The mural at Westway

A HUGE mural celebrating the past, present, and future of the Grand Union Canal has been unveiled under the Westway.

Several artists have collaborated on the project including Jael Umerah-Makelemi who is behind the illustrations of the people.

She told the Extra: “The task for me was to come up with a series of illustrations that really represented the community over time and how the canal area has developed. It meant doing a bit of research into what canal boats and the canal itself mean for communities.

“You see people walking along waving to boat owners. You see two people in wheelchairs feeding the ducks. You see people sitting on a park bench and kids drawing hopscotch.”

Speaking about the importance of public art in communal spaces, she said it was important to see representation of all cultures in art, something she did not always see growing up in the capital.

She said: “It’s important for communities to see themselves represented within the area, so I wanted to make sure there was a vibrant array of different people so they could walk past it and say, I see myself as part of this community.”

The mural was also co-designed by young people from the charities City Lions and The Avenues Youth Project.

City Lions aims to widen access to opportunities for teenagers in the area.

The Avenues Youth Project is a youth club based in Kensal Rise.

Sophie, a City Lions member who took part in the design process, said: “I learnt so much from the process, including how to use nozzles, the different colours, how to spray paint.

“And this is a new skill I can add to the list.”

The art project is part of Westminster City Council’s “North Paddington Cultural Activation Strategy” which aims to deliver improvements to the area through injections of colour and creativity.

Alongside the artwork, the city council have created a “bug hotel” in a canal trail.

Cycle routes, paths, and new benches have been upgraded.

City council leader Adam Hug said: “We are creating places that people can feel proud of and enjoy every day.”