Leigh984, The creative portfolio of Leigh Spencer

My short film follows a Traction engine in steam as it arrives at the Abbey Pumping Station for one of their regular events. We join the beautifully kept engine as it makes its way carefully along the nearby streets and through the front gates of the Victorian Pumping house before later taking a closer look at the workings from a unique drivers perspective. Images follow.

I visited the Abbey Pumping Station for Meccano Magic a celebration of the well known construction toy. The large hall was packed with many different colourful and intricate models created by enthusiasts from the wide variety of shapes and colours available in the Meccano range. Many of the designs had been crafted without instructions showing the creativity of their creators. On one table sat a model of the Millennium Falcon from Star Wars which its creator believed to be the only one of its kind in existence and had been created purely from photographs of the iconic spacecraft. Other models on show included steam engines, cranes, Red Arrow and Spitfire planes and even remote control cars all created using the construction toy. My film aims to capture the atmosphere of the popular event and features just a small selection of the models on show.

I visited the village of Great Bowden in Leicestershire to see the Fernie Hunt. the annual event begins with the horses and hounds leaving the kennels and travelling to the village green where they are greeted by many spectators. The festive meet allows a chance to see the horses, hounds and talk with their owners about the rich history of the event which also raises money for many local charity's and groups. The horses and hounds follow a sent trail on a planed route around the local countryside laid by a quad bike and bird of prey before retiring back to the kennels at the end of the day. Images follow.

I visited Leicester`s Highcross shopping centre to see the well known Coke-Cola truck as it visited the city as part of a nationwide Christmas tour. The trucks appearance both on tv and in related media signals the start of the festive season for many people and in recent years the trucks have toured the country bringing with them Christmas cheer and a chance for people to have their photos taken alongside the famous big red trucks. My film aims to capture the festive atmosphere as the coke-cola singers sing a variety of Christmas songs and free cans of the drink are handed out. Images Follow

I visited Abbey Pumping Station in Leicester for the annual Christmas Toys & Steam Day. The event usual held in December features many historic steam powered Vehicles and collections of toys from Christmas past. Visitors are invited to take a ride on the museums steam train Leonard and see the Pumping Stations beautifully designed beam engines in operation which can be seen in my previous post at http://leigh984.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/AbbeyPumpingStation.html Images Follow

  I visited the Abbey Pumping Station to see the working Beam Engines which are housed inside a grand Victorian building designed by Stockdale Harrison. The beautifully painted engines are a spectacular sight and can be seen working in the way they where designed and built to be in Leicester by Gimson and Company, today they are rare examples of Woolf compound rotative beam engines in fact it is the only engine house in the world where you can see four working examples of the same beam engine in one building. My film looks at the various dials switches and mechanical parts of the engine in motion as they spin, turn, rise up and down and emit steam making for a warm and humid atmosphere inside the building. Images follow

My film follows two pannier tanks on the evening of December 1st 2013 as they arrive at Melton Mowbray Station to pick up passengers visiting the towns Christmas market before travelling on to Narborough Station lit only by the yellow glow of the station lights they make for an impressive sight as they thunder along the tracks. Images Follow

Between Huncote and Croft, alongside the quarry is a nature trail full of wildlife and fantastic views over the surrounding countryside and villages. My short film features a couple of swans as they hunt for food in the small lake in the middle of the trail bathed in the orange glow of the low winter morning sunshine. Images Follow

Kirby Castle is an unfinished 15th century fortified manor house in Kirby Muxloe, Leicestershire. Begun in 1480 by William Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings, during the period of the Wars of the Roses. He already owned a manor house on the site (some of the original manor house foundations are visible as ruins within the enclosure of the castle), for which he planned to totally redevelop. Work stopped at the castle when he was executed in 1483 for treason by Richard III and it was never completed. My film try`s to capture the spooky atmosphere and the history of the buildings remains which are now owned by English Heritage. Images follow.

The 17th November saw the switching on of Leicester`s Christmas lights and the city came alive with the sights and sounds of street performers real live Camels and a local food and craft event at Leicesters market. My video aims to capture some of the spirit of the evening with a look at the wide selection of events taking place, look out for the ukulele duet outside Visit Leicester the Snow Queen on her unique transport and the city`s Christmas tree alongside the Clock Tower making for a festive atmosphere as we enter the Christmas period. images follow