A first of its kind community art project which has been led by young people in South West Burnley to start off their school summer holidays has seen the Valley Street Community Centre transformed with a brand-new colourful art mural.
The project was delivered by Calico Homes and is giving young people in the area the chance to develop and enhance their artistic skills, raising aspirations around opportunities in the creative sector, whilst brightening up a part of the neighbourhood.
The special artwork includes a large-scale mural on the outside wall of Valley Street Community Centre, which reflects the children’s hope for the future of their neighbourhood.
The themes that the children wanted to express with the mural were: peace, hope, community and inclusivity.
The children have also been involved in creating beautiful, spray-painted butterflies on the inside of the community centre to share inspiration and stories to people who may be struggling.
The project started with an invitation to local people and businesses to share ideas and continued with a workshop day for 11- to 16-year-olds on Saturday 20th July. The children took part in activities and discussions and learned about street art and spray-painting techniques.
The workshop aimed to help the younger generation in the area discover what other opportunities might be available to them.
12 out of the 14 children involved in the project has never accessed services of the community centre before and Calico Homes is looking at ways traditional community centres can support the younger generation in the area.
More opportunities are being considered to engage with young people in the area including arts performance and digital coding skills.
Adele Aitchison, Head of Creative Enterprises at The Calico Group who coordinated the project said:
“Our aim with this project is to try and close the equality gap for children who may not have had access to opportunities within the creative sector.
It was amazing to see young people in the area explore their artistic potential. Since then, we’ve shared the children’s work with over 100 people living nearby who have expressed support for the project and excitement about the mural, many people saying how nice it is to have something like this in the area.
The kids really wanted this project to let people know that everyone in the community is welcome and for Valley Street to be a place for people to be creative.
The community centre is a space for everyone and we’d love to hear from people who would like to be involved in running future activities.”
Hayley Garner (Aylo), one of the mural artists involved in delivering the project said:
“This mural is all about empowerment, feeling at home, safety, community, peace, and calm. At the centre is a young girl, symbolising strength and potential. She’s holding an umbrella that protects her from adversity, showing safety and protection. Her backpack is full of paint brushes and pencils, highlighting how creativity and education can help us grow personally and as a community.
An open book flying into the distance represents the endless possibilities that come from knowledge and imagination, inspiring a lifelong journey of learning and discovery. A white dove flies gracefully over her shoulder, symbolising the calm and peace we all seek in our community.”
The mural is initially in place for the summer with plans for it to remain longer if the community want it to.