Mural for Tower Hamlets Community Centre

The environment

The co-designed mural has rejuvenated and re-invigorate the area for all to enjoy. We constantly had members of the local community and residents complimenting the mural, intrigued and asking questions about it and wanting to get involved. Together we created a more pleasant, welcoming, and both calming, and stimulating environment, which the community feel they own, reflects their needs, and creates pride for years to come. It’ll a focal point and a destination to visit making it a cultural attraction that draws visitors to the area and encourages community spirit, cleanliness, and inclusiveness.

The local economy

Our mural enriches Tower Hamlets’ cultural landscape and has added personality and character. It invites conversations and makes the local community feel welcome by creating a unique environment for locals and visitors. It’s a focal point and inspires community spirit, cleanliness, and inclusiveness. All the local businesses are thrilled with this colourful and cheerful mural and was a part of this incredible project and are extremely supportive of the impact and brightness it has made!!

Volunteering, jobs & education

The community, volunteers, and participants absolutely loved being a part of the painting process and often brought their friends and families by to show off their contributions and were extremely proud of it. The volunteers found the project really helpful for their practice, two were aspiring mural artists. "What I loved the most about this project is how much it's helping the community, it's the first project I see that really involves the community in imagining the artwork and in the realisation, and I think that's why it has so much impact! What I also loved is that it's a massive scale so it's really exciting to compare the first sketch/plan and the final result." Mona Sharif mural volunteer The impact we've made in such a short space of time is amazing and so proud to help inspire, improve mental health, and facilitate creativity. It's incredible to see after week one what difference It's made to the community's lives, the connections made, the sense of belonging, and the self-worth It's given. We’re not only painting a massive wall mural and making it a more cheerful and welcoming place to live, it's so much more than that!! We're bringing people together, building relationships between each other and our area, facilitating the community to be creative, and helping them learn, create and paint. With our co-designed mural, the community has designed their own parts after learning about pattern and design. Collectively picked the colours after learning colour theory and I've supported them to ensure the design is balanced and harmonious. It was wonderful engaging with participants that varied in skill level with some not picking up a pencil or paintbrush in decades.

Arts, culture & heritage

The input from the community made the design something beyond expectations, with Joy Godsell 81 years creating a giant lace making a 3D element to the mural, it’s so amazing!! The community was keen to help paint the co-designed mural and helped paint on the floor level of the huge wall. "Rose is an incredible artist and I gained more than I could have imagined by attending these workshops. It felt incredible to be included in designing the mural along with other participants as it gave me a huge sense of belonging, a place of safety, and something positive that I could mindfully engage in each week. I am incredibly grateful to have participated in this workshop as it had so many positive impacts on my mental health symptoms and also gave me an opportunity to feel like I was contributing to the community. A huge thank you to Rose for running this course! I am really looking forward to seeing the finished piece! Thank you!" Megan Scarty August 2021 "I am so happy and grateful to be part of this course! Our Instructor Rose is so friendly, she makes all of us feel welcome and heard since day one. Working our creative abilities is very therapeutic, and a good exercise for a healthy mind. Creating together with the group brings a wonderful atmosphere of collaboration and a great sense of community. Many, many thanks for this opportunity!" Flávia Santos July 2021 The workshops were stimulating, educational, and suitable for a diverse group of participants, catering to those with special needs. The participants built new creative skills that they can apply in the future and help to create a stronger community spirit.