Formby photographer Chris Winstanley to have images on display at Houses of Parliament

Mar 10 2010 by Our Correspondent, Formby Times

A PHOTOGRAPHER who suffers a debilitating muscle condition will have his work displayed in Westminster.

Twenty-six-year-old Chris Winstanley from Cross Green, Formby suffers has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD).

Despite the condition confining him to his wheelchair since the age of six, Chris has been able to show off some handy camera work, capturing one scene of Crosby beach which has been chosen to hang in the Houses of Parliament.

The exhibition will display photographs taken by DMD sufferers and has been arranged by the Office for Disability Issues to mark the 40th anniversary of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act being passed.

A lifelong Liverpool fan and sci-fi film buff, Chris was only encouraged to pick to up a camera when Action Duchenne, a group dedicated to funding research for the cure of muscular dystrophy, launched their 'Life Thru a Lens' programme.

The project was created with the idea that DMD sufferers could give the world a snapshot of how they go about every day life coping with the disability.

Chris' mum, Joanna Partington, is delighted with her son's new found passion and told the Formby Times about the positive impact photography has had upon their lives.

She said: “It's just great for Chris, he goes everywhere with his camera now and we get to see a lot more places in the winter, which is usually a time of the year that we don't go out a lot.

“We've been on the ferry taking pictures of Liverpool and Chris is always thinking of what would make a good photo, it really has brought him out of himself.”