Hospice's 45 year history to be showcased in photography exhibition

Margaret Mitchell: Of Stillness and Care | Margaret Mitchell

A photography exhibition celebrating 45 years of a local hospice will offer an insight into the people, compassion and communities at the heart of hospice care.

Staff, patients and items used in Strathcarron Hospice, near Denny, from the present and past 45 years will be showcased in the exhibition.

Strathcarron Stories will bring together two Scottish photographers to explore what Strathcarron means to the thousands of people whose lives have been touched by its care over the past 45 years, as well as documenting the life of the hospice today.

Award-winning photographer Margaret Mitchell and Charles McGuigan were each commissioned to make new bodies of work, reflecting on both the hospice and the community around it.

Margaret Mitchell captured images of various staff members working in the hospice. | Margaret Mitchell

Strathcarron Hospice opened in 1981 with capacity for 12 patients. Forty-five years later, it has a 24 bed inpatient ward and supports more than 1,400 people per year, with 80 per cent of specialist care taking place outwith the hospice building in local communities.

Ms Mitchell’s series, Of Stillness and Care, is made within the hospice, where she reflects on the people and the objects through which care is shown and practised. Informed by her time speaking with staff, volunteers and patients, her images consider the compassion and humanity found in the Hospice every day.

Her part of the exhibition will also include a photo of her hand holding an old photograph of her when she was a child, with her sister who was in the care of Strathcarron when she died.

She said: “For my work, I am concentrating my time within the hospice’s grounds. There, I am observing not just a working environment but the very concept and practice of care. My time has been filled with listening, observing and reflecting. I have witnessed the kindnesses of many, and care shown in multiple ways.”

She added: “When I was asked to be involved in this project, Strathcarron didn’t know I had a personal connection from nearly twenty years ago. I live in Glasgow but grew up in Dunblane, and when my sister was dying at home in Stirling, surrounded by her family, she received support from many people including Strathcarron. The many kindnesses from that time remain with me and demonstrated the unique place a hospice has in society.”

Margaret Mitchell: Of Stillness and Care | Margaret Mitchell

“Photographing within Strathcarron’s walls has been an emotional and reflective journey. What I found was a place of compassion, a place that holds people close through a community of care. I am grateful for the many conversations with staff, volunteers and patients that have deepened my appreciation of both person and place, of the personal motivations and the humanity of those whose daily experience lies within its walls. I hope the work I’m creating can honour all who pass through the hospice's doors."

“It is a privilege to meet, to chat, to photograph, and to hopefully make an unknown place a little bit more known.”

Mr McGuigan's collection, More Than a Building, looks beyond the Hospice walls to the communities across Forth Valley, Cumbernauld and Kilsyth, where more than 80 per cent of Strathcarron's specialist care now takes place. His photographs celebrate the people, places and connections that demonstrate hospice care reaches far beyond the Hospice building.

He said: “I quickly realised that this wasn't simply a story about a hospice, it was a story about people, kindness and the connections that bring a community together. I hope my photographs encourage people to pause, look a little closer, and recognise that Strathcarron Hospice is so much more than a building.

Charles McGuigan was one of two photographers who captured life around the hospice. | Charles McGuigan

“Some of the most powerful moments weren't planned; they were found in the quiet connections between people.”

Mags McCarthy, chief executive of Strathcarron Hospice, said: “When asked what makes Strathcarron 'special', it's often the people who work for us or volunteer with us that are consistently highlighted as being the heart and soul. This stunning exhibition of meaningful works by Margaret and Charles poignantly documents the personal stories of Strathcarron Hospice and the people behind hospice care.”

Charles McGuigan | Charles McGuigan

The exhibition will premiere at The Tolbooth Gallery, Stirling, from 13 November to 23 December.

Visitors to the Tolbooth exhibition will also be able to experience video interviews made by Strathcarron over the years featuring staff, volunteers, patients and families sharing their own Strathcarron Stories, shown alongside the new photography.