Midland Art paints a street scene

A group of budding artists took to the streets of Stafford to celebrate their heritage whilst helping to rejuvenate a public walkway by creating a new mural near the town centre.

Young people from Lichfield House, a Midland Heart housing and support scheme for 16-25 year olds, assisted artists Matt and Mills in creating a bespoke piece of wall art for the Greyfriars underpass.

Five youngsters took part in producing a scene showing Izacc Walton, St Mary’s Church, Stafford Castle, the Stafford Rangers’ logo and some of their own designs, using a combination of spray paints, emulsion paint and brushes to cover an area measuring 28.6 metres by 2.5 metres.

Prior to the creation of the mural, photos of iconic landmarks in Stafford went on display at the Rowley Street Methodist Church hall. Members of the local community were then asked to vote for their favourite to be incorporated into the mural.

The underpass has been subject to graffiti in the past, but with the combined efforts of the surrounding community and local partners, the area is now being used to depict one of Stafford’s landmarks in a contemporary wall painting.

Pascale Pug, a life skills worker at Midland Heart, said: “This project has provided a fantastic opportunity for our customers to work together with the local community to reach a common goal and help towards creating a pleasant environment for anyone using the underpass. Finding a path for expression is important for any young person and such projects give them the opportunity to show their involvement in the community they live in.”

Funding for the project was awarded by Partners Assuring a Safer Staffordshire (PASS), which supports activities that aim to reduce anti-social behaviour, fear of crime and improve safety, and the Joint Operations Group (JOG), a local partnership initiative designed to help develop positive relationships within the community.

Local county councillor, Ray Barron, said: “The volunteers from Lichfield House have done an excellent job in giving the subway a fresh new look and their talent has really shone through in their depiction of some of Stafford’s most iconic landmarks.”

Additional support for the project was provided by Staffordshire Council, the crime reduction department at Staffordshire Police and the Staffordshire Highways Partnership, which provided funding to prepare and protect the mural wall.

“The underpass has been targeted by vandals over the years, but this art work has really brightened it up and made it much more appealing to walk through. The team at Staffordshire Highways has also done a great job in supporting the project by cleaning the walls, drains and generally tidying up the area around the subway,” Barron added.