Inspiring social care image captures “moment of affection”

A summer’s evening in France sitting around a campfire provided Ian Callen the perfect opportunity to capture the closeness between Scott (left) and his support worker Bertie.

The image is one of 12 winning photographs from Community Care’s Inspiring Images of Social Care Competition and was taken while Scott and Bertie were on a supported holiday in Gorges du Verdon, in the South of France, run by Callen’s company Go Provence.

The company, which provides supported activity holidays for children and adults with additional needs, were also the overall winners of last year’s photography competition.

Callen, a co-founder of Go Provence, said: “I decided to enter this image because I felt it conveyed the closeness between the two of them and captured a moment of affection. You might think they were related, not necessarily carer and cared for.”

“We were really pleased to win again this year because it’s a great competition that highlights a lot of positive work in social care.”

Scott and Bertie were supported to go on a Go Provence holiday by the Brandon Trust, a charity which provides residential and vocational support for people with learning disabilities.

The holidays offer a range of activities including involvement with community events, such as festivals and farmers’ markets, as well as a boat trip to St Tropez and swimming and kayaking in the nearby lakes.

“We try and be as discreet as possible with our support and let the people who are on holiday with us have the holiday that they need,” said Callen.

The image will join 11 others on a charity calendar, which is sponsored by Caritas recruitment and sent out to thousands of social care professionals.