SOMERSET wildlife and landscape photographer Oliver Hellowell recently had the trip of a lifetime to photograph a national park in America.

There’s nothing startling about this until one realises that Oliver Hellowell has Down’s Syndrome and severe cardiac issues – and this was his first trip abroad.

Oliver, from Bishopswood, who was commissioned to photograph the Great Smoky Mountains by tourist boards in the States, was born on July 5, 1996, when he was diagnosed with the condition and severe cardiac issues.

This required open heart surgery at three months old.

And at three years old a speech and language therapist predicted that due to an additional diagnosis of verbal dyspraxia his speech, if any, was unlikely to ever be understood by an unfamiliar listener.

Yet he has already appeared on numerous BBC outlets, including The One Show and the BBC news channel, talking about his photography and two years ago produced a book of his work – the first ever produced by a person with Down Syndrome.

Wendy, Oliver’s mum, said “We were so thrilled and grateful to be invited to Tennessee. It was the first time abroad for both Oliver and Mike and we were all extremely excited.

“For Oliver in particular, it was quite simply a once in a lifetime opportunity and challenged him to manage and cope with situations he had never before been exposed to as well as bringing him new experiences and enjoyment.

"His immediate and incredible connection with the well-known photographer Ken Jenkins was possibly the most wondrous highlight of the trip and a deep and abiding lifelong friendship has been born.”

Oliver also won the National Diversity Award for UK Positive Role Model for Disability in 2015 and stages an annual exhibition in Westonzoyland, with this year’s taking place on December 2-3.

He was invited to the States by the Tennessee Tourist Board and the Pigeon Forge Department of Tourism to photograph the Great Smoky Mountains to capture the area in his own unique fashion.

Oliver spent nearly two weeks capturing the magic of the national park.

After meeting and spending time photographing with Oliver, Ken Jenkins said: “Oliver’s got a special gift. It’s almost like God’s compensation, giving him things you and I don’t have, and allowing him to see deeper than the average person sees.

"He has a wonderful sensitivity to patterns and small things. It’s wonderful to watch because he just gets so excited about things – that’s part of the wonder of it all.

“He definitely has that special touch. I’m just thankful he’s able to photograph and share what he sees because we’re all better off for that”

People can see Oliver’s work, find out about his US, trip and meet him at his exhibition on December 2-3 at The Old School, School Road, Westonzoyland, from 10am-4pm.

For more, visit www.oliverhellowell.com.