ELDERLY residents got to grips with new technology to produce an exhibition on growing old in the city with glimpses into their youth.

The project, A View to the Past, aimed to foster intergenerational links and tackle negative stereotyping, developing new skills and improving the wellbeing of people aged 50 plus.

After Older People’s Day in 2013, charity Impact Initiatives wanted a photo exhibition in this year’s event as part of Brighton Photo Biennial 2014.

It built on the charity’s work to improve the positive image of older people who are often hidden in a city focused on the young.

Photographer Lydia Goldblatt was commissioned to work with an intergenerational group.

She said: “The images that were presented were fascinating, not least because of the memories attached to them.

“We learnt about Charles Hart’s experience in the RAF in WW2 through a paper negative made of him when he was stationed in Gibraltar.

“This image only existed as a negative, but, I was able to scan and print it as a positive image, and at the age of 91, he could see what he looked like as a young man of 18.

“Pam Drew brought in a photo of herself and her brother as young children that had been sent to Pam’s father while he was abroad in the Royal Navy.

“He had kept it as a precious memento of his children, and was able to return the photo when he himself returned home.”

Participants included Sandra Landy, Pam Drew, Arthur Green, Charles Hart, Katie Gray, Jenny Starr, Aida Katchadourian and Sandie Spackman.

Donna Bailey, of Impact Initiatives said: “Far more than we expected has come out of the project. The different generations all learned from each other.

“Several older people now want to buy digital cameras so to continue their new hobby now they are confident in using the technology. The images give a different perspective on what we would simply walk past.”