The Tyne and Wear Metro underpass at Wallsend has been transformed thanks to a new mural. The design has been created by mural and graffiti artist Mark One87 after a series of community workshops with Richardson Dees Primary School, Move It Studios and North East Family Fitness where he asked them to help him represent the heritage and identity of Wallsend.
Explaining more, Mark Shields aka Mark One87, said: “The workshops brought out so many great ideas about what is important to people in Wallsend, from the Roman heritage to the shipyard workers and the town’s parks.
“The final design mixes heritage with the modern day in a vibrant, fun way. We have taken as much inspiration from the children’s ideas as possible and developed them into the final concept.
“The design includes features which represent the heritage of Wallsend, combined with the imaginative ideas which came from our workshops. Lots of the young people created designs featuring parks and wildlife which inspired a full section of the mural with an added bit of humour.
“Working with the local people of Wallsend has been great, their enthusiasm and ideas were a brilliant starting point to create something positive for the local community.
”Allowing the community to get involved in projects like this is a great way to develop pride in their community.”
The underpass is on the route of the active travel scheme that’s strengthening connections between Segendunum Roman Fort and Wallsend Metro station. It is part of North Tyneside Council’s Ambition for Wallsend, creating a vibrant and connected town that is attractive to residents, visitors and employers.
Sarah McCourt, Head of Communications and Marketing at Nexus, said: “This is a brilliant collaboration which has given the local community a chance to brighten up their local Metro station.
“The completed mural is really colourful and looks amazing in the station’s underpass, celebrating Wallsend’s identity, from its Roman heritage to its proud industrial past through the shipyards.
“It’s been particularly great to see so many young people involved in the project, giving creative ideas and actually working with the artist to help with the task of painting the mural.
“Metro is at the heart of the communities it serves and plays a really important role in showcasing public art work through our art on transport programme. We hope our customers enjoy the finished designs when they pass through the Metro station.”