A PHOTOGRAPHIC exhibition highlighting the rich and less affluent sides of the Poole and Bournemouth area was show-cased yesterday.

Created by a group of 16 to 21-year-olds, the Side by Side exhibition, held at The Quay Foyer, at Hill Street, aimed to highlight the contrast between what some deem the ‘Rich South’ and the reality.

Funding for the event was made possible by a grant won from the Money for Life Challenge, which was created to encourage young people to learn new skills and gain financial experience.

Karen Cowser, deputy manager of Raglan Housing’s Quay Foyer, said: “We had between 10 and 12 young people working on this project and they all took on different roles including being a photographer, administration, or researching facts to go with the photos.

“We wanted to see what people’s individual perceptions were of the ‘Rich South’ and find out what they think.

“It was called Side by Side because a lot of the places were in close proximity to one another, such as a Jaguar garage, which was around the corner from a second-hand car sales forecourt.”

Karen says that there were 16 photos shown in the exhibition featuring eight different places or themes, each featured next to their opposite.

“At The Quay Foyer, we house some of the most vulnerable young people in the area, and they often speak about the pressure there is to live beyond your means to fit in with society, so we wanted to challenge that.”

Side By Side was a one-day-only event at The Quay Foyer’s building but can continue to be viewed online.

For more information, go to facebook.com/quay.steps.