It Takes A Town
Every town is built by people, from people, for people.
From relationships. From stories that are often lived quietly and rarely seen.
It Takes A Town is a community-led portrait project in Sawbridgeworth that celebrates the people who shape the life of the town. 
It Takes A Town is a community-led project designed to reconnect people, strengthen a sense of belonging, and support mental wellbeing, starting locally in Sawbridgeworth and intended to grow and be shared over time.
Photography is the vehicle, not the destination.
The project begins with a long-form body of environmental portraiture, created slowly and with care. Each portrait is made within the subject’s own environment — a shop, workshop, kitchen, studio, garden, canal boat, office, or place of craft. The intention is not simply to photograph faces, but to document identity, contribution, and presence.
This is not about performance or posing.
It is about being seen properly.
The work will culminate in a curated exhibition of monochrome portraits and a published book featuring sixty people who live and work in Sawbridgeworth. Thirty large-format prints will be shown publicly. The book will include sixty portraits alongside a carefully edited narrative drawn from recorded conversations with each participant.
But the exhibition and book are not the endpoint.
They are the beginning.
As It Takes A Town grows, photography may become one stepping stone among many. The direction will be shaped by the people involved and the ideas, skills, and energy they bring. That sense of shared ownership is intentional.
This project is about recognising the diamonds under our feet.
It is about strengthening connections in an age that often pulls people apart.
It is about memory, belonging, and continuity.
It is about seeing one another again.
No politics.
No ideology.
Simply people.
Why This Project Matters
The strongest predictor of long-term well-being is not wealth, status, or achievement.
It is connection.
Modern life can narrow our circles. We move quickly. We communicate digitally. We often overlook the quiet importance of the people who live beside us. A town is not bricks and mortar. It is relationships.
It Takes A Town is designed to widen the circle.
One portrait at a time.
One conversation at a time.
One story at a time.
Getting Involved
The project is now in active development, and new participants are being photographed over the coming months.
Portrait sessions are being scheduled over the next few months. Volunteers, local businesses, sponsors, writers, designers, printers, and exhibition partners may all wish to contribute.
If you would like to:
*     Take part as a subject
*     Nominate someone whose story should be told
*     Offer professional expertise
*     Discuss sponsorship or support
*     Or simply express interest
If the idea resonates with you, I would be delighted to hear from you.
You can also follow progress and join the private project community here:
It Takes A Town Facebook Group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1419654643123993/
The Photographer
The portraits are created by photographer Mark L Edwards, who lives in Sawbridgeworth and works in long-form documentary and environmental portrait photography exploring identity, community, and the psychology of modern life.
A Living Project
It Takes A Town is not a one-off exhibition or publication.
It is intended as an ongoing platform for connection, dialogue, and creative collaboration within Sawbridgeworth, and potentially beyond.
Because towns do not strengthen themselves.
People do.
“Sometimes the most valuable thing we can give another person, and ourselves, is simply our full attention.”
↑Back to Top