Back in 1980, photography student Sam Hill roamed the streets of Preston looking for young people who stood out – the mods, the punks, the free spirits.
He would stop them, take their picture, and move on.
“I think I caught a special generation,” said Sam.
“A lot of free-spirited young people. I never asked their names.
“I just took the photograph, thought ‘this looks great’ and thanked them.”
But over the next five decades, those faces never left him.
After retiring from his career, not in photography but graphic design, Sam set out on a remarkable mission.
Armed with nothing more than a collection of pictures, he spent months tracking down the strangers he had photographed as teenagers.
The search involved online appeals, social media trawls, emails, phone calls and countless conversations.
What followed was a series of emotional reunions and an Alternative Kids exhibition at Preston’s Harris Museum.