A new exhibition of photographic work by blind photographer and veteran Brian Goodall that explores the abbeys and priories of Yorkshire is to be hosted at Wakefield Cathedral.
Brian, who was diagnosed as blind in 2008, was inspired to create the exhibition of 26 photographs entitled What Makes a Great Cathedral after visiting the cathedral of Notre-Dame.
He and a friend began to explore the other seven major cathedrals in Europe before looking closer to home - as the abbeys and priories of Yorkshire are often seen as the founders of the great cathedrals.
The exhibition is supported by Wakefield District Sight Aid, a small local charity that aims to help anyone with a visual impairment, and Brian hopes by displaying his work in this way it will prove that a disability is little more than a distraction and not something to put a stop to what you want to achieve.
Brian, 87, and from Ossett, was a photographer by profession and continued his art into his retirement but ten years ago he woke up to discover he couldn’t see any more.
He was diagnosed with Macular Degeneration in both eyes and registered as severely sight impaired three days later.
It was the Blind Veterans UK who got Brian, who’d served as a gunner in the RAF, back on his feet back then and taught him how to use what vision he had in the best way he could.
Brian is now a member of Wakefield District Sight Aid, Blind Veterans UK, the Royal Photographic Society – History and Heritage Group, the Macular Society, and the Royal National Institute for the Blind.
The exhibition runs from Wednesday January 22 to Monday February 3 2020 at Wakefield Cathedral, with a celebration event as part of Artwalk Wakefield at 7.15pm on Wednesday January 29 when Brian will give a 20 minute talk about his work.
Wakefield Cathedral is open 9am - 3pm daily (and 5pm - 9pm for the Artwalk on Wednesday January 29).