Categories: Case Studies

Tunnel transformed with paint for Waterways Action Squad

Based at the National Waterways Museum in Ellesmere Port and funded by Bank America and V., one of the first projects tackled by the Squad was the nearby canal bridge under the M53 motorway. Covered in graffiti, dirty and dark, it was in desperate need of a repaint, especially as the family boat trips from the Museum would pass under the bridge and staff would often have to go out early and scrub off obscene tags.

Now, thanks to Community RePaint Wirral, the tunnel has been transformed with a five-panel mural designed by the volunteers and inspired by the exhibits in the National Waterways Museum. Since the volunteers finished painting, the graffiti has gone and the tunnel is a much brighter and nicer place to be. What’s more the Council, so impressed by their work, offered to paint a coat of anti-graffiti paint over the mural.

Hazel Mayow, Volunteer Leader at The Waterways Trust: “We only had a very small budget and everyone was eager to get started. By sourcing paint from our local Community RePaint scheme, we were able to use a whole variety of colours and so not compromise on the design or have to wait months for funding,“ In addition, “Diverting second-hand paint from landfill was a great way for us to reinforce the environmental message of this project.”

Tenants repaint Brentwood

Over the last ten years Brentwood Council has been encouraging leaseholders and those living in council housing to become involved in the development and improvement of their area. Graffiti was a particular problem, especially around garage areas, and with the Council’s maintenance budget struggling to keep up with its removal, paint from Community RePaint Thurrock was incredibly valuable.repainting children's climbing frame

Not only has it enabled tenants to cover over the graffiti, but the new lick of paint has also commanded a new respect for the buildings with little or no new graffiti appearing. Similarly, the redecoration of the communal entrances and stairwells in several housing blocks in the Woodland area has encouraged people to keep these spaces cleaner and tidier which, in turn has made it a more pleasant place for everyone to live.

As Cllr Jan Pound, Vice Chair of the Environment, Housing & Community Panel at Brentwood Borough Council explained, “By using paint from Community RePaint, we have been able to help the tenants reclaim their communal spaces and brighten up the area.  No one wants to live surrounded by graffiti and vandalism, and schemes like this are vital to help with our resources and to give a real boost to all the community.”

Paint from Community RePaint Thurrock has also been taken by Brentwood Council for use by the Community Payback programme and young offenders groups.

The Prince’s Trust team redecorate children’s ward

The Prince’s Trust Team Programme is a twelve week course for disadvantaged young people, “As part of the programme the team choose a project that will have a long lasting benefit for the community and then set about raising funds to make it possible,’” explained Team Leader, Ben Adefisan. “By using paint from our local Community RePaint scheme we were able to create a bright and welcoming environment for the children on the Rainbow Ward and still have money for the other materials that we couldn’t otherwise afford.The Prince's trust paint volunteers group photo.

The makeover of the children’s ward at Newham University Hospital, London (pictured), is just one example, of how paint from Community RePaint is being used by The Prince’s Trust. Other projects chosen by the team so far have included improving the playground at Godwin Primary School with colourful, themed murals and the redecoration of the Hartley Community Centre, which homes a youth club, nursery and a range of evening classes and courses. They also run a Home Start scheme that offers support, friendship and practical help to enable parents to give their children a good start in life at the Community Centre and the decoration of their premises has helped to create an environment where visitors feel comfortable, welcome and valued.

Heart Research UK murals at NCP car parks around the country

Mural that reads: it pays to take the stairsHeart Research UK is a visionary charity that, as well as funding ground-breaking medical research into the prevention, treatment and cure of heart disease, actively seeks to help us all live healthier, happier, longer lives through innovative approaches.

Working in collaboration with NCP car parks, Heart Research UK’s most recent initiative is designed to encourage drivers to park on the sixth floor and take the stairs. On arrival at the sixth floor participants are also rewarded with the sight of the colourful murals which have been created using paint from Community RePaint.

