Last week I went back to the old Leeds streets of my younger years. I spent two days walking around the area so familiar to me. The smells and sounds came back to me right away. The roar of traffic, the electricity of the city , the sights and smells of the Chinese restaurant that once sustained me. At the age of 91 I find that I stay close to home now but it was such a pleasure showing younger members of my family around whilst sharing memories of past times, both uplifting and unsettling.

I found myself in Leeds in the later 1950s after many years living in London. My father - a refugee from China - had settled in the Caribbean and brought up a family there. I came to Britain expecting to visit before probably returning to Jamaica, the land of my birth. I ‘d always had a great sense of curiosity which undoubtedly influenced my choice of career as a photojournalist in Jamaica.

My first impression was how different the skyline was to a Jamaican skyline. There were quite a few cranes due to post – war rebuilding here and there were so many chimneys on the skyline really close together. Of course we didn’t need fires or any other form of indoor heating in Jamaica so the open coal fires I saw in almost every house were completely new to me.

I loved taking photographs in Britain. Many were for my own pleasure but many gave others pleasure and some were published. The varied landscapes and contrast between cities, towns and countryside is fascinating.

I suppose as someone who hasn’t grown up in the UK, I see things with a fresh, singular eye. I can find interest in many aspects of landscape, in skylines, industrial building and construction work. Maybe this comes from being very aware that when I arrived here, England was being re-built after the war. Clearly, some of the sights I witnessed were temporary and a camera can capture moments and trends in a way that little else can.

I initially came up to Yorkshire to visit friends but the area reached out and captured my heart. I met a wonderful Yorkshire lass called Mary and got married to her.

Mary was keen to stay here and I remember walking around the Leeds streets for days trying to find a suitable place to rent before seeing a sign saying ‘Room to Rent’.

Knocking on the door of a house displaying with this sign wasn’t always an easy experience for an immigrant in the 1950s and 60s. However, here the landlord was friendly, matter-of-fact and simply showed me up to a small, sparsely furnished, but pleasant first-floor room. He didn’t live on the premises, but rented out the large house: it was a typical ‘rooming house ‘with a number of residents.

Though sparsely furnished, the room had everything we needed to start married life. Except an extra heater. The years in London had not in any way prepared me for the cold winters in the North of England. A small green paraffin heater soon became one of my best friends.

We were to find out that there were three or four other occupied rooms though we saw the neighbours infrequently and didn’t really get to know anyone over the course of that year. We had to move on when our first child was on the way: like many landlords ours had a ‘No Children’ policy.

My experience in England has been a good one. I would say that I have been lucky. I have generally found people to be fair, friendly and helpful. I have travelled throughout Britain, I hear stories from across the UK and know that this has not been the case with some people. Migrants can get a very singular experience depending on how and where they start life here. Yorkshire has very grounded people who understand hardship and community.

I would say that my wife embodied the best of this area. Marrying Mary was the best thing I ever did. She died 20 years ago but gave me three children who blend the best of both of us. I would say that they blend the best of both worlds, mixing a pride in place, open- minded curiosity with a rich mixed heritage.