David Gray's pictures of the week 21-5-2007

DAVID GRAY photography
	W O R T H I N G I N M A Y 2 0 0 7
	P I C T U R E S O F T H E W E E K 2 1 - 5 - 2 0 0 7

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This week's pictures come from the seaside town of Worthing in West Sussex. As seen on an overcast weekday in May 2007, it was not expected to be a vibrant and bustling place. But even so, the contrast with Brighton (just 15 miles to the east) is extraordinarily marked. For a start, everyone in Worthing seems at least 20-30 years older. The pier is almost empty of both visitors and attractions. The Dome cinema on the seafront appears to have been under repair for several years. Worthing has always looked rather nervously over its shoulder at Brighton, seeking to protect itself with a mantle of respectability. The current map and guide describes the resort, in a somewhat desperate tautology, as "uniquely flat". But I am sure there is life in Worthing and - judging from the local news billboard in the first picture in this set - maybe it's not all that respectable either.

Local news billboards reveal contrasting aspects of contemporary life in the town (image 2728-70)

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