It was John Lloyd, Midlands Regional Executive, at Heart Research UK who first contacted Community RePaint and has been leading the project: “We are delighted with the generous support we have received from Community RePaint with paint for our Healthy Heart Floors in NCP car parks around the country, helping to highlight the importance of keeping a healthy heart in a fun, easy and educational way as well as helping to brighten up car parks with local “art galleries”.  The environment also gets a helping hand by using paint that might be sent to landfill.”

Each mural which reinforces the message ‘Love your Heart’ was designed and painted by with the help of local young people and feature Hartley Heart, the charity’s mascot. ‘Healthy Heart Floors’ can now be found at Londonderry House NCP car park, Birmingham, Freer Street NCP car park, Walsall and Rother Street NCP car park, Stratford-upon-Avon with more planned for later this year.

Parents RePaint Pre-School in Rowney Green

Rowney Green Pre-School caters for children aged 2 – 5 years old and encourages learning through play. Located in a beautiful rural setting there is a strong emphasis on the children spending time outdoors but when the weather is bad sessions are held in the football pavilion.

Drab and windowless, the parents were eager to brighten up the pavilion and give the children a more pleasant and stimulating environment by painting a colourful mural. But, “As we plough all our surplus funds back into caring for the children there was no way we could afford the paint we needed,” said Becky Thomas, Chair of the Pre-Schools’ committee, “It was only thanks to Community RePaint Worcester that we were able to go ahead with our plans”.

RePainted Pre-School with field and trees mural

Using paint which was donated to Community RePaint Worcester, the parents have painted a rural scene and brought the outside in, to transform the previously dark and dull changing rooms into a pleasant and bright space, and help keep the winter blues at bay!

Following the success of the mural and the discovery of Community RePaint the Pre-School Committee is now making plans to further enhance the children’s area with various painting projects including an alphabet frieze.

RePainted Pre-School with field and trees mural

Nursery mural brightens up building

Space themed nursery mural

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Volunteers from the corporate arm of Lloyds Banking Group who, as part of Business in the Community’s (BITC) annual Give & Gain Day, used paint supplied by Community RePaint Cardiff and the Vale, to brighten up the building.

The school was keen to transform the overwhelmingly grey, pre-fab nursery building and adjoining tarmac area from an uninviting space, into an area where children could enjoy their lunch or teachers could bring their pupils for the occasional outdoor class.

Seeing an opportunity to help, BITC (a business led charity which seeks to help the most deprived communities and areas) arranged for a team of eighteen volunteers from Lloyds Banking Group to help. As the volunteer teams have to source the necessary materials and funds themselves, “…being able to get paint from Community RePaint Cardiff and the Vale meant that their fundraising efforts could go further,” explained Jill Salter, Programme Coordinator at BITC Wales, “And as result they didn’t have to limit what they could do for the school”.

By the end of the Give & Gain Day a colourful, space-themed mural spanned the front of the nursery and there were planters aplenty for the children to picnic on.  Jason Clark, the school’s Head Teacher commented, “It has been a wonderful day, just seeing the changes and improvements… made to our school. I can assure you that your efforts will be appreciated for many years to come.”

Before painting - the nursery is a grey building

Space themed nursery mural

Rehabilitation house painted to become a home

The house was purchased earlier this year by Green Pastures for the Mulberry Community Project, an initiative which seeks to help those suffering from alcohol and drug addictions rebuild their lives. One of the major causes of relapse is poor living conditions, hence, The Mulberry House which can accommodate up to three tenants at a time, is intended to offer a decent, safe and supportive environment to help break the cycle and assist recovery.

paint supplies ready for decorating mulberry house

The house was purchased earlier this year by Green Pastures for the Mulberry Community Project, an initiative which seeks to help those suffering from alcohol and drug addictions rebuild their lives. One of the major causes of relapse is poor living conditions, hence, The Mulberry House which can accommodate up to three tenants at a time, is intended to offer a decent, safe and supportive environment to help break the cycle and assist recovery.

