About The Creator

I created this website as a free resource for the residents and visitors to Newark-on-Trent.

I am dedicated to showcasing the local historic sites, sharing stories of the residents, places and communities of the town.

The aim of this project is to preserve the essence of our town's past for generations to come and to bring the history of our town to life, creating a bridge between the past and the present.

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Name?

Dave Fargher

How Long Have you lived in Newark ?

40+ Years

What camera do you use?
All my photos are taken on a Google Pixel 6 Phone

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What’s your photography background?
I only really started to take photos on a camera phone back when camera phones started to come out, eventually moving on to SLR. Ive done a few weddings, a few bands and some other photoshoots but I simply just like taking photos for the fun of it. My main love is travel photography and ive been published various publications, the times, the telegraph, including being a finalist of the national geographic travel competition 2019. These days, I take all my photos on my mobile.

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Favorite part of Newark to photograph?
It has to be the river, mainly around the Town Lock, the stretch between The old stone bridge and the main bridge, there’s such a wealth of wildlife, including herons and a kingfisher. The difference in the lights at various points in the day and year make for some lovely shots, especially on the days when the river is calm and the reflections hit just right

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What made you create the group Newark On Trent Photographs?
I rescued a very active (albeit grumpy) dog so towards the end of lockdown in 2020 and i was doing a LOT of walking (20k-30k steps a day). I started to take photos of the town and wanted to share them so I created the group Newark on Trent photographs in March 2021 for friends and for those who couldn’t get out and about to still see the beautiful town we have.

I wanted to create a place of positivity for people to share the beauty of our town, we all know too well that social media can be a pit of negativity (from a mental health perspective, social media can be awful) so I wanted to create a space for the positives of the town and make the most of what we DO have. and what we do have is a fantastic town, rich in history, beauty, culture and talent.
One of my main aims to to simply preserve the history and details of our wonderful town for future generations.
 

What do you love about the group?
I’m under no illusion that Newark has its share of problems, the same as any town, but the page I created isn’t about that, its purely for photographs in and around the Newark area. there are rules for the group (such as no politics, bullying etc) and everyone (mostly) adheres to them. I created the page to be a welcoming environment and to share pictures of our beautiful town. to treat everyone with respect. I want to make sure everyone feels safe and respected in this group. Bullying of any kind isn't allowed, and degrading comments about things like race, religion, political choice, culture, sexual orientation, gender or identity will not be tolerated.

What do you like about Newark ?
There are so many wonderful places, both natural and historic in and around the town and we have such a great number of people trying to do good for the town, to help it develop and move forward with the times.

Its also great that we have some really exciting things coming up for the town and what the council and cabinet have plans for the different portfolios they hold, such as Culture, heritage and the arts. Climate and the Environment. Health, Wellbeing and Leisure.

One of the main things I’m keeping a close eye on is the town Centre masterplan. Its certainly an exciting time for Newark to move forward and see the investment it deserves

https://www.newark-sherwooddc.gov.uk/newark-town-centre.../

“A Masterplan for Newark Town Centre will help to shape new buildings, spaces and activities in the town centre. It is a long-term plan which sets out where and how physical spaces in the town Centre can and should change. We want to look to the future whilst also protecting the special character of the town. We are working with Historic England to help understand how your historic town can meet the needs and wishes of modern life”

I personally am a big believer in maintaining heritage but also moving forward with the times, so seeing things like artwork being displayed and the plans underway to emphasize culture is exciting.

Im very aware that there are a lot of improvement areas for the town, and i accept that its not all roses, were living in a difficult time and its difficult to balance priorities when talking about art and culture vs things like social, housing and care but i believe there Is capability for both to have the attention it deserves.

Tell us about this map you created?
I started to create posts highlighting local "sites" with historic information on each to hopefully spread some knowledge of places people may not be overly familiar about.. it developed from there and I started to plot all of these places on a map I created www.newarkmap.co.uk .

My main aim of this was simply to share sites with residents and visitors so they can easily access all the info at their fingertips, on and off Facebook
 

I think I started to get invested in my little side project and started to add not only historic sites, but points of interest, sculptures, war memorials, basically anything that someone may find interesting (the latest addition is independent cafes and local walks of various distances taking in some of the sights.

As of now there are over 230 points mapped in and around the local area and I've added layers for various things, such as religious buildings, local village histories and even pre-history points. some may not know but there is evidence of human activity in Newark going back 15,000 years, its fantastic to learn about and I want to ensure everyone has access to the information.
 

I wanted to make the map free and usable to all, resident and visitors alike. There have been people speak to me that have lived in Newark a long while that never knew of certain things. my main aim is to promote what the town DOES have to offer and if it inspires even a dozen people to the town, its a job well done in my eyes.

At last count, there have been some 70,000+ views of the map. so its great to know it IS being used.

I suppose my main aim is to have a readily accessible catalogue of all the fantastic things Newark does offer.

Since then, its evolved into what you see now :)


What is your background that allowed you to create this project?

I’m just a guy on the internet who wants to promote our town as much as possible. I work from home so i'm afforded the opportunity to have regular dog walks in and around the local area and i simply want to share what we have with everyone else

Even if I get 10 new people visiting Newark because of it, it’s a job well done in my eyes.

What are your plans for the project?
I plan to expand more of the local villages onto the map, including Southwell and also look into future development with Newark council to really highlight the great things this town offers and to get as many users make the most out of the group and the map as possible. I have also been toying wit the idea of potential events, such as organised walks (probably on a Sunday), in and around Newark for those who may not be comfortable or confident enough to explore themselves.

Watch this space 
 

Favourite café in Newark?

I often stop for a coffee whilst im walking the dog at The Riverside Parlour, just off the riverside park, their Coffee is damn good and Louis and I enjoy an ice cream in the summer months (he's too much of a grump to go in places as he hates everyone)
I also like to pop in to the independent cafes in town as there are some lovely spots.

Tell me about your socials/website
https://www.instagram.com/davefargher/
https://www.facebook.com/dave.fargher

Thanks to ID4N for Support in creating this project


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