WHEN it comes to taking photographs no-one can come any bigger than Leigh freelance art director and cameraman Dave Walker.

For Dave, 50, of Elmridge, has had a dozen of his pictures produced this year in a massive three foot high calendar.

And it is the calendar which is now causing a rush of new found fame for many of the characters in his pictures - for they are all local folk taken in their occupations and hobbies albeit 10 years ago.

Included in the mini-masterpieces, which will undoubtedly give local historians a squeal of delight in another 50 years or so, are:

a grime covered Rastafarian miner captured as he emerged from the now defunct Bickershaw pit

a couple of ferreters Jeff Ashurst and Billy Cheedle

and lollypop lady Doreen Fisher, who still does the same job today.

Dave, who will be holding an exhibition of his photographs in Leigh Library next year, said: "I took these photographs a decade ago and I am now trying to find out where the people are today.

"I know Doreen is still working on the same pitch in Leigh, but I would like to know where the other 11 subjects are as I'd like to photograph them again so they could be featured in the exhibition which will be titled '10 Years On'.

Dave's photographs have also appeared in the British Design and Art Direction Annual Book.

He added: "I would love to know what happened to the people I photographed and I expect many of them have moved on since, but if any of them remembers me taking their picture and would like to feature in the new exhibition then I would like to hear from them."

Dave can be contacted on 01942 676473.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.