THE PORTRAITS

Lorraine: “We’re all living the same race – trying to keep up with communications, work, home life and never seeming to have enough hours in the day. Then occasionally something external makes the decision for you: it’s time to stop. In March 2018, we woke to find our city under a foot of snow, and everything ground to a halt. The shops closed, public transport ceased to exist, businesses gave up the ghost and schools sent their children home. What else was there to do but grab a sledge and take to the nearest hill where, having only recently moved to the area, we encountered hundreds of new friends and built ourselves an instant community. That would never have happened were it not for the gloriously unpredictable British weather. And at the top of that snowy slope, I suddenly thought “This is magic. This may never happen again. We must treasure it.” And we did. Sometimes we’re forced to disconnect, to stop swiping our screens left and right desperately trying to find something better than the moment we’re in. And instead we just live and appreciate that moment. It’s a lost art, but one we should do everything we can to get back to.”