Wildlife helps photographer cope with wife's cancer

An amateur photographer says taking photos of wildlife has helped him to cope with being a full-time carer for his wife.

Alan Bruce from Witham, Essex, gave up work five years ago to care for his wife Denise, who has stage four breast cancer.

After being encouraged to take up photography by a cancer charity, Alan's photos have been put on display at the Fingringhoe Wick Nature Discovery Park near Colchester.

"Photography has not made the difficult things disappear, but it has given me somewhere positive to put my mind," Alan said.

Alan and Denise tied the knot within 12 months of first meeting and have been married for more than 30 years.

Denise had previously been given the all clear after cancer treatment, but in 2021 - on their wedding anniversary - the couple were told that her cancer had returned and was metastatic, spreading to her bones.

"It just felt like someone had pulled that rug out from underneath us - we had so many plans," Alan, 55, told the BBC.

"They did say that she'd got five years - that was five years ago… she's still here, she's strong, she's very remarkable as a woman."

Alan described being a carer as "a great honour" but added that "it's the hardest job I think anyone can ever do".

"People will often say, 'you've got to take care of yourself', but the reality is we often forget how to do that because our focus and our priority is the other person," he said.

Taking up wildlife photography, he said, "helps me put everything into perspective" and helped improve his mental health.

"[Denise] sees the difference in me having a different focus, a different purpose other than just her," he says, adding that Denise joins him whenever her health allows.

"For us, nature's really helped us slow down, it's helped us to kind of appreciate there more to life."

A selection of Alan's work is on display until the end of June in the visitor centre at the Fingringhoe reserve, which is run by Essex Wildlife Trust.

The display also features crocheted bumble bees and ladybirds, which have been handmade by Denise.

Fingringhoe Wick was the trust's first nature reserve when it took over the site in the 1960s, and it is now home to more than 200 species of birds, 27 species of dragonflies and other animals, including badgers and adders.

"We love supporting local artists, as nature and art go hand in hand," said Sophie Burton from the trust.

"It's wonderful to support local talent and help more people develop a deeper appreciation for wildlife and the landscapes that are literally on our doorstep."

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