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LA? Give me Denton any day of week

Eve Dugdale
22/12/2003

AMERICAN photojournalist Ralph Starkweather has swapped the glitz and glamour of Los Angeles ... for Denton. And he loves it.

After meeting a Brit in his Stateside town, the couple decided to relocate after experiencing an earthquake in the town they were living in.

Ralph, 49, has worked with Muhammad Ali, Brad Pitt and Richard Gere in his time and at present has an exhibition runing in Manchester. He also has a website dedicated to his work.

He spent two weeks with boxer Muhammad Ali doing promotional work in Australia.

"The term 'the greatest' describes him perfectly. He is one of the greatest people I have ever met, a real gentleman. I went to Australia with him and I've been to his home many times for dinner," he said.

Ralph says he has been very impressed with Tameside since relocating here and intends to take photos of the sites and people.

He said: "Denton has a lot of possibilities. I like the people and because of the mills it's a very interesting place. Hyde's great too, the indoor market and all the shops, there's a lot of life in the towns".

Ralph contacted the Advertiser to express his objection to a letter which described Denton's Christmas lights as 'abysmal'.

He said: "My wife Alison pointed out the letter to me and I thought 'I can't let him say that. They're great decorations.

"OK so it's not Hollywood Boulevard but that is a bit false anyway. One night Santa Claus in his sleigh was escorted along our street by the Rotarians, how festive. What a wonderful town you have, be proud of it."

An exhibition of Ralph's work is on at the Richard Goodall gallery in Manchester city centre. Ralph's website can be found at: www.ralphstarkweather.com