A Northern Eye 2 - more photographs from the Guardian's man in the north

The first snowfall of winter on the intake fields above Clapham in North Yorkshire
Photograph: Christopher Thomond for the Guardian

Huntsman Steven Ashworth leading the Boxing Day chase by hounds of the Holcombe Hunt across misty moorland at Clowbridge near Bury
Photograph: Christopher Thomond for the Guardian

A visitor walks through a grove of 'Snow Queen' silver birches at Dunham Massey in Cheshire, home of the UK's largest winter garden
Photograph: Christopher Thomond for the Guardian

Serbian Orthodox worshippers celebrate Christ's nativity. The north has strong communities in Bradford and other cities
Photograph: Christopher Thomond for the Guardian

Young people join the celebrations, lighting candles to mark the birth of Christ
Photograph: Christopher Thomond for the Guardian

Kirkdale in Liverpool, where one in three local residents of working age, such as Thomas Bebb shown here, were claiming unemployment benefits last year
Photograph: Christopher Thomond for the Guardian

Research scientists on a 24-hour strike at Port Sunlight on the Wirral, protesting against Unilver's plans to abolish the company's final salary pension scheme
Photograph: Christopher Thomond for the Guardian

A more earthly-looking protester on the Unilever picket line
Photograph: Christopher Thomond for the Guardian

Qashqai cars on the production line at Nissan's plant in Washington, Tyne and Wear, where a UK record of 480,485 cars was set at the end of last year
Photograph: Christopher Thomond for the Guardian

Joe Shah checking the 14 giant chandeliers at the Blackpool Tower ballroom at the start of a winter spring clean that last for two weeks
Photograph: Christopher Thomond for the Guardian

Patrick Robinson and Jeffrey Kissoon in rehearsals for the Talawa theatre company's production of Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot at the West Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds. You can read Martin Wainwright on working with Christopher Thomond in another Northerner post here
Photograph: Christopher Thomond for the Guardian