Portraits of UK veterans will be part of photography exhibition at The Buttermarket in Newark

Portraits of veterans from across the UK will be on display as part of a Remembrance photography exhibition in Newark.

The Paying it Forward - a Veteran’s Story, will honour the memories of UK veterans through photography.

The free exhibition is a collaboration between Motorfinity, ex-Royal Air Force photographer Paul Saxby Photography, and Nottinghamshire County Council, and will be on display at the Buttermarket, from November 5 to 14.

Paul served in the Royal Air Force as a photographer for 18 years and served in 60 countries, including numerous operational tours in the former Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, and Iraq.

During his career he also covered the major events following the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004, and has also photographed the royal family on many occasions.

He said: “As a veteran myself, this project is very close to my heart and I wanted to give something back to the community, by capturing their personality and creating a platform to share people’s voices.

“My priority is to create images that evoke a feeling. I’m not about creating ‘happy snaps’; the images must be meaningful and tell a story.”

The exhibition will display portraits of veterans, shot by Paul, with subjects including a former BBC presenter, a former Red Arrows pilot, and a 99-year-old D-Day veteran.

A QR code will accompany each photograph which, when scanned, takes the viewer to a recorded interview of each person.

Created with the ethos of ‘paying it forward’, every portrait was created for free with each subject able to keep the professionally shot and printed image.

Daniel Briggs, chief executive of Motorfinity, said: “Whether they served 70 years ago or seven months ago, it’s so important to highlight the sacrifice and commitment of our Armed Forces.

“We work with veterans every day, so we share Paul’s passion for telling their stories and we’re so pleased to join forces with him, alongside Nottinghamshire County Council, to put together this exhibition that shines a light on just that.

“Although it’s based in Nottinghamshire, the stories told in this exhibition reach across the UK and we hope to attract anyone who wishes to get a deeper understanding into the community and offer their appreciation at such a prominent time of year.”