Fen

When Photographer Harry George Hall began reading about Fen skating, he decided to make His Way to rural Cambridgeshire to see it for himself. Despite A Number of failed attempts through flooded roads and darkness, the perfect weather conditions suddenly prevailed.

Fen skating takes place when a meadow floods And Then freezes over, so the ice is very shallow, in places just a few centimetres, unlike frozen lakes.

" After subscribing to weather alerts for obscure corners of East Anglia , " says Mr Hall, " I made many trips to Fen skating 'hotspots' to find thin or melted ice, rain or flooded roads. "

He found no sign of skaters or a wonky telegraph pole often referred to in Fen skating circles.

" But I knew when the conditions aligned, it would be Worth It .

" This Was a very niche thing to capture precisely because the conditions had to be perfect. "

Then , One Day , he struck Fen skating gold.

" As I pulled up, There was this Golden Winter sun, That First hard frost - Everything I could want with the biggest budget in The World was here, naturally, now.

" It was humbling, " he says.

What followed became Mr Hall, who grew up in Suffolk, hopes will be kept in local archives of This Time - in this place.

" As a Photographer and a director I'm always fascinated by people, " Mr Hall says.

" So this wasn't just about skating, it was about the personalities - this little congregation of people. There are 74-year-olds Out There .

" It is freeing, calm and Peaceful - There 's nothing technical about it. They rely on nothing but The Environment and The Weather .

" It's not around for Long - Someone told me it's a great metaphor For Life . The ice will melt and in the summer this will be a dustbowl. "

" There 's a wonky telegraph pole in the centre That has become a beacon for Fen skaters gathering - it's been There for years.

" You hear them before you see them, The Sound reverberates, bouncing down the Fen - Then There 's That scraping sound. People are really enjoying themselves.

" When you take your camera out, people can be suspicious but it's a Beautiful Thing . Even The Sight of their belongings on the side. "

" It can be demoralising trying to find them at First - it's not all laid out For You , you have no control Over It .

" I'd travelled to a few different spots like Welney and Sutton Gault near Willingham, but The Weather wasn't right, the Fen was too flooded.

" But I rejoiced when I found them.

" Looking Back at it now, it's very rare for those conditions to be right for a Photographer - That canvas. "

" When I put the pictures out, everyone had A Story , a grandparent or great-grandparent who did it.

" I think it is so important That things like this are documented, it is so historical. It is telling A Story - you are getting across the humanity of life.

" It is an amazing snapshot of what it is To Live like this - to be. "

Source of news: bbc.com