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Monday 19 Nov 2012

Artistic trees replace graffiti at park entrance

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Autumn leaves add a touch of reality to trees painted on a bridge over the railway line between Bournville and Kings Norton stations.

The mural is the work of artist Daniel Lickiss and is painted on the bridge leading from Breedon Road into Cotteridge Park.

The bridge, which is one of the main entrances into the park and is also used by children going to and from the nearby primary school, was heavily vandalised and daubed with graffiti.

The park has had a successful spray art project running for several years and graffiti had been pretty much eradicated – except for the entrance.

The Friends of Cotteridge Park had previously held art workshops with local youths to prevent graffiti tagging in the skate park area and on the park keepers’ shed. This had proved very successful so the same artist was approached to carry out similar work on the railway bridge.

Emma Woolf, chair of the Friends of Cotteridge Park, said: “The new art work on the railway bridge has made a vast improvement to what was a graffiti covered mess. Everyone who goes by comments on how lovely the bridge now looks and how it makes a welcoming entrance to the park.”

Karen Chiles, Network Rail maintenance protection coordinator, made the arrangements for the bridge to be painted. She added: “This is a wonderful piece of work that has made such a difference to the area and shows what can be achieved when everyone involved pulls together.”

Funded by Birmingham City Council and with the cooperation of Network Rail, which owns the bridge, work started in the middle of October.

Since completion, the project has received a large amount of positive feedback from residents and visitors to the park.