Car park appreciation Calendar guy From local newspapers to Radio 2 and national television, Kevin Beresford has found fame with his car park appreciation calendars. Louise Parfitt finds out what inspired his quirky craze ot many people can say that a car park captured their heart, but Kevin Beresford is used to being in a minority; he is currently the only member of the Car Park Appreciation Society. For years, he has been taking photographs of car parks and roundabouts to shed a different light on what many consider to be mundane structures. Artists have always focused on showing beauty in everyday objects Tracey Emins unmade bed; Andy Warhols can of soup; Van Goghs pipe on a chair. For me, it happens to be car parks and roundabouts, he says. It started in 2003, when Beresford was running a printing firm in Redditch. One Christmas, he decided to offer his customers a calendar featuring iconic images of the town. The trouble was, back then, Redditch did not have a lot of anything except roundabouts, he jokes. N The calendar sold in its thousands and was even featured on The Graham Norton Show. Beresford hasnt looked back. Im interested in the aesthetic quality of a roundabout, he says. A roundabout gives a council the perfect opportunity to plonk a garden in the middle of a road junction; its a great piece of street eye candy. Eye-catching Ten years ago, Beresford was asked by the AA if he would produce a similar calendar for car parks. He drove from John OGroats to Lands End checking out different car parks. The passion just grew from there, he says. Its little stories that catch my eye. Often these buildings have so much history theres the Castle Terrace in Edinburgh, Artists have always focused on showing beauty in everyday objects. For me, it happens to be car parks and roundabouts which features in the film T2 Trainspotting, and the car park in Leicester where Richard IIIs remains were found. Or they just have an X factor that sets them apart: there is one in Stratfordupon-Avon that looks like the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, with all these beautiful flowers and shrubs dangling from each floor. Beresfords experiences also determine whether a car park makes the calendar. He describes his visit to the Arndale Centre in Manchester, which features in the 2021 calendar; it has, he says, the most exhilarating and exciting exit ramps. It was a real rollercoaster of a ride! 36 britishparking.co.uk PN Dec 2020 pp36-37 Calendar Guy.indd 36 23/11/2020 13:18