A NEW mural was unveiled to Wokingham shoppers on Friday, and this Wokingham mural is sure to be enjoyed for years to come.
Created on the wall between The Plaza and Denmark Street, it features a map of Wokingham Town, flowers and some icons such as schools, churches and even a dog.
It was the brainchild of Emma Merchant, who offered to paint the work after the area was attacked by graffiti vandals over the Christmas period.
Wokingham Town Mayor Tony Lack was on hand to declare the mural open, and told a small and socially distanced gathering: “We’ve been working on the design for quite a long time to brighten up this area.
“Emma has been working on this for eight days solid, with Fiona Webb helping her and her daughter Abby – it’s a wonderful piece of art and we’re really pleased to thank them.”
And Emma was pleased to offer her services to create the artwork.
“It’s lovely to actually see it without the barriers in front of it,” she said. “I’m enjoying the fact that people are enjoying it, it’s really nice.”
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The idea came from a drawing she did, which was then scaled up for the wall. Along the way, she added local landlmarks and features that will put smiles on people’s faces.
“I just wanted it to be joyful and colourful and brighten up the space and really engage the community,” she said.
“I wanted to put some local wildlife in it, I wanted to put in the lovely church buildings, I’ve got a few animals of friends, I wanted to get as many of the schools as I possibly could.
“There’s quite a lot of history in there. There’s a bull, a few silkworms and a mulberry tree along with the mayor’s charity, the Scouts.
“We wanted to include the old bridge at the station, some of the lovely oaks and the greenery we have around here.”
She continued: “There’s lots of parkland, woodlands, copse, hollyhocks, and things that people have pointed out along the way.”
With the idea starting at Christmas, Emma said: “It’s been a long time, I’ve had five months to be thinking about all this and it just gradually evolved.”
The unveiling ceremony was the first event that borough mayor Cllr Keith Baker attended, just hours after he had been installed.
“It’s an absolutely brilliant initiative,” he said. “I wish our other towns did similar where they can as it brightens up the whole area.
“It’s changed a drab wall into something very picturesque and informative: you’ve got the roads, the key features of Wokingham town, wildlife and a bit of fun in there as well.”
