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Photographic talent at Whiteley Village

23rd November 2023

If the residents of Whiteley Village have just one thing in common, it is that they are beneficiaries of The Whiteley Homes Trust and have met the application criteria of the charitable trust, whose purpose is to provide homes for older people of limited means.

Whilst we are located in Surrey, we receive applications from across the country and our resident beneficiaries come from diverse backgrounds to live in the almshouses at Whiteley Village, bringing a range of different talents to the community.

One such resident who has become known for his outstanding wildlife photography is Alan Whitehead. His photographs have been enjoyed by all, while on display by the Whiteley Village Nature Club. However, it is not just the wildlife that Alan captures so expertly, he also has an eye for capturing the Arts and Crafts architecture and parkland spaces of Whiteley Village in gorgeous light.

Alan originally comes from a small coal mining community in South Yorkshire, where his father was a miner. Alan was discouraged by his father from following in his footsteps, and instead he went to work at British Steel in Sheffield when he left school. In the city synonymous with stainless steel, even nicknamed ‘Steel City’, Alan studied metallurgy and spent 12 years analysing and testing the metals as they were manufactured.

It was later that Alan realised he could combine his metals experience with his love of art. Having made drawings from an early age, later progressing to photography and oil painting, Alan went on to take a course in Engineering Design and spent the rest of his working life as a designer and materials specialist, mostly in the automotive sector.

Alan moved to Surrey in 2000, living in Cobham and working with an American-owned company in Sutton before he retired and relocated to Whiteley Village in 2015. Alan says:

“I feel very blessed to be here, not just for what the estate has to offer, but for being amongst so many amazing people. The talent, personalities and wonderful life stories are endless, and I can’t imagine a better place to spend my remaining years.”

And we are lucky to have Alan here, and for him to share his wonderful photography with us. All the images in this story are a credit to Alan, who has kindly shared them with the Trust to use in our marketing and communications. Keep an eye out on our social media to see some more.

Thank you to Alan for sharing his story along with these delightful pictures which depict some of the amazing sights within our almshouse community of Whiteley Village.