Paint Fest: Artists gear up for Swindon's first mural festival

Lots of local home and business owners offered up their walls for transformation

Street artists from around the world will be in Swindon this weekend to take part in the town's first ever Paint Fest.

The two-day festival will see 50 well-known artists transform various walls and hoardings around Swindon town centre.

As well as painting live, they will host workshops and talks about urban outdoor art.

One of the organisers described it as a bid to "regenerate" Swindon.

Helen Salter, a former events planner and Swindon resident, told BBC West: "Swindon has just had such negative press.

"Our town centre needs a proper regeneration and what we are doing is regenerating it with art rather than through council funding.

"We are basically taking it into our own hands, it's just brilliant."

Ms Salter, along with co-organiser Sally Taylor and artist Caryn Koh, found that local business owners were only too keen to offer up their buildings for transformation.

She said around half the owners of participating buildings had approached them, while the other half had been quick to get involved after learning more about the festival.

The festival will hold demonstrations and workshops for the public

Most of the artists involved are doing so for free, Ms Salter said.

"The majority of the artists are 'gifting their gift' you could say," she said.

She added: "It has just gone from strength to strength, everyone is just buzzing."

The festival is hoping to raise money for charity Artsite, which provided affordable studio space for artists in Swindon, as well as providing a platform to showcase their work.

Swindon Paint Fest was supported by inSwindon BID, a not-for-profit organisation working to revitalise the town centre for businesses and the community.

The core of the festival's events will be held at Wharf Green, where six of the featured artists will be demonstrating their skills to the public on large frames.

An art trail map will be published on the event's social media sites so visitors can see where each artist is stationed throughout the town.