The Lockdown Doorstep Portrait Project by Lucy McKenzie Photography supporting Widowed and Young

It has been, and continues to be, an unprecedentedly strange time! Lockdown has challenged us all in many diff erent ways: we will never be quite so complacent about buying toilet rolls; the happy birthday song will forever be associated with hand washing; we’ll appreciate teachers, postal workers, rubbish collectors, shop workers and, of course, NHS workers so much more; and we will never again take a hug for granted. All being well, we will never experience anything quite like this again. It will be something that we reminisce about when we’re older and that our grandchildren will struggle to believe… “You mean you didn’t have to go to school for months?!” To mark this unique moment in time (and as possible proof to those future disbelieving grandchildren!), Lucy from Lucy McKenzie Photography is off ering families the opportunity to enjoy a Doorstep Portrait Photoshoot: quite literally, a photoshoot on your doorstep. From the compulsory 2 metres away, she will capture photographs of you and your family.

You can use it as a (currently very rare) opportunity to dress up or you can fully embrace lockdown with photos in your pyjamas; the furry members of your household can be included; or your beautifully drawn rainbow pictures… it’s entirely up to you!

There is no fee for the session or for the images, which will - in line with the current climate - be delivered electronically. Instead, professional photographer Lucy is asking for a donation to the nationwide bereavement charity, Widowed and Young (WAY). As we are all well aware, Covid-19 is indiscriminate, and there will be many people who have suddenly and unexpectedly lost their

partners, and in a time when we cannot put our arms around each other. WAY is supporting those who need them with information online, local support groups and a 24 hour helpline.

This charity has personal significance for Lucy, who turned to WAY after her husband died in a motorcycle racing accident, when she was just 32. Their baby daughter was 6 months old at the time.

Lucy has seen first-hand how hard it is for most of us to talk about bereavement: as a community we just don’t know how to approach it, what to say, what not to say, how to help and, our fear of doing the wrong thing often renders us too fearful to do anything at all.

WAY is a peer-to-peer support group operating within a network of volunteers who have been bereaved at a young age themselves, so they understand exactly what other members are going through.

When she first met another local WAY member, Lucy said that sharing the emotions, the experiences and the grief together was very powerful: “we didn’t have to explain anything to one another as we had a common ground, and it made me realise how exhausted I was trying to hold so much inside. We shared tears and concerns about being both mum and dad to our young children, but also ideas and ambitions: encouraging each other to explore what was possible within the new perimeters of our lives.” The result of Lucy’s explorations became her dream business photographing babies and families: Lucy McKenzie Photography. Lucy hopes to help families celebrate the positive part of the lockdown experience with her doorstep portrait sessions. “It seems right that I support WAY by doing the very thing WAY gave me the strength to achieve” she concluded.

If you would like to be a part of the Lockdown Doorstep Portrait Project, and help WAY volunteers support young widows, widowers and their children across the country, then visit www.lucymckenziephotography.com or Lucy McKenzie Photography on Facebook Donations to WAY can be made via the Just Giving page: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/lucy-mckenzie-photography