Fernielea pupils in Aberdeen have had their hopes and dreams brought to life with the helping hands of aspiring teenage street artists from Tesco Woodend’s outdoor youth club.
The design for the wall art was inspired by Primary 6 pupils and painted by youngsters from The Hub – which was launched in May last year to combat disorderly behaviour in the area.
The Reboot programme with Foyer Aberdeen, funded through the National Lottery, worked with the children to inspire the design by sharing what their hopes and dreams for the future are.
Marc Delaye who runs Fresh Paint, designed the wall art and has also taken time to teach the teenagers of The Hub the skills of graffiti art.
A lasting legacy on the community
The school children and the young teenagers were equally excited to leave “a lasting legacy” on the community.
Lisa Walker, head teacher of Fernielea Primary said: “The young people from Hazlehead Academy, who painted the mural, under the guidance of Marc from Fresh Paint, worked hard to capture the hopes and dreams of our Primary 6 pupils who inspired the design.
“The theme that came through strongly in the design process included the school values characters of happy, safe and achieving.
“The children were delighted to see them feature in the mural.”
Chap Homes and Nodram decorators supplied materials to prep the wall for the children’s art.
Derek Bain, the police’s local partnership department officer, who has played a major role in the hub since the start, said: “The Hub had been really positive and we were looking for more projects in the community as the young people wanted to make a difference.
“They were fortunate to receive one on one tuition with Marc and the results are there to see.”
‘The Hub’
In a bid to combat anti-social behaviour in the Summerhill and Sheddocksley area, police worked alongside Tesco Woodend to provide the youngsters with a safe space.
The set up of the outdoor hub saw police call outs reduce by 90%.
Fresh Paint hosted a graffiti workshop to create a mural of Space Jam under the supermarket.
The teenagers “caught the bug” for street art, said Constable Derek Bain.
He said: “It started with a target group but word got out and we have mums and dads dropping off kids every Thursday, which is a good sign that the community knows it is a good and safe space to be.”
“The youth club has now been awarded £15,000 from Cashback for Communities – as well as Youth Scotland providing funds for trips away which will “show them there is a bigger world out there.”
