North End photographer captures images of families on doorsteps to raise hundreds for Aurora New Dawn

By Belinda Dickins

Community reporter

Published 23rd May 2020, 07:00 GMT

Updated 26th May 2020, 20:12 GMT

Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565

SMILES from families in lockdown have been collected by a North End photographer capturing special moments to raise hundreds for charity.

Sophia Benham, with help from three of her sons, has been taking doorstep documentary photographs across her area as part of her #atourfrontdoor project to raise funds for domestic abuse charity Aurora New Dawn.

The family has raised £560 so far, with images of more than 60 families taken and shared on her project’s Facebook group to the delight of subjects including family members, friends and strangers.

Sophia, 45, who runs Beside the Seaside Photography, said: ‘The thing for me was I was starting to feel a little bit low. This made sense because we were going out for our daily walks anyway and it lifted our spirits a little bit.

Photographer Sophia Benham from North End has been capturing images of families during lockdown as part of her #atourfrontdoor project to raise money for domestic abuse charity Aurora New Dawn. Pictured: An example of one of the families on their doorstep — Photographer Sophia Benham from North End has been capturing images of families during lockdown as part of her #atourfrontdoor project to raise money for domestic abuse charity Aurora New Dawn. Pictured: An example of one of the families on their doorstep | Other 3rd Party

Photographer Sophia Benham from North End has been capturing images of families during lockdown as part of her #atourfrontdoor project to raise money for domestic abuse charity Aurora New Dawn. Pictured: An example of one of the families on their doorstep — Photographer Sophia Benham from North End has been capturing images of families during lockdown as part of her #atourfrontdoor project to raise money for domestic abuse charity Aurora New Dawn. Pictured: An example of one of the families on their doorstep | Other 3rd Party

‘It was really nice to get the reactions from people - I think for some people it was an excuse to get their hair washed and get dressed.

‘It’s more than a keepsake, it’s a photograph from this time which we will hopefully never have to experience again. It has been a really lovely project.’

Homemade scenes of bears getting up to antics in Drayton garden bring delight to...

Her young helpers Rex, six, Kit, 10, and 11-year-old Beau have enjoyed the walks to capture the photos, and haven’t moaned once.

Photographer Sophia Benham from North End has been capturing images of families during lockdown as part of her #atourfrontdoor project to raise money for domestic abuse charity Aurora New Dawn. Pictured: Sophia with sons Rex, Kit and Beau Benham Wyatt, who have been helping along the way — Photographer Sophia Benham from North End has been capturing images of families during lockdown as part of her #atourfrontdoor project to raise money for domestic abuse charity Aurora New Dawn. Pictured: Sophia with sons Rex, Kit and Beau Benham Wyatt, who have been helping along the way | Other 3rd Party

Photographer Sophia Benham from North End has been capturing images of families during lockdown as part of her #atourfrontdoor project to raise money for domestic abuse charity Aurora New Dawn. Pictured: Sophia with sons Rex, Kit and Beau Benham Wyatt, who have been helping along the way — Photographer Sophia Benham from North End has been capturing images of families during lockdown as part of her #atourfrontdoor project to raise money for domestic abuse charity Aurora New Dawn. Pictured: Sophia with sons Rex, Kit and Beau Benham Wyatt, who have been helping along the way | Other 3rd Party

Sophia said: ‘We’ll definitely have some memories to look back on and it feels like a big accomplishment. It has made the weeks go really quickly, I’ve probably been the least bored parent in lockdown.

‘The fact that we have raised so much money has been quite unreal. We have smashed our target and I’m really pleased about it.’

Shonagh Dillon, Aurora New Dawn’s chief executive, said: ‘When Sophia approached us we were really impressed by the creativity of her project, it is simple yet so different and special.

‘We have seen a 67 per cent increase since we launched the domestic abuse helpline in response to the Covid-19 pandemic and we are preparing for a further influx of victims coming forward across all our services as lockdown eases.’

Photographer Sophia Benham from North End has been capturing images of families during lockdown as part of her #atourfrontdoor project to raise money for domestic abuse charity Aurora New Dawn. Pictured: Sophia's sons Kit, Rex and Beau helping her take pictures on a rainy day — Photographer Sophia Benham from North End has been capturing images of families during lockdown as part of her #atourfrontdoor project to raise money for domestic abuse charity Aurora New Dawn. Pictured: Sophia's sons Kit, Rex and Beau helping her take pictures on a rainy day | Other 3rd Party

Photographer Sophia Benham from North End has been capturing images of families during lockdown as part of her #atourfrontdoor project to raise money for domestic abuse charity Aurora New Dawn. Pictured: Sophia's sons Kit, Rex and Beau helping her take pictures on a rainy day — Photographer Sophia Benham from North End has been capturing images of families during lockdown as part of her #atourfrontdoor project to raise money for domestic abuse charity Aurora New Dawn. Pictured: Sophia's sons Kit, Rex and Beau helping her take pictures on a rainy day | Other 3rd Party

To donate, visit justgiving.com/fundraising/atourfrontdoor. If you are in the PO2 area and want to get involved, email [email protected].

For Aurora New Dawn’s 24/7 helpline, phone (023) 9421 6816.

A message from the Editor

Thank you for reading this story on portsmouth.co.uk. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

Photographer Sophia Benham from North End has been capturing images of families during lockdown as part of her #atourfrontdoor project to raise money for domestic abuse charity Aurora New Dawn. Pictured: An example of one of the families on their doorstep — Photographer Sophia Benham from North End has been capturing images of families during lockdown as part of her #atourfrontdoor project to raise money for domestic abuse charity Aurora New Dawn. Pictured: An example of one of the families on their doorstep | Other 3rd Party

Photographer Sophia Benham from North End has been capturing images of families during lockdown as part of her #atourfrontdoor project to raise money for domestic abuse charity Aurora New Dawn. Pictured: An example of one of the families on their doorstep — Photographer Sophia Benham from North End has been capturing images of families during lockdown as part of her #atourfrontdoor project to raise money for domestic abuse charity Aurora New Dawn. Pictured: An example of one of the families on their doorstep | Other 3rd Party

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to portsmouth.co.uk and enjoy unlimited access to local news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit our Subscription page now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.

News you can trust since 1877

©National World Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.Terms and Conditions Privacy notice