The overall winners Pam Booth and Rufus Lowe (Junior Prize) are shown on The Podium at the Fête, on 6th September, with competition judge Robin Allison-Smith. The prizes were presented by Ken and Jill Gibson

Wow! We had more entries than ever for the Photography Competition at this year’s Bitton Church Fete.  There were 136 entries. (74 adults and 62 junior entries were received from 21 adults and 6 juniors – under 18s).

The photographs are all displayed in the church, which is open daily, and on the church website www.stmarysbitton.org.uk

It was very hard to pick the category winners this year, but the following were chosen by our judge, Robin Allison-Smith.

Category Winners

A moment in time

Adult: Dancing Damselflies by Miriam David

Junior: The Empty Chair by Rufus Lowe

The colour pink

Adult: My Heart Bleeds by Pamela Booth

Junior: Mummy and Me by Emily Howell

A portrait of them

Adult: Monkeys with Attitude by Jane Clapp

Junior: Connection by Rufus Lowe

Natural world

Adult: Summer Meadow by Jane Clapp

Junior: Piglets by Zoe Jones

Water or wet

Adult: Buddy’s having fun by Ella Murfitt

Junior: Crying in the rain by Oliver Howell

My kind of day

Adult: Blue beach hut by Susan Cook (JIM – prize not collected so if a church goer let me know and I can leave in church entrance)

Junior: Motion by Miah Parker

See all the entries by category below:

A moment in Time

Dancing Damselflies

Miriam David

Category Winner

I captured these two Blue Common  Damselflies doing a synchronised dance whilst precariously balanced on a pond plant. Within the blink of an eye they had flown away.  I was lucky to capture this moment in time with my Canon EO5 700D.

#136

The view into a rear window

Howard Byers

A reflection of time

#146

Winter Wonder

Sarah Jones

I took this photo on a frosty winter walk with my fog.  The sky was such a beautiful colour I couldn’t resist including as much as possible.

#147

Perspective

Rufus Lowe

People have different perspectives on everything.  Especially art, a symbol of creativity and freedom.

#151

JUNIOR ENTRY (AGE 17)

Cry, Baby, Cry

Rufus Lowe

Just at the right moment

#152

JUNIOR ENTRY (AGE 17)

Copycat

Rufus Lowe

Why do we take pictures of things just because everybody else does?

#158

JUNIOR ENTRY (AGE 17)

Turning the page

Rufus Lowe

A symbol of a new chapter of life

#160

JUNIOR ENTRY (AGE 17)

Escape

Rufus Lowe

Don’t we all want to?

#162

JUNIOR ENTRY (AGE 17)

The Empty Chair

Rufus Lowe

Category Winner (JUNIOR)

Why do we feel sympathy, for something that isn’t alive?

#163

JUNIOR ENTRY (AGE 17)

State the obvious

Rufus Lowe

Sometimes the light we’re looking for is right behind us.

#160

JUNIOR ENTRY (AGE 17)

Away from the window

Rufus Lowe

Listen to grandma

#166

JUNIOR ENTRY (AGE 17)

The chase

Rufus Lowe

#168

JUNIOR ENTRY (AGE 17)

Waiting drives you crazy

Rufus Lowe

Is it here yet?

#170

JUNIOR ENTRY (AGE 17)

There should be more lights in here

Rufus Lowe

Natural light overpowers all

#171

JUNIOR ENTRY (AGE 17)

Alone

Rufus Lowe

Aren’t we all in the end?

#177

JUNIOR ENTRY (AGE 17)

Just the right moment

Rufus Lowe

Accident or on purpose?

#180

JUNIOR ENTRY (AGE 17)

A church in Poland

Izabela Skorek

#182

Friends

Zoe Jones

This is a photo of my friends sat in a car park stairwell hanging out,  I used this for my A level photography

#242

JUNIOR ENTRY (AGE 17)

Memories

Zoe Jones

I took this photo for my A level photography work and this is of Katya and Kane dancing on the beach.  This shoot was all about memories and how we look back on them.

#240

JUNIOR ENTRY (AGE 17)

Lone Balloon

Zoe Jones

I took this photo at the balloon fiesta in the early morning.

#238

JUNIOR ENTRY (AGE 17)

Dreaming of the day

Zoe Jones

This is Kira looking up into the sky whilst also being part of it.  This photo is meant to represent faith, hope and loss.

