The Mayor and Mayoress of Rochdale were joined by around 150 villagers and supporters on Sunday at Wardle Scout HQ to admire the Wardle Jungle Book Mural, which has been painted over the past nine months in the main hall.

The main hall upstairs was last decorated some 35 years ago. It is a high, a large space and difficult to paint. The Beavers, Cubs, Leaders and Parents spent the Bank Holiday weekend in May 2016 cleaning and painting it with magnolia. The work took 9 months of weekend visits in the HQ By the artists Anthony Kitchingman and Rosie Benson.

Norma Brandon, 1st Wardle Scout Group, said: “We handed it over to two artists who had expressed in interest in painting in a manner suitable for Scouting of all ages to enjoy it. Rosie Benson and Anthony Kitchingman both work full-time and have given up many weekends since July 2016 to draw and then paint the room. We wanted the room to be personalised to the Scout Group and to reflect the Jungle Book theme which the Cub section is based on – and this is what has been created. It is a true work of art.

The young people have watched how the mural developed from initial drawings on the wall to all the extra insects, birds, butterflies and creepy crawlies that were added in the last few weekends. Most of the paint used has been donated.

The magnolia paint was donated by B&J Painters & Decorators and the Dulux Paint Centre, the paint for the mural was donated by Community RePaint run by Rochdale Boroughwide Housing“.

See the full article from Rochdale Online here or to watch the video of the full transformation, head over to our Facebook page here.

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