Beautiful beaches, snowy scenes, wildlife, and rural retreats have all been captured in Shepherd Neame’s Autumn/Winter Photography Competition.
To celebrate its current Charity of the Year partnership with Kent Wildlife Trust, the independent family brewer invited people to head outdoors and capture the changing scenes, with some fantastic prizes to be won.
From almost 100 entries submitted, the winning image was of a fox at Stodmarsh Nature Reserve near Canterbury, taken by Ollie Boughton from Folkestone, securing him the top prize of a £250 Shepherd Neame gift card.
A further four were chosen as runners-up, winning £50 gift cards each, and, due to the high standard of entries, another three were chosen as highly commended, receiving £25 gift cards.
Ollie, who was presented with his prize and certificate at the Faversham brewery by Communications Executive Angela Cole this week, took up photography during the pandemic.
He asked for a camera for Christmas during the first lockdown, and mum Karen bought him a Canon – the same make as that owned by his late father Eddie, who was a keen photographer.
Ollie, 32, a primary school teaching assistant, said: “This was the very first photographic competition I’ve ever entered – I couldn’t believe it when I found out I’d won. I was absolutely delighted.
“I got the camera the first Christmas of lockdown and started to get really into photography while on my walks. I kept going with it; I wanted to learn more and take better pictures. When I took the picture of the fox, I was at Stodmarsh with some friends and it came right out in front of us, and stood long enough for me to get some good pictures.”
Runners-up were: Rebecca Balcombe for her picture on KIngsdown Beach on a walk to Shepherd Neame pub The Zetland Arms; Ed Cullen for a robin at Stodmarsh Nature Reserve; Kayleigh Gogerly for capturing toadstools in Kingswood, Maidstone and Helen Paraskevas, with her picture of 22-year-old cat Patch from another Shepherd Neame pub, Bucks Head in Godden Green.
Highly Commended were: Victoria Jefferiss for a frosty field shot taken on the Saxon Shoreway between Teynham and Conyer; Helen Eagle for her Vizla Stanley in his first snowfall in the orchards in East Malling and Sarah Town for her tractor ploughing fields near Charing.
Kathryn Tye, Corporate Communications Manager, said: “We held our first photography competition in spring last year to mark the start of our partnership with Kent Wildlife Trust. It proved such a success that we decided to hold another competition inviting keen photographers to capture autumn and winter scenes.
“We were delighted to receive so many varied entries, and of such a high standard too! Our judges felt Ollie’s winning image encapsulated the unique nature and wildlife that surrounds us in Kent. It is a particularly impressive achievement as Ollie has only recently taken up photography.”
You can see all the winning images here: https://snea.me/Autumn-Winter-Photo-Comp
They will also be on display in the brewery’s reception in Court Street, Faversham, during March and April.
ENDS
About Shepherd Neame
Shepherd Neame has been based in the market town of Faversham, Kent for over 300 years. Perhaps best known for great British classic ales such as Spitfire Amber, which carries the Royal Warrant, its diverse portfolio includes Five Grain Lager, Bear Island East Coast Pale Ale and Bear Island Triple Hopped Lager, and the Whitstable Bay Collection. It also brews international lagers under licence including Samuel Adams Boston Lager and premium Thai lager Singha. The independent family business boasts an award-winning visitor centre and more than 300 pubs and hotels throughout London and the South East, from the historic heart of the City to the Kent coastline.
Shepherd Neame is not responsible for the content on third party websites.
Press release from Shepherd Neame.
For further information please contact Communications Executive Angela Cole on 01795 542142 or email acole@shepherdneame.co.uk or visit www.shepherdneame.co.uk