#237

JUNIOR ENTRY (AGE 17)

The Lonely Ballerina

Zoe Jones

This is my best friend Kira doing ballet in a tunnel.  The silhouette of her is completely unedited.  The blue background was added by me to add a sense of sadness to the photo of the lonely ballerina.

#236

JUNIOR ENTRY (AGE 17)

Moody Portrait 2

Zoe Jones

Models Phoenix, Dante and Rhys all sat in a car park stairwell hanging out. The boys had their faces covered to add a mystery effect to it.

#234

JUNIOR ENTRY (AGE 17)

Every sunset brings a new journey

Georgia Clark

#208

Just before the concert

Liz Wilson

St Mary’s Informal Concert, 26th April 2025

#205

Journey to “Dogwarts”

Ella Murfitt

#198

Sailing into the Dawn

Peter Harris

#195

All quiet on deck

Peter Harris

#193

Fire and Ice

Susan Cook

A bird of prey carved with a chainsaw with music and flames.  A spectacular and memorable moment in time.

#188

VE Day x 80

Sarah Craddock

#261

Forget me not

Sarah Craddock

Detail of my Great Grandmother’s (?) Pocket Watch which I hope to get restored.

#262

Looking through Time

Jane Clapp

#265

100 Years

Jane Clapp

One moment remembering 100 years of moments

#266

The Colour Pink

Waking Up

Miriam David

The pond lily is beginning to open its petals fully to the sunlight, having had its petals closed overnight.  The picture was taken with a Samsung Galaxy A34.

#140

How we look at ourselves

Rufus Lowe

We, as a society need to look at ourselves with beauty, with creativity, with colour and compassion.

#157

JUNIOR ENTRY (AGE 17)

In the Pink

Jenny Harris

#250

At the Circus

Zoe Jones

#246

JUNIOR ENTRY (AGE 17)

Balloon Fiesta

Zoe Jones

#239

JUNIOR ENTRY (AGE 17)

Pretty and Pink

Zoe Jones

#230

JUNIOR ENTRY (AGE 17)

My Heart Bleeds

Pamela Booth

Category Winner

The transparency fascinated me

#252

Open for Business

Pamela Booth

#255

High in the Sky

Jenny Harris

#257

Beautiful Gruissan

Anna Skuse

Gruissan, Aude,  south west France

#259

In the Pink

Jane Clapp

Taken at Hanham Court Open Gardens

#272

Heavenly Pink

Jane Clapp

A stunning pink rose in Jim and Sarah Heavens’ garden – Bitton Open Gardens 2025

#274

Tulip of Amsterdam

Jane Clapp

#275

Where Nature Meets Neon

Jane Clapp

Westonbirt Arboretum at Christmas

#277

Pink of Perfection

Jane Clapp

#281

Pinky

Emily Howell

JUNIOR ENTRY (AGE 5)

#287

Sweet Flowers

Emily Howell

JUNIOR ENTRY (AGE 5)

#288

Mummy, Me & Pink

Emily Howell

Category Winner (JUNIOR)

JUNIOR ENTRY (AGE5)

#289

Natural World

Emperor Dragonfly

Alison Wride

Taken on my phone, Willsbridge Valley

#132

Alison Wride

Seen in Cumbria, growing in a tree trunk.

#134

Bee Dahlia

Alison Wride

#135

Lunchtime

Miriam David

The nectar and pollen guzzling bee, found a perfect patch of heather for lunch.  The beauty of the natural world around us.

This picture was taken by a Samsung Galaxy A34

#137

Let the light in

Rufus Lowe

Let it in.

#156

JUNIOR ENTRY (AGE 17)

The invasion of leaves

Rufus Lowe

Nature always finds a way to take over what once was there

#161

JUNIOR ENTRY (AGE 17)

Lost property

Rufus Lowe

Everything deserves to be found

#172

JUNIOR ENTRY (AGE 17)

Spread your petals

Rufus Lowe

Red or orange?

#173

JUNIOR ENTRY (AGE 17)

“I’m going through changes” -OO

Rufus Lowe

Just like us, nature changes.

#181

JUNIOR ENTRY (AGE 17)

Piglets

Zoe Jones

Category Winner (JUNIOR)

#248

JUNIOR ENTRY (AGE 17)

Cheeky

Zoe Jones

#247

JUNIOR ENTRY (AGE 17)

Lego in the real world

Zoe Jones

My lego figure travelling across the garden as an adventure

#245

JUNIOR ENTRY (AGE 17)

A flower and a blade of grass

Zoe Jones

This is a photo of a flower I found in my back garden

#244

JUNIOR ENTRY (AGE 17)

A good reason not to weed!

