Richie's Memorial

Richie's Memorial - Hunstanton, Norfolk, UK

The above photographs has resided on my computer hard drive for years and yet I've never been inclined to post it until now. Taken in 2004, the story of how i came to make the photograph is typical of how photographers can come across images.

The photograph was taken in Hunstanton on the North Norfolk coast. The town is a typical seaside resort, but it does have a darker side. Due to the height of the cliffs and easy access, these seaside places usually become suicide areas. Posters offering telephone help to those thinking of ending their lives is often seen in seaside resorts along the coastal paths.

Dotted along the cliff top are memorials, erected by families to loved ones lost. Some of them feature just flowers (often dead) with a hand written note, to more established memorials with forlorn weather beaten cuddly toys that add an extra layer of vulnerability and sadness to the scene.

I was walking along the cliff top back to the car when i  suddenly remembered that i seen a memorial, the previous year before, at a point in the walk i was coming to. At first i thought i had gone too far but then, among the cliff fencing appeared the cross and the cuddly toys. Someone had been back and rebuilt the memorial.

Richie. Who was he and what was his story?