“Faces of Haywards Heath” is a photography project aimed at capturing portraits of the amazing people in Haywards Heath and its surrounding communities, who have played a very special role in people’s lives during these unprecedented times.

Through this project, I would love to provide a platform for us all to express our deepest thanks and appreciation to all of those who have helped our communities to keep functioning but also helped us to keep fit, keep smiling and carry on despite the challenges we have all been facing, both physically and emotionally, during this lockdown. 


I wanted to kick off this project with a portrait of Alex Orchin, one of the most recognised personality in our little village of Wivelsfield Green just outside of Haywards Heath.

 

Alex is an artist, has a passion for history and vintage cars but above all, he is someone who truly cares about the people in his community. Alex’s main day job is to work at our local Village Shop. But when the lockdown kicked in, he decided to set up a free delivery service during his spare time (in his iconic blue Reliant Van), for the most vulnerable people in the village who could no longer come to the shop. This allowed them to still get what they needed without putting their health at risk. 
On the 75th Anniversary of VE Day, Alex took another amazing initiative. He walked through the streets of the village playing his Bagpipes to commemorate this important anniversary. This truly touched everyone who saw and heard him play and it was a lovely surprise that helped brighten up everyone’s day. 
Thank you Alex for everything you do for your community and for being our very first “Face”!

 

So now I need your help! If you know someone who deserves to be recognised for going the extra mile to help his community during this lockdown, please fill in the fields below with a short description of why you think that person should to be our next “Face”. It could be an NHS worker, a care home worker, a bin man, a shopkeeper, a teacher, a fitness instructor, a postman, a charity worker, a Mum or Dad, a neighbour, basically anyone you feel has played an important role in keeping us going during this difficult time. 

Looking forward to seeing all your nominations and hearing about their incredible stories!