'Our community'- Penwortham youngsters team up with local artist on vibrant new murals for community centre

New murals has popped up in Penwortham this summer thanks to a collaboration between Penwortham youngsters and a local artist.

Earlier this summer, members of Penwortham Youth Club transformed the outside of Kingsfold Community Centre into a vibrant celebration of creativity, community and belonging.

Working alongside local artist and Therapeutic Arts Practitioner Shiryn Wynter, the young people spent six weekly sessions designing and creating two large-scale murals that now brighten the building and provide a colourful welcome for everyone who visits.

Rather than painting from a pre-prepared design, the young people were involved from the very beginning.

Together they explored ideas, experimented with colour, shared what their community means to them and gradually developed artwork that reflected their own thoughts, interests and personalities.

The finished murals are filled with flowers, rainbows and symbols representing friendship, inclusion, nature and community pride, alongside messages including “Our Community” and “Kingsfold Stands Together”

Penwortham artist Shiryn, who specialises in therapeutic arts, community murals and collaborative creative projects across Lancashire, said: “Community art is about so much more than creating something beautiful. It’s about giving people a voice, building confidence and helping them realise what they can achieve when they work together.

“My role was to guide the creative process, but every young person contributed ideas that became part of the final murals.

“Watching their confidence grow over the six sessions was just as rewarding as seeing the finished artwork installed.

“I hope they feel proud every time they walk past and can say, ‘I helped create that’.”

Shiryn’s work combines professional art practice with therapeutic approaches, working with schools, youth groups, community organisations and healthcare settings to create meaningful collaborative projects that bring people together while transforming shared spaces.

This Kinsfold project was delivered in partnership with First Kick Foundation, with funding provided by Progress Housing Group and South Ribble Borough Council, alongside support from Penwortham Town Council.

Shiryn told the Post that the murals now stand as a lasting reminder of what can be achieved when creativity, community partnerships and young people’ s ideas come together.

The Penwortham artist added: “I’d like to thank First Kick Foundation for inviting me to be part of such a positive project, and Progress Housing Group, South Ribble Borough Council and Penwortham Town Council for supporting it through their funding. Projects like this simply wouldn’t happen without organisations investing in young people and their communities.”