working as well as home-schooling and siblings have unquestioningly stepped into the breach. It shows my four-year-old daughter Caitlin, helping her six-year-old brother Benjamin (who has complex needs) with his schoolwork. I could also have shown Caitlin pushing Benjamin in his buggy, or big sister Jackie lying next to him while he slept, or both girls greeting him with joy when he came home from a long hospital stay. They are amazing carers and they don’t even realise it!
