Now, after three years as a resident, the Polish-born photographer has produced her first book, featuring more than 160 shots of the historic community.

Barbara, 52, whose maiden name is Bartocha and who is a native of Warsaw, named her work Time Has Been Stopped, after a fragment of a line from a well-known Polish poem.

The 100-page book was launched at a reception held recently in the Red Lion Restaurant on Northumberland Street, Alnmouth.

"I have fallen in love with Alnmouth," said Barbara, who met local man Ian Aitchison when he was a former adviser to the Polish Government's Ministry of Infrastructure's sea transport division and she worked as an interior designer and architectural technician in Warsaw.

"I think it is a very beautiful and peaceful village and it is so lovely to live here. It is such a relief after living in cities like Warsaw, where I grew up, and in London where we lived for two years before we came to Alnmouth.

"I love walking on the beach nearly every day, enjoying the wildlife and the fresh air. It lifts my spirits and I feel I am more creative than I have ever been before. I feel so happy every day.

"This book is a result of my photographic passion and many walks in the village. It does not show everything or everyone. It is just an impression. I hope people will enjoy it."

Barbara took up photography seriously in the late 1990s and last year she exhibited pictures of Alnmouth people in the Sun Inn, to much local acclaim.