Portrait of Britain Vol 5: Introduction for Hoxton Mini Press x BJP/1854

On 19 July 2022, Coningsby in Lancashire recorded the highest temperature ever in the UK – 40.3 degrees celsius. Everyone in Britain remembers where they were that day. I was writing at home, window shutters firmly closed, pints of ice water on my desk. Others were stuck in sweaty workplaces or schools not built for such heat. Those who could sought refuge in rivers and air-conditioned supermarket aisles. It was a day when switching off the news could not hold the climate crisis at bay. It was here – as it has been for years in many nations. 

Cover image: Natalie © Afolabi Aderopo, Portrait of Britain Vol.5 Winner.

2022 should have been the year Britain let out a collective sigh of relief. A full 12 months with no Coronavirus restrictions since that announcement in March 2020. But if the heightened awareness of contagion brought about by the pandemic taught us anything, it’s that we are, inextricably, connected. Not just to those within our immediate family or locality but beyond – across oceans, borders, even generations….