We are thrilled to welcome back photographer David J Shaw to Colwyn Bay for a special Talk Photo event.
Date: Saturday 21st November
Time: 3pm (doors 2.30pm)
Location: Upstairs in the Gallery at Oriel Colwyn
David presented 'Jaywick Sands Happy Club' as a short PechaKucha at last year's Northern Eye Festival and we are pleased to tie in this new talk with the launch of his Kickstarter campaign to produce the work as a new book with renowned publisher Dewi Lewis.
David J Shaw is a photographer and journalist based in St Leonards, UK. Alongside regular photojournalism assignments for the world’s leading outlets, Shaw works on long-term projects exploring community and representation. In these, he works collaboratively and openly, taking care to represent stories ethically.
After a career pivot working in the emergency services, Shaw returns to photography with new skills and motivations and is focusing on community projects across the UK that respond to the current state of the country and its politics.
Bethany modelling local designer Ieda Lima’s clothing on the sea wall in the Brooklands area of Jaywick (c) David J Shaw
'Jaywick Sands Happy Club’ explores societal resilience and representation issues whilst celebrating DIY community support groups and a culture of care in the village of Jaywick, described as England’s 'most deprived area'.
Googling Jaywick generates a long list of negative headlines, including documentaries such as Channel 5’s ‘Benefits By The Sea’. In 2025, for the fourth consecutive time, the village was declared ‘England’s most deprived area’ by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). MP Nigel Farage for the Reform UK party represents the village.
Elika and Suzanne (right) dancing with friends at the Broadway club. Elika is a trans woman and moved to Jaywick in 2019. They have found an accepting home in Jaywick and were recently married. (c) David J Shaw
Despite this commonly thought narrative, Jaywick has a thriving community with a strong culture of care, of which the local population is proud. A DIY village spirit exists where neighbours care for one another, and community members organise events such as free meals, food banks, karaoke parties, dances, art exhibitions and affordable markets.
Revellers celebrate the 50th birthday of Danny Sloggett at St Christopher’s Church. (c) David J Shaw
‘Jaywick Sands Happy Club’ is the name of one such grassroots community support organisation. The club represents the wider culture of Jaywick – a village that, despite an infamous reputation for social and societal issues, is a place where a community lives by its own narrative, where even karaoke in pubs can provide a space of support and care.
David's book, made closely with the people the images represent, aims to reframe Jaywick’s narrative by offering a balanced view of a community whose story is echoed worldwide.
It will be published by Dewi Lewis in 2027 and is currently fundraising through presales on a Kickstarter campaign, which is running until December 5th.
You can support David's campaign on the link HERE:
