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Iconic album covers recreated by pensioners

BCP Council An older woman with white hair recreates Adele's 21 album. The original cover is black and white and features Adele wearing a black top and leaning her head on her hand. In the second version, which is positioned to the left, the older woman is wearing a black top and using her right hand to brush back her hair. The text reads "Teresa 76" instead of "Adele 21"BCP Council
Teresa Clarke, 76, was chosen to recreate the artwork for one of Adele's world-renowned albums

Pop-punk royalty and the biggest star of the decade are just some of the music legends whose iconic albums have been given a fresh look - by Dorset pensioners.

Five residents in their 70s and 80s from Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole have taken part in the Vintage Idols campaign.

Taylor Swift, Madonna and Adele were some of the stars used as inspiration for the project which aims to challenge negative stereotypes around ageing.

The images will be on show in venues across the area throughout October.

BCP Council An older woman with white hair, wearing blue eyeshadow and red lipstick, recreates Madonna's True Blue album cover. The original cover is of Madonna arching her neck back against a blue background.BCP Council
The volunteers posed as musicians spanning from the 1980s to the present day

Whilst not many people associate Taylor Swift's Eras Tour or the californian teenage irreverence of Blink-182 with pensioners, that's exactly the motivation behind the project.

The series was led by amateur photographer Louise Ahrens, who is also the health and social care lead for Christchurch Primary Care Network and an age friendly ambassador.

Ms Ahrens' father, 83-year-old Keith Martin, featured in the project, starring as David Bowie from his 1973 album, Aladdin Sane.

BCP Council An older man recreates David Bowie's album cover for Aladdin Sane. On the original album cover, David Bowie has a red mullet with a blue and red lightning bolt drawn on his face, and he is topless.BCP Council
The campaign was launched to mark the United Nations International Day of Older People

Other recreations included retired nurse Anne Blendell, 79, who donned a blue latex glove and nurse’s hat to imitate blink-182's 1999 album, Enema of the State.

The cover of Madonna's 1986 True Blue album was copied by 80-year-old Maureen Capper, who posed wearing blue eyeshadow.

Teresa Clarke, 76, modelled for a recreation of Adele's multi-platinum album, 21 which was named after her age when she wrote it.

And a tribute to the instant print photo on Taylor Swift's 1989 - named after the year she was born - featured 85-year-old Pat Shepherd, who was born in 1939.

BCP Council A mature woman recreates the album cover of Blink-182's Enema of the State, which is a younger blonde woman in a fancy dress nurse's outfit, putting on a blue gloveBCP Council
The Dorset residents tried to keep their poses as close to the original album covers as possible

Age friendly ambassadors work closely with Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council to raise awareness of issues affecting older people.

The authority has about 25 new people stepping into the roles in 2024.

Sandra Moore, BCP Council's portfolio holder for communities and partnerships, said older people's contributions to society were often overlooked or limited by ageism.

“It is so important we celebrate the integral role older people play in our communities and neighbourhoods; as workers, carers, volunteers, activists and community connectors," she added.

The pictures can be seen at Hengistbury Head Visitor Centre, Kinson Community Centre, Access Wellbeing Hub in The Dolphin Centre and in various libraries.

BCP Council An older woman with white hair recreates Taylor Swift's 1989 album cover. The cover features an instand print photo of Taylor Swift wearing red lipstick and a purple t-shirt with seagulls on. At the bottom of the photo "T.S. 1989" is written in black pen. In the recreation, the bottom of the photo reads "P.S. 1939"BCP Council
Taylor Swift named her 1989 album after her birth year, so Pat Shepherd did the same thing in her version

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