All Rise

A young girl in a purple dress and black boots jumping in a room with wooden flooring and brick walls.

ALL RISE

This work pulls together images from St Cuthbert’s and St Joseph’s Parish in North Tyneside, telling stories of how lives are being changed through the association with Citizens UK. People engaging with local and national issues, in big and small ways, in personal growth and agency, connected to the principles of community organising through Father Chris.

The images presented here have been shaped through time spent with individuals connected to Citizens UK, a grassroots alliance dedicated to community organising. At the heart of this network is Father Chris, whose leadership has helped anchor organising principles in the day-to- day life of the parish. Under his guidance, members of the community are encouraged not only to engage with the issues that affect them—housing, poverty, migration, health, education—but to lead, speak out, and find agency in doing so.

These photographs aim to reflect something more intimate and true: the everyday courage of people standing up, often in small but significant ways, for justice and for one another. Whether campaigning at council meetings, gathering for community discussions, or quietly offering support behind the scenes, the people in these images are rising—together.

This exhibition and project is both a celebration and a document: a testament to what happens when individuals come together with shared purpose, and a reflection of the emotion, reality, and spirit that defines this unique corner of North Tyneside. In these images, I hope you will see solidarity, and strength that sustain this community.

https://diocesehn.org.uk/whats-on/event/all-rise-a-documentary-photography-exhibition/

https://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/52574

TYNE & WEAR CITIZENS

Tyne & Wear Citizens is part of Citizens UK, the UK’s biggest, most diverse, and most effective people-powered alliance. We bring together every day people and local organisations to build a better, fairer society. Community organising is about bringing people together to win change. This means building community-led solutions to big and small problems, that work for everyone.

We know everyday people have the ability to shape the world around them and together, we put the power back into people’s hands to hold those responsible to account. We believe that through developing local leaders, we can drive nationwide change and create community-led solutions to big and small problems.

We build positive working relationships between communities, elected power-holders and businesses, making sure everyone is heard and no one is left out. Across the UK, over 500 member institutions including charities, education institutions, faith organisations and trade unions work together for leadership development, the strengthening of civil society and social justice.

A priest in green vestments leading a religious service in a church with a crucifix on the wall, children seated in the background, and stained glass, flowers, and religious icons visible.
A group of six people, including three children and three adults, standing together indoors in front of a brick wall with a wooden piano in the background. They are smiling and posing for a photo.
A man and woman smiling indoors, with the man standing behind the seated woman. The woman is wearing a yellow sweater and plaid pants, while the man is wearing a navy sweater and white collared shirt. The background includes a brick wall, a wooden door with a red sign, a piano, and wood paneling.
A young child sitting on a chair in a room with brick walls and wooden floors, dressed warmly with a black knit hat, gray puffy jacket, jeans, and white sneakers, smiling and looking to the side.
Group of five elderly women, one sitting in a chair and four standing behind her, in a room with wood floors and brick walls.
A man and woman posing together indoors, with the woman seated on a chair and the man standing behind her. The setting features a brick wall, a piano, and a wooden door.
A woman with brown hair and freckles holding a young blonde-haired child outdoors near a tree, with blurred green foliage in the background.
A cluttered bedroom with a man sitting in a chair amid piles of books, papers, and miscellaneous items on a bed and surrounding surfaces. The room has a large window with floral curtains.