Leigh984, The creative portfolio of Leigh Spencer

As part of the National Gallery`s programme of events to celebrate their Bicentenary, 12 of the nation’s most iconic and well-loved paintings from the collection are being lent to 12 venues across the UK. Leicester Museum and Art Gallery on New Walk has been lent The Umbrellas by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, the much loved painting is on display until September 1st and has free entry. The displays opened simultaneously on 10 May 2024, the 200th anniversary of the Gallery’s opening in London, enabling people from all over the country to see, up close, some of the greatest works in the history of Western art. www.nationalgallery.org.uk

The skies above Leicester`s Golden Mile burst into colourful light on Diwali Day (November 12th) as the 40th anniversary of the biggest Diwali celebrations outside of India bought thousands of people to the Melton road area. Decorations lined the street as the "wheel of light" shone bright over the Cossington Recreation Ground and Diwali village, eyes turned skyward for a spectacular firework display. The event is organised by Leicester City Council with Sponsorship from The University Of Leicester, Lidl and Programme Partners Inspirate, Arts Council England, Canal & Rivers Trust.

The Boot Route in Countesthorpe is a take on the traditional scarecrow festival during which residents of the Leicestershire village are tasked with decorating the open car boots (trunks) of their cars or house fronts around a theme.  The theme of the event in 2022 was "Through Time" giving the residents much scope to create all sorts of interesting displays featuring everything from dinosaurs (with real smoke) egyptian mummy cars and even a whole train set in one car !. There's always time for a smile.

  The call went out to the residents of Newbold Verdon... Welcome to the first Light Up Newbold !. In a challenging year to bring Christmas cheer the residents and businesses of the Leicestershire village of Newbold Verdon where invited to decorate their houses and turn the village into a fantastically festive winter wonderland, they certainly rose to the challenge. I was tasked with documenting as many of the displays as possible this slideshow of images features just a selection of the multitude of displays around the village, to see more please search "light up Newbold Verdon" on social media or look for the hashtag #LightUpNV.  (Displays where selected for inclusion randomly and all images where taken from the public highway with government restrictions adhered to).

On the evening of Friday 13th, a day long associated with strange occurrences, bright lights appeared above the city of #Leicester performing an aerial dance across the sky. People below wondered what was happening as pyrotechnic flares shot from the Unidentified Flying Objects, calls where made to law enforcement by those trying to work out what the strange lights above them might be. The sky ballet continued as phones and cameras where pointed skyward, all too soon they disappeared. People where clueless as tweets and messages filled social media speculation was rife, first contact with aliens or maybe falling space debris re-entering the atmosphere where all suggested causes. In the end the explanation was far more down to earth, it was a aerobatic stunt display team named AeroSPARX helping BBC Radio Leicester launch their new drivetime show. On board high above the city where presenters Jimmy and Summaya experiencing a very different perspective of Leicester.

Part of The annual Victory Show in Cosby Leicestershire is a full program of airplane displays from the 1940`s era and often other very special displays such as round parachute drops and in 2019 a display from the RAF Falcons parachute display team. My film begins with the round parachutes preparing for the drop before we see the RAF Falcons perform their display against a perfect blue sky allowing them to perform the alternative stack. Also featured are the P-47D THUNDERBOLT, GAZELLE SQUADRON & PBY-5A CATALINA

A alternative view of the Diwali Day fireworks in Leicester with The National Space Center and Abbey Pumping station in the foreground. I found a high vantage point looking out across the city providing a view over the well known Golden Mile area and a top vantage point to view the spectacular firework display celebrating Diwali Day in the city. Also look out for the Wheel Of Light and countless smaller displays lighting up the night sky over the city. Wishing a very Happy Diwali to all Celebrating from Leigh984