In 1976 and 1977, as an undergraduate at Stirling University, Heidi spent a few weekends visiting a friend near Stockport Market. Charmed by the atmosphere and the characters, she shot several rolls of film with the Leica M4 camera inherited from her father.
Decades later, during the first COVID-19 lockdown of early 2020, Heidi rediscovered the long-lost negatives from those visits and started posting the images on social media.
The public reaction was immediate, enthusiastic, and often emotional. These images of a warm, lively community were particularly poignant during those times of separation and acute isolation necessitated by the lockdowns of COVID-19.
The Stockport Collection documents the social history of a particular time, place and way of life. It illustrates the human need for a sense of identity and of belonging to a working community with a common purpose.
Councillor Grace Baynham, Cabinet Member for Highways, Parks and Leisure Services at Stockport Council said: “The Stockport Collection is an exhibition full of hidden gems which documents the rich history of our town centre. With the town centre currently undergoing a period of so much change, it’s fantastic to be able to look back to a snapshot of history captured so brilliantly by Heidi Alexander. A must-see for all residents, to get a sense of the atmosphere of Stockport town centre in the late 1970s.”
The exhibition opens to the public on Friday 22 July at Stockport Museum, 30/31 Market Place, Stockport, SK1 1ES. Entry is FREE.