The house was purchased earlier this year by Green Pastures for the Mulberry Community Project, an initiative which seeks to help those suffering from alcohol and drug addictions rebuild their lives. One of the major causes of relapse is poor living conditions, hence, The Mulberry House which can accommodate up to three tenants at a time, is intended to offer a decent, safe and supportive environment to help break the cycle and assist recovery.

Painting underway - changing the colour in the kitchen from bright red to white

Mulberry Community Project: www.mulberrycompro.co.uk
Community RePaint Wyre and Fylde run by Refurb (Wyre & Fylde): www.refurbproject.org.

Worcester community housing tenants vouch for Community RePaint

Mr Lee found out about Community RePaint thanks to a voucher scheme run by Worcester Community Housing in partnership with Community RePaint Worcester, which enables their new tenants to take paint from the scheme for just £1 a litre and with the first ten litres free!

After painting photo of the living room in white and blue paint.

Having used a contemporary colour scheme of white with accents of muted blue, Mr Lee has made the flat a genuinely pleasant place to live and being able to afford to paint the rooms has meant that, for “…the first time in my life I have been able to put my mark on something,” said Mr Lee.

“Being able to redecorate has helped turn the flat into a home and give Mr Lee a sense of belonging, at a time when other help has been difficult to find,” said Worcester Community Housing’s Customer Experience Manager, Gemma Mundy.

“Working with Community RePaint Worcester has meant that we can offer our tenants a better service and help them to settle in more quickly. The voucher scheme enables our tenants to make their money go further when decorating and personalising their homes,” said Di Smith, Head of Customer Services and Involvement at Worcester Community Housing.

After painting photo of the hallway in white paint.

 

Community RePaint provides paint for community centre

Keen to open the centre by the end of September but with their funds already stretching to cover the essential work being carried out by a team of builders, decorating was going to be dependent on finding a team of eager volunteers and being able to source enough paint for over 400 square metres!

A small church with a big heart for the local community, the congregation of New Life Baptist had expected that finding sufficient paint would be harder than finding enthusiastic volunteers. “Our members have worked tirelessly and given sacrificially of their time and their income to make this happen. So to then discover Community Repaint… that has really helped take the strain off our hard earned finances”, explained Janet Wilkinson, a member of the Church after Community RePaint Basingstoke was able to supply over 230 litres of paint to their project; paint which would have otherwise gone to waste.

Janet went on to say, “We were delighted to have enough paint to decorate both floors of the centre, and even more so when we found that over 40 litres of the paint was the same blue as the church’s logo!”

The Q.E. Park Centre officially opened at the beginning of December and will offer “drop-in” coffee mornings, a 66 We were delighted… even more so parent and toddler group, keep fit when we found that over 40 litres classes and a permanent home for the church.

Donated paint saves building

Paint donated by the residents of Stoke on Trent has been fundamental in rejuvenating the Leek Co-operative Emporium, which was built by the Leek and Moorlands Co-operative Society, over 100 years ago.

Designed by the architect RT Longden of Burslem, the Leek Co-operative Emporium was originally opened as a department store but for the last ten years, has stood vacant. This spurned local residents to form the Leek Community Benefit Society (Leek CBS), whose aim was to bring the Co-operative Emporium back into the community.

The first phase of this was redecoration of the large showroom on the ground floor, where the walls, ceiling and even floor needed painting! Fortunately, Leek CBS was able to get everything they needed from Community RePaint Stoke on Trent (which collects full and half-tins of leftover paint donated by residents) and, thanks to a team of committed volunteers, had the space decorated in time to host events as part of the Leek Arts Festival.

“The whole showroom has been transformed using paint from Community RePaint Stoke on Trent,” said Jill Norman, Chief Officer at SMCVS and Secretary of Leek CBS, “It was really important to have clean, white walls to display the paintings and the paint has been key to us bringing the Co-operative Emporium back into the community.”

The space has subsequently been used for a host of craft shows, vintage markets and food fairs, showcasing local community groups whilst also inviting the community into the building.