Photo of girl on ‘stinky’ fly-tipped sofa wins national award

A seven-year-old girl who had her photograph taken on a “stinky” sofa said she was very happy to be on billboards across the UK. Amaya, from Lydbrook, was one of many visitors to the so-called Lydbrook Lounge, an abandoned sofa which then became surrounded by living room furnishings in the Forest of Dean last year. Local resident and photographer Alex Elton-Wall took portraits of more than 100 people enjoying themselves at the unlikely tourist attraction, and an image he took of Amaya has won the Portrait of Britain award. Nikkie, Amaya’s mum, said she was “very proud” of her daughter, although she said the sofa was “stinky”.

The beige floral sofa was dumped on a patch of land near temporary traffic lights on the B4234 in Lydbrook in April 2025. It has since been removed. Fly-tipping is illegal and anyone caught doing it can receive an unlimited fine if criminally prosecuted, or up to five years in prison. The abandoned sofa in Lydbrook became a source of joy for some residents, with Elton-Wall estimating he took photographs of about 160 to 170 people at the Lydbrook Lounge. “I produced a little photobook of the pictures, which I sold and donated money to a local charity – it was a lot of fun,” he said.

“It all went viral and it did take over my life for a little while.” Elton-Wall’s photograph of Amaya has won the Portrait of Britain award, run by the British Journal of Photography. The photograph will be published in a book, Portrait of Britain Volume Eight, and is being featured in a national digital photograph exhibition on advertising screens. “The story of the Lydbrook Lounge continues, for me, anyway,” Elton-Wall said.

Amaya said it felt “very nice” her photograph has been shown at railway stations across the country. “It was very sticky, there were these lamps and some newspapers,” Amaya said. Jones, landlady of The Jovial Colliers, said she was “very proud” of her daughter. “We’ve got everyone on the hunt looking for her on the billboards,” she added.…Read more by Maisie Lillywhite