Dr Newton's way gets a make-over

For many years the underpass below Dr Newton’s Way at Wallbridge has been blighted by graffiti, often using offensive language. Indeed last year I chatted to several of the 'artists' and asked them about whether having permission for a mural would be good - some were cagey, a couple said it would be a good thing - certainly evidence from other areas is that it is positive move - see my previous blogs on the topic...

Photo: mural

It is great to hear that the Town Council working with others plus a group of four street artists have in three days transformed the entire underpass - go see it! Apparently almost 100 cans of paint have been used for the mural - and local businessman Oliver Jelf, proprietor of the Illustration Gallery in Middle Street, co-ordinated the team. He is quoted saying: “These are renowned street artists, as this was a really difficult thing to produce. It takes years of practice to be skilled enough to do this sort of very detailed work. I think people will be surprised at what they see.”

Stroud Mayor John Marjoram said: "Standing next to the canal, and alongside the cycle trail, this forms a key gateway into the town for hundreds of people every day. A top priority for local residents is to make Stroud a cleaner, safer place. We hope this will be a good example of how this can be achieved."

Colin Peake, anti-social behaviour co-ordinator for the Stroud Safer Stronger Community Partnership, is keen to find more sites to turn the people into better artists - contact him on 01453 754297.