Bus stop murals 'bring joy' to town

A bus stop opposite an allotment has a 'grow your own' theme

A project to paint murals on bus shelters aims to "bring joy", the people behind it have said.

Hollinswood and Randlay Parish Council in Telford launched the scheme 12 months ago, with bus shelter art promoting a local allotment.

Parish clerk Katrina Baker said the response was so good, other paintings were commissioned, as well as a mural in an underpass.

Neil Willis, the commissioned artist, said he had enjoyed the reaction from passers-by and believed "it's about brightening up the place".

Ms Baker said the allotments mural - featuring plants and a large pumpkin - came about through conversations with residents, when the parish council was trying to "promote the importance of growing your own".

She added the response had been great for the council's relationship with the community, so they hired Mr Willis again, to work on an underpass.

Ms Baker said this time he worked with young people to come up with the designs they wanted to see.

She said: "They are so proud of it. They may not have actually painted it but because their ideas were on it, it was perfect."

The most recent bus stop to be completed has a remembrance theme

The most recent bus stop mural has a remembrance theme, with silhouettes of soldiers against a background of poppies and a Union flag.

Again, the response had been positive, Ms Baker said, and a memorial bench was planned to go nearby.

She said one couple had approached the council to ask for a similar bus stop near them, so they could "have somewhere to go and visit and just remember".

Funding has now been found for three more bus stops and the next one will have a video gaming theme.

Response from passers-by

Mr Willis, a self-taught artist from Telford, works with spray paints and plans his designs with a virtual reality headset.

He said he had been painting for the last 20 years and his work had taken him all around the country, with projects including youth clubs and Stoke City's stadium.

The responses from passers-by had "all been positive", he said, and he especially enjoyed painting animals and flowers.

Ms Baker said the council had been "very lucky to have found someone who is professional in his work and loves doing it as well".

The murals had "really brought a smile to everyone's face", she said.