I named it my wonder wall before Oasis made the announcement that they were getting back together.
It started out as a plain brick wall beside the canal on Water Street in Radcliffe. Over three months, in acrylics and freehand, it became a portrait of the town. I had never worked on anything of that scale before in my life, and I absolutely loved every minute of it.
What I wanted was to merge the past and present of Radcliffe, to show its history while giving a nod to all of the brilliant volunteers who do so much for this town. So there is wildlife on that wall, and transport, and quotes. There are portraits of people who matter here, and events that mattered to the area. The newly opened Radcliffe Star Academy is on there, and so are memorials for key people from the clubs and charities around the town. Rowetta and Liam Gallagher found their way up there too.
How it started
The mural was commissioned by the Little Britain Angling Club, who work to protect, improve and fish the River Irwell and the canals and waterways nearby. Their chairman, Eric Owen, wanted to do something to highlight the canal and to share how important it is to keep it clean and healthy. It had taken them about three years to get the project up and running, and he is hoping to secure funding so that the whole wall can be finished one day. I carried out the work for free.
I was not out there on my own. My close friend Angie Power came and painted with me through all weathers. She will tell you she is no artist, but she loved every minute of it too, and the pair of us really do bounce off each other. Leslie Stott, a local videographer, documented the whole thing for his YouTube channel, Today in Radcliffe. And there was so much interest while I was working. People were curious and kind, and they kept bringing me cake and drinks, which is the most Radcliffe thing I can think of.
The wall was officially opened on Thursday 5 September 2024, with a public ceremony and speeches from Eric, from Tina Harrison MBE, and from me. Tina is a former nurse who was awarded her MBE for tireless efforts in this community. She said there are so many groups here who come together and do so much good for the town, and that it had been great to see people stopping to look and chat. She is right. There is a big community spirit in Radcliffe, and everyone is so welcoming wherever you go.
Somewhere along the wall I painted the line, happiness is the art of finding joy in the simple brushstrokes of everyday life. That is about as close to a manifesto as I have got.
One section above all the others
But there is one section that matters more than any of it. It holds a Manchester bee, and the words we chose love, and she loves to sing and dance.
Sharon Goodman, from Radcliffe, runs Liv’s Trust, a charity set up in memory of her granddaughter, Olivia Campbell-Hardy. Olivia was fifteen when she was killed in the Manchester Arena bombing in 2017, along with twenty-one other victims. Sharon stood with us on the day the wall was opened.
I left school at fourteen to care for my younger sibling, and painting became an outlet for all the difficulties I have endured. I never had a lesson. My work has been shown at the Rossocinabro Art Gallery in Rome, at the Northern Soul Festival in Blackpool, in Hebden Bridge and at the Printworks in Manchester, and it has helped raise money for charities including The Christie and Children with Cancer.
But this was a brick wall by a canal, with people stopping on their way past to say hello. I absolutely loved every minute of it.
As featured in the Bury Times.