A PHOTOGRAPHIC exhibition about one of the coldest winters in living history is set to raise money for charity.

Bernie Trickett has been collecting photographs portraying the history of Deeside for more than 30 years.

Now the 70-year-old has more than 200 photos and will be exhibiting them in Connah’s Quay to raise money for Help For Heroes.

Among the collection are some photographs from the big freeze of 1962-1963.

The winter was one of the coldest since weather records began and resulted in temperatures remaining close to or below zero from December until March.

Bernie, from Connah’s Quay, remembers the chaos caused by the plummeting temperatures 48 years ago.

“The winter of 1963 was the worst I’ve ever experienced,” he said.

“Some people say the big freeze of 1947 was worse. It may have been colder but it didn’t last as long.

“I used to live in a prefab house and had ice on the inside of the windows. I tried to break the ice off and the window broke.”

Among his photographs is one of three men smashing ice around their fishing boats on the River Dee in 1963.

“They were fishermen and needed their boats for work,” said Bernie. “There were 14 inches of ice and it was threatening to crush their boats.

“I think we cope quite well with the weather nowadays, we have more grit.”

Bernie decided to share his photographic collection with members of the public because he wanted to do something to help troops in Afghanistan.

“I’ve been following the war and it scared me to see young men coming home with missing limbs,” he said.

“I started the collection about 1980 when I took a few old photos to an afternoon tea at a local church to show people.

“Other people came up to me and asked if I would like some of their old photos.

“I’ve always been interested in history, especially local history.”

Bernie’s collection has grown over the years and he now has between 200 and 300 photos illustrating the history of Deeside.

The exhibition will be held in Connah’s Quay Community Centre, which is off Tuscan Way, on Saturday, December 11 and Sunday, December 12 between 10am and 4pm.

Entrance is £1, but any additional donations for Help for Heroes will be welcomed.