Three members of the same family have scooped the prizes in a photographic competition aimed at capturing local life.

The People’s Choice contest was open to both amateur and professional photographers and organised by architecture and urban design centre Urban Vision North Staffordshire and sponsored by regeneration agency RENEW North Staffordshire.

Entrants were told that their work should appreciate, comment on and document the area’s rich heritage, or capture changes taking place in North Staffordshire.

Suggested subjects included public and private buildings and spaces, indoors or outdoors, gardens and parks, workplaces, streets or shops.

Angela Cooper, aged 53, from Kidsgrove, scooped the £500 first prize with her picture entitled: ‘I’ve got a gal in Kalamazoo’ which captured the wartime spirit.

Angela’s granddaughter Milly Cooper-Acun, aged seven and also from Kidsgrove, won one of two £250 runners-up prizes for her picture called ‘Mugged’ which showed shelves full of pottery ware.

Meanwhile, Angela’s dad Ted Simpkin, aged 79, of Little Chell, also came runner-up with his image entitled: ‘Broken windows, creative minds’ which showed artistic graffiti daubed at the rear of terraced properties.

Ted, a retired engineer, said: “We were all thrilled to bits to have won prizes in the competition because our three pictures were very different.

“I love taking pictures. Photography is the only medium where you can capture a moment in time and it has given me great pleasure for many years.

“It was a competition that really appealed to me because I have been taking pictures of some of the areas affected by regeneration work – including streets that have since been knocked down.”

More than 250 entries were received for the competition, which was aimed at people living, working and studying in North Staffordshire.

The winners were chosen by a public internet vote on The People’s Archive website – operated by RENEW.

More than 3,400 votes were received by the website which aims to chronicle major changes to the North Staffordshire landscape amid unprecedented regeneration work.

The winners received their cheques from Peter Bounds, Chairman of RENEW, which sponsored the competition.

Fiona Waddle, Urban Vision’s education projects officer said: “We were delighted with the public response to the competition.  The standard of entries was very high.”

See the winning images below or click the link to see all the pictures in the gallery.

'I've got a gal in Kalamazoo' by Angela Cooper

'Mugged' - by Milly Cooper-Acun

'Broken windows, creative minds' by Ted Simpkin

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