Princes Countryside Fund

Sherston Old School – My First Prince’s Countryside Fund Project

A couple of weeks ago I photographed my first commission for the  Princes Countryside Fund, a Victorian School in Sherston, Wiltshire. The school had closed in 2005 when a new school was built for the children of the area. The old school sat  empty with the fear of it being converted into flats until it was acquired by the village by Sherston Old School Community Interest Company (SOSCIC) and Wiltshire Council gave planning permission that allowed the building to be used to provide a range of goods, services and activities for the good of the community. With the help of grants including one from the Princes Countryside Fund the school is now open with a bustling community spirit and includes a fabulous Post Office and general stores, office space for IT and marketing companies, a wine seller and a group of hair dressers soon to move in.

To find out more about Sherston Old School project please click here.

Official Photographer For The Prince’s Countryside Fund

I am thrilled to have been asked to be the Official Photographer for The Prince’s Countryside Fund after doing some work for them earlier this year. I will now be photographing the projects they have funded all over the UK and look forward to a long and successful working relationship with them.

I will be starting on the projects very soon so please keep a look out on http://www.marklordphotography.me for projects I have worked on. There are many interesting projects from upland farmers on the Yorkshire Moors, hedge laying on Exmoor, community pub on the Norfolk Broads and a project on saving the Hampshire Hog in the New Forest to name a few.

Rural life and its people has always been a big part of my life and much of the inspiration for my photography so you could say I’m like a pig in mud to be offered this work!

To find out more about The Prince’s Countryside Fund and the worthwhile projects they have helped please click here.

A post would not be the same without a picture so I found this in my archives of some pigs in mud!

Prince’s Countryside Fund charity clay shoot – West Wycombe estate

Earlier this week I photographed a charity clay pigeon shoot for The Prince’s Countryside Fund hosted by Sir Edward Dashwood at his West Wycombe home. E J Churchill put on a superb display of targets for the guests to shoot in the grounds of West Wycombe Estate. After a breakfast served in the hall the 9 teams had an eventful morning shooting in their teams of 4 guns over the various stands. England rugby star Phil Vickery, the new ambassador of The Prince’s Countryside Fund was there demonstrating his sharp shooting eye and support to the other guests and the PCF.

West Wycombe House – an ideal venue for a clay shoot or a wedding!

With teams from various industries that support the PCF competing the final winners were Samworth Brothers and runners up Dovecote Park who had their awards presented to them by Sir Edward Dashwood, Phil Vickery and Managing Director of Waitrose, Mark Price. With other notable figures in the teams it really was a great fund raising event for the PCF and raising awareness to help rural communities across the UK.

Phil Vickery, ambassador to the PCF and all round nice guy

To find out more about the Prince’s Countryside Fund and to support the Great British countryside and it’s people please click here.

Here are some of my favourite images from the day.