RETIRED science teacher Barney Sharratt will be singin' (and dancin') in the rain next time we get a summer cloudburst.
Because his specially-made umbrellas featuring one of Barney's photos of the famous Rose Window at York Minster have now gone on sale in the Minster shop.
Press camera club member Barney had the idea for the brollies during lockdown. Being clinically vulnerable and so forced to shield, the 83-year-old, who lives in South Bank, began experimenting with different types of close-up photo that he could take on his kitchen table.
He became fascinated with soap bubbles, and the reflections in them. "It really is amazing what goes on inside soap bubbles, with convection currents that provide ever-changing, dazzling scenes in the colours of the rainbow," he said.
Not being able to go out to get fresh images, he began reflecting older images stored on his iPad onto soap bubbles.
Realising that circular images worked best, he projected an image of York Minster’s Rose Window onto a bubble. And then he had one of those Eureka moments.
"To me, the curved image on top of the bubble just shouted umbrellas and got me wondering if an umbrella using my image of the Rose Window could be used to help raise funds towards the upkeep of the Minster's ancient stained glass," he said.
One of the experimental soap bubble photos that gave Barney the idea for the umbrellas
After some quick research into umbrella making, he bit the bullet and got a sample umbrella made. He was so pleased with the result that he got in touch with the York Minster Fund - and now the brollies are on sale in the Minster shop, both online and instore. Every penny of profit from sales will go towards the York Minster Fund, Barney says. "And my own thoughts are that at £14.99 they would make a very nice present for anyone!"
To buy one of the Rose Window brollies online, visit shop.yorkminster.org
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