Creative kids at a Tyneside school have unveiled a dazzling new mural inspired by the Tyne and Wear Metro.
The pupils at St Alban’s Catholic Primary School at Pelaw in Gateshead worked with a local artist to design the mural, which is proudly on show on a wall at the front of their school building on Rothbury Avenue.
It features a painting of a Metro train in its familiar yellow colour scheme along with other famous local landmarks.
The children’s drawings from classes across all year groups were entered into a school art competition, with the winning designs fed into the finished mural, which was painted by Jarrow-based artist Geri Mole.
They also worked with sixth form students at Cardinal Hume Catholic School as part of the design process.
This highlights how Metro is at the heart of the communities it serves.
Sarah Currie, Stakeholder Relations Officer at Nexus, said: “This has been a fantastic school project and we’re delighted that Metro features in the completed art work.
“The mural looks really good, with the familiar Metro train on there alongside other iconic local landmarks. It’s given the children a bit of inspiration for their drawings.
“This shows how the Metro can capture the imagination and is very much at the heart of the local community. Well done to all involved in the project including the pupils and the artist who came up with the striking design.”
Maria Robinson, Head Teacher at St Alban’s Catholic Primary School, said: “The Metro was a big part of many of the pupils’ designs and the finished mural looks amazing. We love it.
“The Metro train looks so striking and colourful. It really brightens up what was previously a bare wall, showing that the school is part of the community.
“It started out as a drawing competition. We knew that the wall next to our yard could do with brightening up and from there we raised funds to recruit the artist Geri Mole to paint the mural on to the wall.
“There is so much colour in the design and it chimes with our school mission statement – ‘live life to the full’.
“The school is in the middle of a housing estate and it’s great that our neighbours like the mural as well. They say that it’s really brightened up the street.”
Geri Mole, the artist from Creative Space, said: "This was a fantastic project to work on with an overwhelmingly positive repose from the school community and local residents. The iconic yellow Metro running through the design is representative of journeys and local community identity."