Love is a Life Story
“What have I done wrong to be locked up in here?” Mary (96) NHS Nurse
An intimate photographic series capturing the resilience, friendship, and quiet courage of two nonagenarians navigating the isolation and uncertainty of Covid-19 lockdowns.
Love is a Life Story is a series of black and white photographs taken between March 2020-May 2022 documenting the friendship between two nonagenarians, John —my father—and his friend Mary.
This highly personal project intimately chronicles the everyday life and challenges faced as they navigated the various, and often confused, Covid-19 lockdown regulations whilst living in a sheltered retirement community in Milton Keynes.
At the time, older people were seen as expendable and the government’s decision to send the “untested” back to care homes resulted in thousands of excess deaths. This apparent disregard for our eldest citizens compelled me to document what I was witnessing daily not only as a daughter and carer to my father, but also as a photographer.
John and Mary’s experience epitomised everything that I felt was unjust about the treatment of our eldest citizens. My father was already suffering isolation and loneliness when Covid restrictions forced him deeper into despair. It was a violation of their human rights—their right to life, to health and to non-discrimination and it called into question Britain’s failing care system.
Mary and John dedicated their lives to helping others—John as a Christian minister and Mary as an NHS nurse. In December 2021, Mary was moved into a full care home and passed away alone, unable to have visitors except behind glass. She died believing that she had been locked away and imprisoned.
Love is a Life Story is dedicated to Mary and is a testament to the importance of friendship and faith, especially in the face of adversity. Permeated by themes focused on love and loss, this series of images aims to give voice to a generation who are often overlooked and underrepresented.
I continue to photograph my father’s life amidst this backdrop and the pressure put on unpaid family carers of which there are approximately 5 million in England and Wales.
Coverage on the Royal Photographic Society (RPS) website.