Hitchin Nub News aims to support our community, promoting shops, businesses, charities, clubs and sports groups.

We profile some of these businesses and organisations regularly in a feature called 'Up Close in Hitchin' while also encouraging opinion pieces from our readers and trusted contributors.

Here's the brilliant Hitchin photographer Tim Matthews on how beautiful ponies have boosted him, leading to a stunning set of pictures - which in turn can help feed them through this long winter through sales of his wonderful images.

Read on for Tim's take and our gallery of his outstanding shots of these wonderful animals on our doorstep.

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Back in 2018 I was living on my own in Arlesey, having lived in Hitchin most of my life.

Photography jobs were far and few between, and I found myself struggling mentally to be pro active.

Along with this I was hardly exercising, or socialising with friends and family.

My overall feeling was low.

The only thing I had that gave me an excuse to not stay in all of the time, was my camera.

Even though I had been neglecting my love for taking photos for months leading up to this point.

I'd had enough of feeling down one morning, and thought I could at least go for walks and take photos of nature, without the pressure of pleasing a client.

I started going for early walks, and found a beautiful area over the railway bridge.

I'd go there most mornings and take photos of a Swan, that had taken up this plot as his own.

One day I couldn't see the swan in his usual spot, so I walked for half a mile down the river, which came to an opening by a field.

Thats when I saw the ponies for the first time

It was a beautiful morning, and there were around nine ponies walking across the river, a mixture of young and old.

I quickly started taking photos, as if they were going to suddenly fly away.

I now had a subject to take photos of whenever I wanted - and just down the road from where I lived.

I found them extremely calming to be around, and the foals jumpy, but curious and playful, often coming way too close to the camera to focus on them.

I would always let them come to me though, and not the other way round, which the mother ponies seemed to be ok with.

I've met a guy who grooms them when he can, and a lady who had brought down a bail of hay for them, and I'd like to help contribute to their wellbeing too.

So 10 per cent of all profits from prints sold from "Ponies of Arlesey" will go to buying them more food throughout winter, which I know they would really appreciate.

Prints can be purchased from Tim's website here

Follow the highly-acclaimed Tim on Instagram here