Revealed ... mystery ‘couple’ in pier photo

Amateur photographer Ivan Skinner took the striking photo during 13 weeks self-isolating in his family caravan.

Co Antrim photographer Ivan Skinner had taken solace in photography while self-isolating for 13 weeks in his family caravan in Castlerock.

The ex-school principal retired early with a heart complaint and decided to self-isolate as the pandemic began.

After reflecting on a striking photo he took of a couple on a pier at Castlerock in May, he put an appeal out on social media to find them, in order to give them a copy.

Coleraine woman Wendy Evans has identified herself as the mystery woman in the photo taken by an amateur photographer.

The News Letter reported his story, which circulated widely online. The next day, he reported back: “We seem to have found the ‘couple’ in the photo. Not actually a couple as it turns out, but a mother and son ... who’d have known?”

:: Can you help Ivan find couple in his photo?

The woman turned out to be Coleraine pharmacist Wendy Evans and her son Niall, aged 20.

She was pleasantly surprised. “It is something that never happens to me - fame by Facebook!” she said.

Ballynure man Ivan Skinner spent 13 weeks self isolating in his family caravan, which he got through by focusing on photography during his daily walk.

“I had seen the picture a few times popping up on Facebook and I never really looked at it very carefully.”

“And then my colleague at work, who is a friend of mine on Facebook, tagged me in and said - is this you?

“And when I made it larger and looked closer, I said - oh my goodness that is me! That is myself, my son and my dog.”

“It is a really lovely picture. Ivan has sent me a high resolution version of the image.”

The reaction caused her to laugh, after she tagged her son into the story on Facebook.

“The funniest bit was that the article spoke about a young couple. My son was absolutely mortified.

“In his words: ‘Old people should not be allowed to use social media’.”

Wendy now has the photograph as her background image on her Facebook page.

She walks the north coast beaches all year round with her dog, Kora. Like Ivan she too had a challenging lockdown story to tell.

From March until May, she could not drive to any of her favourite beaches and the photo captured one of her first coastal walks after restrictions eased.

She and her husband, Rich, are both pharmacists and have been working “full on” during the pandemic. “We haven’t had any break whatsoever.”

Working in a high street pharmacy, she has had to wear a mask and visor all through the warm weather.

At the start of lockdown people started panic ordering prescriptions, she said, but while that has eased off, the customers have rocketed, as GPs are seeing much fewer patients.

“So the evening walks that we did have actually were a real saving grace for your mental health.”

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