Memories of Collier Row to be turned into murals

More than 2,000sq ft in Collier Row will be animated with artwork

Children in Collier Row are being encouraged to speak to the older generation to make a collection of memories and stories of the local area.

They will then be made into 10,000 books which will be distributed across the borough whilst the best stories will be translated into murals and installed around the high street.

The Church of the Good Shepherd and the Collier Row Business Forum are partnering with primary schools to gather the memories. 

Its aim is for children to capture stories about the history of their town in both writing and drawing from their older counterparts; whether it’s a beloved granddad or the lady next door enabling all involved to learn, grow and understand Collier Row in a new way.

Using the local stories as inspiration and by working with local and national street artists, murals will be created to compliment the book and an art trail by June next year.

Five schools and more than 300 children will take part in the project along with nine local businesses and landlords.

Judy Clay, Operations Director from the Church of the Good Shepard says, “Using these stories as inspiration, we’ll work with a selection of local and national artists to create bespoke murals celebrating the history of collier row through the eyes of residents.

“It’s a real inter-generational activity which is not only going to foster pride in the younger generations but will also aim to tackle loneliness in the local elderly community.”

It is a continuation on from the creation of 12 street art murals which were created in Romford town centre in 2015.

The project has been verified for Crowdfund London, meaning it could receive funding from the Greater London Authority if it gets 150 backers by the week of 17 June this year.