New mural brings vivid images to Wordsley Green
It was a big day for a Black Country town as it unveiled a brand new mural.
The Mayor of Dudley met community members, volunteers and local businesses at the unveiling of the new mural located on Wordsley Green,
The Wordsley Together Community Mural and Planter is a joint project between Saz’s Ceramics & Crafts, Wordsley Together, Friends of Wordsley Parks, ward councillors, Dudley Council, Wordsley library and local schools, nurseries, care homes and community groups throughout Wordsley.
The event was officially opened by the Mayor of Dudley on Saturday, September 23 with Wordsley Library hosting refreshments.
Carly Grandini-Williams, General Manager of Saz’s Ceramics & Crafts, originally came up with the idea of creating a mural in Wordsley, and Sarah Cannings, owner of Saz’s Ceramics & Crafts, designed the pattern for it.
Together, they delivered workshops with participants where they produced their handprints on individual tiles to form flowers and leaves.
These were taken away and fired at the studio at the Red House Glass Cone, before being installed by a team of Dudley Council tiling apprentices on the sides of the planter to form a colourful mural.
The mural also includes logos of local businesses, some of whom helped the community during the pandemic.
Also featured are the names of individuals who have passed away, who lived or worked in Wordsley, and were suggested to be included by their families and friends.
In total, the project has taken 738 tiles to complete. The youngest participant was 6 months old, the eldest was 100 years old and the tiles even feature a couple of dogs' paw prints.
The planter has been adopted by Friends of Wordsley Parks, who have a team of volunteers to fill it with plants which will be provided by the council’s greencare team.
The Mayor of Dudley, Councillor Andrea Goddard, said: "The revamped planter is absolutely beautiful and shows what can happen when communities work together.
"I know it’s taken a lot of planning and hard work to make this happen and it was a delight to officially open the planter to the public.
"It’s a beautiful piece of art and nature which combines to make Wordsley Green and the library an even more inviting community space.
Carly Grandini-Williams, General Manager of Saz’s Ceramics & Crafts said: "It has been a long process and a lot of hard work, but to see all the community come together in this way and produce something so beautiful has been amazing.
"I’m so pleased that my idea has come to fruition."
