Business is booming, thanks to Foundation grant

Three years on from receiving his first grant from the Paradigm Foundation, enterprising resident Ben Jackson is making great strides.

Ben has been a Paradigm Housing Group resident for ten years. When he first heard about the grants, Ben decided he had nothing to lose by applying. The grant enabled him to complete a Photography & Digital Imagery course at Bucks Uni and buy the equipment he needed to start up his own business as a photographer.

Since then further grants have funded the equipment Ben needed to run a project called Photography Empowering People. Ben ran workshops teaching photography to adults with learning difficulties and drug and alcohol problems at local centres such as Wycombe Mind, the Princess Centre in Princess Risborough, Whiteleaf Support in High Wycombe and the Oasis Partnership.

Ben describes himself as a ‘documentary and landscape photographer’, and is not one to rest on his laurels! Lately he has been inspired by a graffiti wall at Chesham Moor, known locally as The Bunker, and has published an A3 calendar containing exciting images taken over the last 12 months. Ben commented: “The artwork doesn’t stay for long, so it’s really interesting to see what’s been done next.”

Sales from the calendar will help supplement the original funds from the Paradigm Foundation as well as helping to market Ben’s services locally.

Jane Harrison, Trustee of the Foundation and Deputy Director of Paradigm Housing Group said: “We are delighted that Ben has done so well since obtaining his first grant from the Foundation. It’s great to see that he has used some of the money not only to get his career off the ground, but also to give something back by running photography workshops with people with learning difficulties or other problems.”
If you would like to buy a copy of the calendar, it’s available from Roundwood Stores in Amersham or email pep@cheerful.com.

Ben’s next project, again enabled by the grant, is a book and prints to be released in 2018.

More information

You don’t need to be a Paradigm Housing resident to apply for a grant; your project just needs to be based in the region where Paradigm Housing has homes.

Find out more about how to apply here.