National exhibition to tour Astley Hall
Dramatic and beautiful images of wildlife will be on display at Astley Hall as a national photography exhibition starts its tour at the historic Chorley attraction.
Everything from magnificent marine life through to beautiful birds have been captured through the lens as part of the British Wildlife Photography Awards, which announced its winners at the start of September.
Over 100 images – both winning and commended entries – will be exhibited in the art gallery and it is your first opportunity to see the exhibition outside of London.
Councillor Bev Murray, who oversees Astley Hall, the Chorley Council-run attraction, said: “Wildlife often offers the opportunity to capture some amazing pictures and the exhibits we’ll have on display in Astley Hall are well worth a visit.
“We’re privileged to be the first stop for the touring exhibition and I’m sure it will attract many visitors while it is here in Chorley throughout September and October.
“I’m sure it will inspire many people to get out with their cameras and we’ve got plenty of great places to see wildlife in our parks and countryside throughout the borough.”
The winning images were chosen from thousands of entries to 15 separate categories including a special film category for wildlife in HD and two junior categories to encourage young people to connect with nature through photography.
The overall winning image is ‘Hitchhikers’ – a lion’s mane jellyfish by George Stoyle.
“I was working on a project to assess the current biological status of major sea caves around some of the UK’s most remote islands,” explained George, describing how he managed to capture the image.
“At the end of one of the dives I was swimming back to the boat when I came face to ‘face’ with the largest jellyfish I’ve ever encountered. As I approached cautiously I noticed that a number of juvenile fish had taken refuge inside the stinging tentacles.”
The exhibition will run from Saturday 17 September until Sunday 30 October – the Hall is free to enter and is open Saturdays and Sundays between 12noon and 4.30pm.
Chorley is just one of seven places in the country you can see the exhibition over the next year.