Local artist Ellie Johnson, known for her community artworks as Mrs Murals, is collaborating with local schools and social enterprise company Pollenize, along with other local organisations Clean Our Patch and Art and Energy to brighten the local area of Chaddlewood with wild flowers and colourful paintings.
On World Earth Day on April 22, Pollenize provided every schoolchild with a packet of wildflower seeds for them to sow. It is planned to sow some of these wildflower seeds alongside Mrs Murals’ current artwork at a Chaddlewood subway on Hillcrest Drive, which has a bee theme. Schoolchildren and their families will be able to see where their 36,000 packets of seeds will be making a difference by entering their planting location on an interactive online map.
Ellie said:
“The wildflowers will brighten the neighbourhood and help everyone bee happy! One of the aims of this subway art project is to promote the importance of protecting our environment.
“Bees, butterflies and other pollenating insects play a vital role in our eco system and food production, helping plants grow, breed and produce food through pollination. We’re trying to make a real difference to local wildlife by planting seeds, as well as highlighting our environmental message through art.
“The importance of bees has been highlighted recently in the news, due to the government recently allowing the use of neonicotinoid pesticides in the UK, which can be harmful to bees. UK bee population has been in decline for decades.”
Mrs Murals has just finished painting the third subway in Chaddlewood and plans to have all subways in the area painted with nature related themes by the beginning of August.
