A great Family Day Out with good social distancing in place - Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens

I thought I’d share a few days out for the family in and around the Cotswolds, for those who are looking for places to go with good social distancing in place. The Cotswold Wildlife Park has something for everyone and there are plenty of opportunities to take photos! I had been to the Cotswold Lavender Fields this week, so I have plenty of photos of the girls, so yesterday I had fun photographing the animals!

The grounds are so beautifully landscaped, there is lots of space for the children to run around, kiosks for coffees and ice creams, and you can picnic every where - we had our lunch near the rhinos! The staff are really friendly. I honestly couldn’t fault it at all.

Practical information: There is an online booking system that goes live the day before, so that they can ensure that the park isn’t overcrowded - even the car parking is socially distanced! Click to book your tickets here. Just over 30 minutes from Cheltenham, 15 minutes from Oxford and just off of the A40. Entry prices are reasonable, there are plenty of hand-washing stations, and the facilities are really well maintained. At the moment the train isn’t running, the playground isn’t open and nor is the reptile area, but there are so many other areas to play in and animals to see that we really didn’t feel like we had missed out. The highlights for my children were the Red Panda, Clouded Leopard, Giraffe, and the Otters!

Thanks for a great day out @cotswoldwildlifepark - we’ll be visiting here again I’m sure!

VE Day 75th Anniversary celebrations Doorstep Portraits

As a family photographer, I have postponed my photoshoots until after lockdown. I had considered offering doorstep photos in Cheltenham in exchange for a voluntary donation to the NHS, but hadn’t felt that the time was right until very recently.

But on our daily exercise today, my heart was utterly warmed by the wonderful sight that I saw in our neighbourhood. -

The sound of people chatting, friends being made and glasses being charged. There were gramophones and guitars being played, cake being offered out within a safe distance - even a change into black ties for dinner. All in our front gardens. -

And then it dawned on me. Capturing joy is the very thing that drives my work. And here it was in abundance. We were all elated at allowing ourselves a tiny slice of normality and respectful socialisation. This was a big moment in our history and I felt compelled to document it.

We don’t tend to sit in our front gardens in this country. But on this day, tea parties are thrown together with pride in our front gardens. We felt joy on the streets as we chattered to our neighbours for the first time in weeks. That freedom which so many fought for 75 years ago, was somehow understood and felt in our hearts more this year than ever before in our generation.


I met many lovely neighbours for the first time, including a surgeon and a doctor and asked for their portraits in exchange for a voluntary contribution to the NHS (well actually I’ll let the doctor and the surgeon off). -

It was like a breath of fresh air and a VE celebration like no other..