£500 Award for Marple Skatepark Mural
In September 2022 Friends of Marple Memorial Park were delighted to receive a £500 Magic Little Grant from Localgiving and Postcode Neighbourhood Trust, a grant-giving charity funded by players of People’s Postcode Lottery. The funding award enabled Marple-based Community Artist Helen Middleton of Marple Youth Project to lead a series of four workshops in the park. Helen worked with young people to design a series of murals to brighten up the ramps at the top section of Marple Skatepark.
The project was completed with transfer of the artwork to the ramps between April and June 2023. Scroll down to follow the process and to see the decorated ramps.
Skatepark Art Workshops: 1, 2, 8 and 9 October 2022
Here's a selection of images from each of the four workshops at Marple Skatepark with Community Artist Helen Middleton. The weather was really kind for most of the time and lots of young people got involved. Helen engaged with 99 children at the skatepark with age ranges from 3 to 13, and 90 at Marple Youth Project aged 12 to 14.
Everyone seemed to enjoy creating their designs and posing with them for the camera.
Compilation and approval of artwork
Following completion of the workshops Helen compiled the children's artwork into a series of collages for Friends of the Park and the council to review and approve for application to the ramps. Helen presented the designs to Friends of the Park on Thursday 10 November and we were delighted with them. We passed them on to Stockport Council's Neighbourhood Team, who were very happy too and gave us the go-ahead.
Collages displayed in Marple Library over Christmas 2022
The collages were displayed at our Handcrafted Christmas Sale at Hawk Green Reading Room on Sunday 27 November 2022 and in Marple Library until after Christmas.
Art materials and professional services over the 4 x 5 hour workshops during October 2022 and compilation of the collages in November were funded by a £500 Magic Little Grant from Localgiving and Postcode Neighbourhood Trust, a grant-giving charity funded by players of People’s Postcode Lottery.
Transfer onto the ramps was completed in June 2023!
Transfer of the artwork to the ramps was the subject of a separate and successful grant funding application to the National Lottery submitted by Helen.
Helen began transfer of the artwork collages to the ramps April and put the finishing touches to this in early June 2023.
It is quite amazing how accurate they are to the children's original work.