Liz Wilson

Cinnabar moth on ragwort

#204

Flowers

Miah Parker

JUNIOR ENTRY (AGE 13)

#203

My Friend Quackers

Alan Murtagh

We struck up a beautiful friendship with Quackers whilst taking a café break for tea and cake

#201

Got Ya

Jonathan Taylor

After seeing a flurry of feathers outside our front window I saw this sparrow hawk sitting on a pigeon

#189

Nutkin’s Nibbles

Pamela Booth

Tufty the Squirrel lives on! Tresco has few roads….

#253

Top of the Pile!

Pamela Booth

The chicks had been getting bolder.  The most I saw was three beaks at once.  They fledged the following morning, but have been a busy, joyful, noisy sight feeding in the garden since – a family of eight.

#254

Hanging Around

Jane Clapp

#267

Finding a Voice

Jane Clapp

#269

Summer Meadow

Jane Clapp

Category Winner

#270

Nature’s Rainbow

Jane Clapp

Rainbow Mountain, Peru.  Hard to believe that it is natural until you have seen it in real life.

#271

Hanging by a Thread

Jane Clapp

#280

The sheepdog’s asleep….time to make a dash for it

Miriam David

The escaping sheep was captured with my Samsung Galaxy, whilst walking in the Brecon Beacons

#282

Wisdom with age?

Miriam David

The concentric rings of bark on this old tree trunk make a beautiful pattern and was even more glorious to the touch. The “eye” of rings of bark caught my attention initially. It reminded me of an old elephant’s profile. Taken with my Samsung Galaxy A34.

#283

Petal Pit Stop

Jane Clapp

This grasshopper found one of my dahlias for a quick rest – never underestimate the quality of your phone

#290

Portrait of Them

Red Cap

Alison Wride

#133

Into the Light

Rufus Lowe 

A symbol of freedom, relief and escape

#148

JUNIOR ENTRY (AGE 17)

Shade

Rufus Lowe

A symbol of protection, cover and curiosity.

#150

JUNIOR ENTRY (AGE 17)

Portrait of a Portrait

Rufus Lowe

Don’t move

#153

JUNIOR ENTRY (AGE 17)

Une fumée sur le balcon

Rufus Lowe 

A smoke on the balcony

#154

JUNIOR ENTRY (AGE 17)

Passing Time

Rufus Lowe

How long do we spend waiting?

#155

JUNIOR ENTRY (AGE 17)

Who are you?

Rufus Lowe

I guess we’ll never know.

#159

JUNIOR ENTRY (AGE 17)

Connection

Rufus Lowe

Category Winner (JUNIOR)

The best way to show affection.

#167

JUNIOR ENTRY (AGE 17)

Quiet talks

Rufus Lowe

Shhhhh

#169

JUNIOR ENTRY (AGE 17)

Indefinite

Rufus Lowe

Love prevails

#175

JUNIOR ENTRY (AGE 17)

Fever dream

Rufus Lowe

I don’t remember, I don’t recall, who are they? Why, how, where, who?

#179

JUNIOR ENTRY (AGE 17)

.

Bluebells

Hannah Fortt-Brewer

Taken in Spring at the American Museum in Bath

#183

.

Lemur huddle

Sam Taylor

We were visiting Paignton Zoo this summer and we saw a huddle of lemurs. I wanted a close up of them as the texture and contrasting shades were so interesting.

#185

JUNIOR ENTRY (AGE 14)

Thinking

Zoe Jones

This is Rhys sat in Willsbridge Mill posing for one of my first ever shoots.

#243

JUNIOR ENTRY (AGE 17)

Graffiti covered walls

Zoe Jones

This is Phoenix sat in a stairwell of a car park for my A level photography shoot. Fun fact about this is that I edited the glass in front of them to make them seem trapped.

#235

JUNIOR ENTRY (AGE 17)

Grey on Grey

Zoe Jones

This is Rhys stood in front of a grey shipping container.  This photo is completely unedited.

#233

JUNIOR ENTRY (AGE 17)

Moody Portrait 2

Zoe Jones

This is Rhys Evenden (the model) stood in front of graffiti.  This was submitted for my A level photography

#232

JUNIOR ENTRY (AGE 17)

Moody Portrait

Zoe Jones

I used this for my A level work.  this is Rhys Evenden stood against a green door in an abandoned place

#231

JUNIOR ENTRY (AGE 17)

Me and my best Buddy!

