A ROW of shops on one of the main routes into Ellesmere Port has been rejuvenated with bright and colourful designs by schoolchildren.
The works have been carried out to shops along Old Whitby Road, alongside Westminster Bridge and close to the town’s railway station, with funding made available through the council’s Ellesmere Port Empty Shops Fund.
Local schools were invited to help create the artworks, with Whitby High School and Capenhurst Grange School taking up the challenge and producing mosaic images on the subjects of fashion, design and engineering.
Funding from the pot was also made available to help refurbish the Citizens Advice Bureau premises on the corner of Whitby Road and Cromwell Road.
Cllr Herbert Manley, executive member for prosperity, said: “Working with local schools to turn empty and poorly maintained shop premises into display areas for their art work is a fantastic way to bring colour and vibrancy back to our streets.
“There is still funding left to continue to carry out great projects like this one, not only across Ellesmere Port but across the borough and I hope we can continue to target worthwhile projects such as this one.”
The Empty Shops Fund is a grant made available by the Department for Communities and Local Government for the enhancement of town centres and shopping areas.
Cheshire West and Chester Council received £52,000 to be spent across the borough, with Ellesmere Port being allocated £21,000.
Local member Cllr Lynn Clare said: “The pupil’s artwork really makes a difference to Old Whitby Road – adding bright and distinctive designs which can be seen for quite some distance by those who walk and drive that route every day.”
