Huge murals in Parr celebrated by Star readers and local community

Created by international artists, Nomad Clan, whose work has been displayed all over the world, the murals on Rudd Avenue are designed to celebrate the community spirit and heritage in the area.

They have been developed in partnership with local arts organisation Heart of Glass and Torus Foundation, and funded by Arts Council England as part of the Creative People and Places programme.

After a four month creative process that included weekly consultations with the local community, Nomad Clan - namely Jay Gilleard and Hayley Garner - listened to all the concerns, ideas and suggestions of local people and encapsulated this into their finished product.

Nomad Clan at their mural on Rudd Avenue, Parr

Spread across the walls of Wisey's Newsagents and Barbara's Hairdressers, the murals are titled Follow the Light, and Keep Going Keep Growing.

Epic and almost dream-like, Follow the Light shows an illuminated lantern with moths all around, depicting the proud ancestral heritage of Parr and St Helens, with a nod to the area's industrial history.

The Follow the Light mural

The mural opposite, Keep Going Keep Growing, shows the head of a young person surrounded by a cloud of colourful motifs.

The Keep Going Keep Growing mural

It represents the crisis of mental health - yet incorporates a positive angle of how a community can offer individuals a chance to overcome their problems and be a part of something bigger, with the motifs highlighting the smaller things that can bring people peace.

Offering their perspective on the final piece, one Star reader said: "Very talented artists. Incredibly powerful themes which should make us all think about our community and neighbours. Well done to all involved."

Explaining that her Grandad and great Grandad worked locally down the mines, another said that the artwork "has brought a tear to my eye - amazing".

The murals were unveiled to local residents on Friday, July 23 (Pic: Radka Dolinska)

Surprised at the scale of the murals, another reader wrote: "I did scoff and made a negative comment when this story first appeared when in planning, but I have to take it back after seeing the results of these talented artists' work, stunningly beautiful."

Many more readers praised and celebrated the artwork, with some calling for further work like this to be created across St Helens.

Speaking about the meaning of their work, Nomad Clan said: "We think it's important that places like Parr hold these stories and histories and look forward. By illuminating the magical parts of Parr, which are often overlooked, we wanted to create a sense of wonderment for residents and the surrounding areas of St Helens."

"We paint it and we get to leave. It's for the people so it has to be something that they can relate to."

Nomad Clan with local residents and community partners (Pic: Radka Dolinska)

Present at the unveiling on Friday, local councillor Bisi Osundeko said: "It's amazing to see how [Nomad Clan] have brought the imagery to life."

"They've created something beautiful to talk about. Whether online or offline, there are conversations starting with people really curious about the history and the past, and hopefully younger people as well."

"The older generation are very proud about our ancestral history, so it's really giving us something positive to celebrate about Parr."

Angharad Williams, head of programmes at Heart of Glass, said: "So many people have told us what it means to see their stories told in such a beautiful piece of public art. Nomad Clan have done an incredible job of interpreting the community's ideas."

With further artwork and murals to appear around Parr later in the year, as part of Heart of Glass' partnership with Torus Foundation, Angharad added: "We excited to see how the story continues to unfold as we develop more art projects with the people of Parr over the coming months."