Art and Design learners have helped to transform the entrance to Royton Linear Park with a colourful new mural celebrating the local area and its community pride.
Our learners designed and painted the striking ‘Welcome to Linear Park’ lettering inside the park’s tunnel, working closely with the Friends of Royton Linear Park group to bring the idea to life.
A total of 23 current learners took part in creating the mural, supported by their tutors, while a further 16 Fine Art students from the previous academic year helped to develop the original design concepts.
Each letter of the mural was individually designed to reflect themes of nature, wildlife and Royton’s local heritage. Students were each assigned a letter at random and challenged to come up with their own creative design before the group’s community leads, Shirley and Amanda, joined Oldham College Principal, Simon Jordan, to select their favourites.
The final designs were refined and developed at the start of this academic year before being painted onto the tunnel walls, a process that gave learners the opportunity to gain hands-on experience of large-scale, public art projects and the chance to explore pathways such as mural and street art.
Speaking about the project, Programme Tutor for Creative, Luke McDaid Barraclough, said:
“This project really pushed our students out of their comfort zone. They worked outdoors in all kinds of weather, experimenting with new materials and techniques they’d never used before. Despite bus strikes and difficult conditions, they showed real commitment and teamwork.
“Community-based work like this shows how art can transform a space and bring people together. The quality of what they’ve achieved in just two weeks is something they should all be proud of.”
Three of the students involved, Michelle, Keisha and Yasmin, reflected on their experience:
“The best part was that it was our own work. We all got a letter, ours were C, N and E and it was exciting to explore different creative techniques.”
“We learned how to use spray paint for the first time, which was a challenge, especially on the corrugated metal. We built up layers and textures and experimented with lots of bright colours, some of us focused on flowers or animals, and others used colours like yellow and green to represent nature.”
“It was great seeing the community’s reaction; everyone was really positive and welcoming. We hope people feel safer walking through the tunnel now and that it helps reduce anti-social behaviour.”
“Seeing all the letters come together at the end was amazing. We’re excited for the next project!”
The finished mural now provides a bright and welcoming entrance to Royton Linear Park, standing as a lasting reminder of what can be achieved when education, creativity and community come together.
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Read the previous story about how the designs were chosen here
