An amateur photographer says taking photos of wildlife has helped him to cope with being a full-time carer for his wife.
Alan Bruce from Witham, Essex, gave up work five years ago to care for his wife Denise, who has Stage 4 breast cancer.
After being encouraged to take up photography by a cancer charity, Alan’s photos have been put on display at the Fingringhoe Wick Nature Discovery Park near Colchester.
“Photography has not made the difficult things disappear, but it has given me somewhere positive to put my mind,” Alan said.
Alan and Denise tied the knot within 12 months of first meeting and have been married for more than 30 years.
Denise had previously been given the all clear after cancer treatment, but in 2021 – on their wedding anniversary – the couple were told that her cancer had returned and was metastatic, spreading to her bones.
“It just felt like someone had pulled that rug out from underneath us – we had so many plans,” Alan, 55, told the BBC.
“They did say that she’d got five years – that was five years ago… she’s still here, she’s strong, she’s very remarkable as a woman.”
