And finally… a walk on the wildlife side

Murals by local artist Emma Garness featuring local wildlife have been unveiled under a Beverley bridge in a bid to prevent graffiti.

Colourful scenes featuring birds, fish and flowers have been painted on either side of the two piers underneath Beverley Beck Bridge, generally a hotspot for unwanted graffiti.

Place Yorkshire is a fan of public art: local differentiators, quirkiness, things that look good, basically. So we’re all in on this.

The four murals also feature silhouettes of people, together with an image of the Syntan, the historic barge on Beverley Beck which celebrates its 75th anniversary this year.

Beverley artist Emma Garness was commissioned to create the murals by the East Riding Community Safety Partnership.

The project was funded by the Office of the Humberside Police and Crime Commissioner, which shows that PCCs do make positive interventions, for anyone wondering about what they do.

Nigel Brignall, manager of the council’s anti-social behaviour team, said: “This is a local beauty spot and is very popular with walkers, but the graffiti problem had made it unpleasant and intimidating, especially at night.

“But now I’m delighted with these murals. They reflect the natural surroundings and have really improved the look of this area.”

Garness said: “Everyone has been so grateful and amazed at how the murals have changed how they feel for the better on their route to work or school.

“The four murals took me 23 days to paint and I was very conscious of how popular this area is with walkers, families, commuters and anglers, and there is so much local wildlife that I wanted to capture in the artwork.

“There are so many layers in the design that are connected with the local community and I really hope it complements the local area.”