Ella Murfitt

#199

Contentment!

Pamela Booth

#251

Monkeys with Attitude

Jane Clapp

Category Winner

#264

“Look at the camera”

Jane Clapp

#273

Water or Wet

A water mirror

Miriam David

This is the Marine lake at Clevedon, taken at dusk in February. The lake, channel and sky seemed to merge into one with the sky beautifully reflected in the water.

#138

Thirsty Work

Miriam David

The wasp was glad to find a small pool of water on a pond lily leaf.  At the bird bath, the birds are stiff competition for tiny insects. This summer has been dry, glad to see the wasp using its initiative.

Taken with a Canon EOS 700D in July.

Fun evening at Breen

Liz Seddon

A lovely evening at Breen, enjoying the lake.

#145

Spring floods in Keynsham

Hannah Fortt-Brewer

#184

Zoe Jones

#249

JUNIOR ENTRY (AGE 17)

Xwenji-Salt-Pans-Gozo

Liz Wilson

September 2024 -amazing!

#207

Buddy’s having fun!

Ella Murfitt

Category Winner

#196

I love the beach!

Ella Murfitt

#194

Who are you calling common?

Jonathan Taylor

On a boat trip up the river Dart we came across this pontoon of resting common seals.

#191

Guyzance Weir

Susan Cook

Lots of water flowing, once the place of tragedy of soldiers who drowned. A few years ago it dried up completely and I was able to walk across.

#186

Textured Tide

Pamela Booth

Interesting textures caught in the Spring light in Clevedon. The seagulls were looking for rich pickings…

#256

Reflection

Anna Skuse

Riverside in Montauban, Occitanie, France 2025

#258

Sarah Craddock

Taken on 28 August when (a rarity this summer) puddles were seen after torrential rain!

#260

“Rainy Days and Mondays”

Jane Clapp

#268

Last Light at Lake Windermere

Jane Clapp

The end of a day on the water

#276

Seagull and Surf

Jane Clapp

#278

Very Wet Water

Jane Clapp

#279

Crying In the Rain

Oliver Howell

Category Winner (JUNIOR)

JUNIOR ENTRY (AGE 7)

#284

Raindrops On The Car

Oliver Howell

JUNIOR ENTRY (AGE 7)

#285

Leafy

Oliver Howell

JUNIOR ENTRY (AGE 7)

#286

My kind of Day

Inspiration for a Poet

Miriam David

This is Craig’s Common, Clevedon. In the summer it is full of long grasses and attracts many insects. Walking along Poet’s Walk, which borders this, is my kind of day!

This picture was taken with a Samsung Galaxy A34.

#141

These boots are made for walking

Miriam David

Nothing uplifts the soul like a long walk in the spring when the flowers provide such vivid colours after a muted winter.  And, nothing feels as good as resting the feet (and boots) after a long walk. My kind of day!

#142

Palomino Pony

Liz Seddon

This is my young horse Tegan. She is 4 years old and I’m in the process of training her to be ridden.

#143

Keeping warm with Mum

Liz Seddon

This is one of our hens that had chicks this year.

#144

Endless possibility

Rufus Lowe

Endless knowledge, so much hope, so much possibility.

#165

JUNIOR ENTRY (AGE 17)

Let me out of here

Rufus Lowe

#174

JUNIOR ENTRY (AGE 17)

Sonder

Rufus Lowe

Each individual has their own life, their own experiences as complex as our own

#176

JUNIOR ENTRY (AGE 17)

Musique dans le métro

Rufus Lowe

The best place to listen to music

#178

JUNIOR ENTRY (AGE 17)

Portugal

Zoe Jones

This is a photo taken in Portugal in June this year.  It is of the pretty buildings and the bright colours they have there.

#241

JUNIOR ENTRY (AGE 17)

Adventure Minstrels

Liz Wilson

Malta, September 2024

#206

Beautiful Day!

Georgia Clark

#200

Relaxing in the Dolomites

Andrew Harris

#197

In Motion

Miah Parker

Category Winner (JUNIOR)

JUNIOR ENTRY (AGE 13)

#206

Rock solid relaxation

Naomi Clapp

Having a quiet moment after walking up to the Old Man of Storr, Scotland – a perfect way to spend the day

#190

Blue Beach Hut

Susan Cook

Category Winner

This view is between Alnmouth and Boulmer in Northumberland. I love the view of the bay and the impact of the one beach hut.  My perfect day at the coast.

#187

Anyone for Cricket?

Sarah Craddock

#263