AN ONLINE exhibition exploring Cumbrian winters through photographs from the Sankey Family Photography Collection is set to be launched.

'The Sankeys...Scenes of Winter’s Past' focuses on the work of Barrovians Edward Sankey and his sons Raymond and Eric who took thousands of images around Furness, Cumberland and Westmorland, as well as North Lancashire and beyond.

The online exhibition, curated by project volunteers as part of Signal Films' major programme 'Seeing the North with Sankey', showcases winter visions across the county in the early decades of the 20th century.

It features everything from icy mountain tops in the Lake District to Barrow’s Abbey Road coated in snow. These photographs of winter scenes, often taken in very tricky weather conditions, show how intrepid and determined the Sankeys were.

Julia Parks, project manager, said: "The Sankey Family Photography Collection is a totally unique record of Barrow’s history - capturing the major events, people and places from all over the town.

"For the past year a group of 20 local volunteers have been working with us to uncover unseen images from the collection. Our winter show brings together Sankey’s snowy vision. We wanted to offer something uplifting during what has been a hard year."

The Mail: FESTIVE: Skating on Park Lake Dec 4th 1925 © Sankey Family Photography Collection FESTIVE: Skating on Park Lake Dec 4th 1925 © Sankey Family Photography Collection

Signal Film and Media, who will run the event on December 16 between 7pm-8pm on Facebook, has worked with exceptional local volunteers who have provided invaluable support in cataloguing, research and sharing the collection. The Sankeys...Scenes of Winter’s Past, includes their observations and local knowledge, illuminating the collection with anecdotes and personal reflections.

Sankey Project Volunteer Enid Milligan said: "Barrovians were a hardy breed, living on this exposed peninsula, open to the prevailing winds and rain.

"Undeterred by the freezing temperatures that had turned the Steelworks reservoir at Ormsgill into a skating rink, the locals had flocked to the ice to make the most of the conditions and the reservoir was a hive of activity."