Photographer's West Norfolk colouring book will provide boost to hospital's Covid-19 fund
A photographer has produced a 40-page colouring book featuring images of West Norfolk, with a proportion of the proceeds going to the Lynn's Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
Paul Tibbs, of Clenchwarton, has converted photos he has taken of landmarks and street scenes in the area into sketch drawings for the book – which can also be purchased at a reduced price as a donation to West Norfolk Deaf Association.
Not only will the books provide some income for Paul and his family during lockdown, the colouring books will also boost the QEH's Covid-19 fund, and support those helped by WNDA.
Paul said his work as a commercial photographer has stopped at the moment due to the current circumstances, and with schools and nurseries closed, he is now a full-time parent and home teacher to his two young children.
"I felt fairly useless – no income coming in, and I would have tried to get another job but I was unable to do that because of the childcare, with my partner still working," he said.
"I also wanted to do something to help the 'fight' against Covid-19."
The idea came to light when The Calendar Company, which produces his yearly calendar and greeting cards, spotted the potential to create colouring books.
"I thought it seemed like a great idea and although it’s not a big donation I thought 50p per book would at least be something toward the QEH fund," Paul added.
"I hurriedly selected a few images from my archive and converted them to sketch drawings in Photoshop.
"I pay the postage through the Royal Mail website and print the labels at home so I can post them off on my daily bit of exercise."
As for the donations to the WNDA, Paul said he had been made aware that some of the members supported by the charity had been struggling during lockdown, so he decided to add the option to gift a book to them to his website.
Paul said the reaction to the books has been positive so far – with orders coming in from across England, Wales, and even overseas, from New York and a former Lynn resident in Canada.
"The response has been fantastic, far beyond what I expected," he added.
During the crisis, Paul has also been sharing some of his photos of West Norfolk on his Twitter account with the hashtag #supportKL – some of which are available to purchase on his site as greeting cards.
Colouring books cost £7.50, or £8.50 with a pack of 12 colouring pencils – delivery is included.
Customers can also purchase a book with colouring pencils for WNDA at a reduced rate, and these will be sent directly to the charity.
To place an order, visit Paul's website at https://www.paultibbsphotography.com/colouring-book.
