We’ve heard from staff and students who took up birdwatching, learned to crochet, started writing a novel, and even learned new languages.

After spotting a man take a photo of a nesting woodpecker feeding its young, last Spring, our Director of Teaching, Learning and Assessment, Kirk Purnell, took up photography.

He said: “I loved the idea of seeing this and tagged along with him one morning, very early before work. It was fantastic, but I got frustrated that I didn’t have a good enough camera to capture decent images, so the very next day I bought a DSLR!”

Kirk then regularly began taking morning trips to a local nature reserve in neighbouring Somerset and hasn’t stopped snapping away ever since!

“I immediately fell in love with photography, with the walks and with the photos I was producing. That was last May and I don’t think I’ve gone more than a few days without taking a photo since that first trip. I think a week after my baby was born is probably the longest! The Lockdown means I could head out really early, around 5am and enjoy a few hours out in the fresh air, before needing to be back for work!”

Kirk’s photography skills have proven popular with fellow enthusiasts on Instagram and even appeared in a recent Western Daily Press feature showcasing some of his favourite images take over the past year.

We thought we’d share some of those photographs with you!