Official opening for new mural

A NEW mural created by students from a Stafford High School to give a wall of local garages a new lease of life has been officially unveiled.

 Students from Sir Graham Balfour School, on North Avenue, teamed up with Stafford and Rural Homes (SARH) and other members of their community to revamp an outdated piece of artwork on the back of garages at the Woodlands Road playing area.

 Anna McLauchlan, SARH Neighbourhoods Project Officer, said: “The mural project has been a great partnership between a number of local organisations and the community and the finished artwork has certainly brightened up our garage site.”

 Deputy Mayor of Stafford, Councillor Ray Barron, joined those involved with the project to officially open the artwork.

 The idea came from Laura Ashton, School and Community Liaison Officer at Sir Graham Balfour School, and Stafford and Rural Homes (SARH) gained support for the project through feedback from a Respect Action Day held in the area in 2010.

 “There was a lot of hard work involved in making it happen, and with the help of our partners I think we’ve created something really special,” said Laura Ashton.

 During the Respect Day residents – especially students from the school – mentioned graffiti in the area and that that the old mural had become a hotspot.

 Students from Sir Graham Balfour School and at Tillington Manor Primary School came up with the design for the mural and Creative Arts North Staffs were employed to work on the project, with funding secured from the Sir Graham Balfour Community and Learning Partnership.

 “Our students, children from Tillington Manor, parents, the local PCSOs, SARH and community volunteers from Argos Direct have all made an outstanding contribution. The mural has been a real community effort,” added Laura.